That City Girl (New Version)

by Cozy Shadow

It started with a phone call and a trip to the airport to pick up an old friend. Amy Rose came into Shadow's house only welcomed by Sonic and his girlfriend. After eight years since the gang split up, Amy's changed just as much as everyone else - including Shadow. She never would've guessed she'd up falling for him of all Mobians, though. [NEW VERSION]

12. Thinking like a Girl

STH © SEGA

Sarah and Sam © Cozy Shadow

Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask

Italicized brands (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.

---

When I make changes throughout this new version, I must admit I'm doing opposite things that happen compared to in the old version. I'm thinking about more 'what if's' and such. There is one in particular that I'm thinking about doing, but I'm not sure you readers would like it…I'd like it, though because of the change in couple.

I hope these four chapters haven't been too excruciating. There are parts that I like and other parts that I just don't, but I couldn't change anything upon writing them because those scenes are actually needed to influence other things. So, there's not much filler to go around just yet.

At the end, I listened to Love Me Like You Do like a hundred times...Still listening to it. XD Roughly 38K words this batch around.

---

Chapter Twelve:

Thinking like a Girl

The ice pack Amy found in the freezer was cool to the touch, but her wrist was aflame.

She leaned against the counter, having decided to stay up later than usual to mend to her wrist without anyone noticing. Sarah and Sonic went to bed by nine-thirty. Shadow escaped to his room a little before. Waiting until ten, Amy was sure they were all asleep by now.

The day replayed through her brain as the ice pack helped.

New York City had never been so exciting, Amy. You never ran into old enemies, old friends, and you definitely didn't ever get crushed by a shelf. All in one day. When can I ever relax?

Closing her eyes, she sniffled and mentally groaned.

I better not be catching the cold Shadow has. Even if he doesn't admit that he's sick, we all know he is.

Shadow. The name hadn't been a name in New York City. She almost altogether forgot about him. But now, it held meaning.

Sonic was trying to get us together. Those tingles I felt in the store when our hands touched. Things are suddenly becoming more meaningful because I can't stop thinking like a girl.

She grasped the ice pack and continued to hold it against her wrist.

I've got to get over what happened today and move on. I'm not attracted to Shadow and I don't want to date him.

But what if what Tails said was true? That I don't want to date him yet? Technically, it was what Sonic would've told me. Still, what if I did want to date Shadow in the future—No. Impossible.

For starters, he's not interested in me.

Then why didn't he deny much of anything Sonic said? It was probably because Sonic would've had much more fun if he had tried denying things. Plus, he still agreed with me and stated we would never date. I said basically the same thing. So we both agree on one thing.

But what if I was lying?

Amy narrowed her eyes. It was to the point where she couldn't tell if her mind was in control or not. Perhaps she was fooling herself into thinking she had lied? After all, wouldn't anyone that didn't think Shadow was a monster think he was good looking?

Yet, if they got to know him, they probably would be disappointed to find he wasn't exactly a charmer in his words.

Maybe Shadow needs a girl. He just doesn't need me.

But the thought of finding the Ultimate Life Form a woman made Amy's stomach knot. Something churned against the idea, telling her no. Her mind seemed to think of only one answer. What if that girl is me?

Don't be ridiculous, Amy. Stop thinking like a teenage girl. Think like a woman and get over this growing infatuation before it becomes a disease.

Still, everything that had happened intrigued her. From the tingles they shared to Sonic's words, Amy couldn't help but ponder about everything a bit more into depth than she probably should've.

She was lost in thought so deeply that she failed to listen to the outside world.

"What are you doing up this late?"

"Oh!" Amy gasped and turned around with wide eyes. The ice pack revealed itself and Shadow's posture softened a tad. "You scared me. Again."

Shadow ignored her and focused his gaze on her wrist.

He ambled cautiously towards her before glimpsing into those emerald eyes and taking a hold of her bruised and hurt wrist. The bruise that had developed made Amy slightly worry someone would notice.

It apparently didn't take long.

Her ears flapped back against her head and she bowed slightly in submission as the male overlooked the damaged wrist. Still, curious green eyes watched as his fingers gently traced along her wrist, shooting up more sparks.

Toes curled, tail flinched, and cheeks flushed. Amy bit her lip. "I—"

"You lied." The reprimanding tone surprised her. His gaze continued to examine the wrist carefully. "You said you were fine."

"It's not broken. I don't think," she retorted sensitively.

Shadow mulled it over. No. It didn't look broken. Sprained maybe, but not broken. "You're right. Nonetheless, you won't be of any use around the farm for now."

"Hey—"

"Get some sleep," he turned to the fridge and pulled out the milk. "It's almost ten-thirty."

So, without another word, though she desperately wanted to interrogate him, Amy left.

She wandered back to the couch and sat down, coughing lightly to clear her throat as brought the blankets over her. She almost got up to put away the ice pack she had left on the counter, but chose not to in the end.

Staring up at the ceiling, she listened to the sounds in the kitchen instead.

I don't like Shadow the Hedgehog. She repeated in her head several times while her ears twitched to the sounds he made. I don't like Shadow the Hedgehog.

I'm merely thinking like a crazed, obsessed girl. Sooner or later, I might be watching his every movement. I need to stop thinking like this.

I don't like Shadow the Hedgehog.

Even if he's attractive, it could never work. We're too opposite. We don't tick as friends or anything more. Silver is wrong.

I don't like Shadow the Hedgehog.

Green eyes stared hopelessly at the ceiling still. Her wrist was curled up against her chest as she lay on her back.

He's blunt and rather rude. We've done nothing but repel each other. We're not even friends, really. Then again, he did say he would protect me. We had a moment in the store. A moment of friendship had happened. Maybe we'll get a long now.

But I don't like Shadow the Hedgehog.

Ten-forty-five and Shadow shut off the kitchen light. He padded across the room quietly. Amy held in her breath as she waited for him to leave.

"Goodnight, Rose."

And then he was gone. The door to his bedroom shut closed a few seconds later, and she was alone to comprehend his words (especially the nickname) while trying to sort her jumbling thoughts.

He seems to be warming up to me. Like he did with Sonic. Maybe we can actually be good friends. Even after everything I said and everything he said, we've managed to fix the broken things between us rather than throw it all away and be enemies. He wasn't trying to be nice to me before, but at the store he was—that's undeniable.

The ceiling seemed to be an escape—a blank canvas for her to stare at and draw pictures while trying to get rid of her girlish thoughts.

I just have to ignore the tingles and not take his words as more than they actually mean—he's not interested. I'm not interested. We're nothing but friends now. We can work through this and even if Sonic and Sarah leave, I can at least survive living with him until I get back on my own two feet.

But I don't like Shadow the Hedgehog.

Her chest breathed up heavily and back down just as hard. Her toes curled against the sofa arm, and her wrist was completely numb against her collarbone.

Tired eyelids fluttered and then closed to join the household in much needed sleep.

I can't.

---

The next morning was quiet.

Amy woke up near seven again and the house was completely empty. She wandered around for a moment to see if the others had accidentally slept in too, but no one was there.

Butch decided to follow her though, with his brown eyes looking up at her expectantly and his tongue hanging out like usual.

"Where is everybody?" she murmured to herself as she strolled to the kitchen, clutching onto the wrist.

The ice pack that she had left on the counter last night was gone. Looking in the freezer, she lightly smiled. Shadow had placed it back in the freezer for her after sending her off to bed.

It was Thursday. But only a little past seven by the time Amy started to cook breakfast.

"Sarah might've left early, but what for? She teaches preschoolers, not high schoolers. And it only takes fifteen minutes to get to the school if you drive the speed limit," she mused as she made herself scrambled eggs and toast.

Butch listened with attentive ears and a watchful gaze. Although his mind was probably on the food, Amy figured talking to the dog was better than talking to herself this early.

"Sonic doesn't have to be at work until eight. So why would he leave early? And Shadow feeds animals at five. If he had nothing to do yesterday, I don't think he would have anything to do today. That's odd. It's like everybody disappeared."

The dog's tail thumped against the drawer beside the oven. Amy smiled gently and sighed to herself.

"Now what should I do today? Well, a number of things, really. I can call Rouge and get that over with. I don't know if I should talk to Cream yet. She'd probably be at school right now or getting ready or still sleeping—depending on the time where she's at. I'll call her Saturday."

She eyed the phone on the counter. "Rouge would be up though."

And the bat didn't work in the mornings anymore, so it worked perfectly as destiny would have it. Rouge took that time off to be with the kids, who were supposed to start kindergarten soon. So, Amy grabbed the phone and dialed Rouge's cellphone number—the numbers engraved into Amy's memory.

Rouge answered on the third ring, probably having to take a moment to figure out who exactly was calling her, but the bat proved to be sharp. "Amy?"

"Hey, Rouge. Good morning. Are you busy?" Please be busy.

"No. Actually, I just got the twins breakfast. They were a little late getting out of bed this morning. Knuckles is watching TV with them now. Is something wrong?" The white female asked with concern laced in her tone.

Amy pursed her lips.

How was she supposed to say this?

"No…Well, kind of. Among other things, there is one thing in particular," Amy set the scrambled eggs on her plate and turned off the oven. The phone balanced in her other hand.

"And what's that?"

"Um…Well, you see." Amy did her best to swallow the giant rock in her throat. She grabbed her burning toast and practically flung it to the plate. Pulling out the plug for the toaster, Amy grabbed her plate of food and settled down at the table.

"I might have said something to Sonic and Shadow—"

"And you've made mortal enemies out of them?"

"No."

Amy thought about a glass of water or a glass of something so she could drink from it and waste more time before telling Rouge the secret was out and walking about.

"I told them, Rouge."

There was a long pause.

A very long pause.

And it killed Amy to think that Rouge was on the other end trying to deal with the news—her news. That now somebody else said without her permission. Amy, no less.

And then the bat hung up.

Deadline.

The click went off in Amy's ears and the tears prickled her eyes. She set the phone down on the table before hearing the familiar chime of her cellphone receiving a text. The tears were sucked back up magically and disappeared as Amy ran to the phone with Butch at her heels.

She grabbed the phone within her purse and happily, yet dreadfully, looked at the text from Rouge.

Skype. Now. –Rouge

---

The morning could've gone better for either of them.

Amy twiddled her thumbs while sitting at the kitchen table—her laptop rested in front of her and displayed Rouge's face. The bat was silent and emotionless. It made the rose hedgehog fear for her life a bit more.

But Rouge hadn't shut her out completely. That was the good news.

She's at least still my friend. For a little while.

"Amy, you had no right…" When Rouge finally did speak, she chose the words that teared Amy apart the worse way imaginable.

Her ears flipped back and her gaze pointed low. "I know," she nearly whispered. Her fingers were still clasped tightly. "I'm so sorry, Rouge. But I was thinking about everyone coming to the wedding and things just happened—I mean, Shadow kept pushing and then I decided it was now or never, ya know?"

Rouge's eyes turned a bit colder at that moment. "Now or never? Amy, you had no right to go and tell them that. I'm disappointed in you, but mostly angry. First, you push me out of your problems without me ever knowing about them. And now you think you can tell everyone about the one thing I wanted to keep from them."

"Why?"

Amy glared through the screen. It wasn't the best picture, but she could still see Rouge and Rouge could still see her glower, so that was good.

"So you could wait until they accidentally found out? You shouldn't have kept that from any of them—especially Shadow. I did the right thing because I want the group to come to Sonic's wedding. After all these years, it's the least everyone could do."

The bat stayed quiet for a moment longer than usual. Amy continued to stare hard at Rouge, as if she were trying to force her point into Rouge's brain.

"What did Shadow say?"

"Nothing. But I can feel he's…hurt. He doesn't show emotions well, Rouge. We both know that. How do you think he'd feel? Then again, I don't see why he's all worked up. You both hid things from one another."

That caught Rouge's attention. She lifted her head slightly. "What things? What things has Shadow hid from his best friend?"

Green eyes watched the screen vigilantly as she spoke. "Scourge is back. He's been back for a long time and he's still making their lives hell."

"What happened between him and Shadow that was so bad?" Rouge snorted in disbelief. "It can't be worse than what I went through."

"No. It's not," Amy agreed. "But in some sense, you both don't have a reason to be upset with each other."

"I'm not upset with Shadow—yet."

"I know. But, Scourge attacked them a couple years ago." Amy licked her lips and sighed. "Shadow had to deal with a broken bone. And something tells me he isn't a fast healer anymore."

"He's not. The portal did things, Amy. Not just to him. Some Mobians didn't even make it alive but most did. It was supposed to work without any effects. Next thing we knew, Shadow had a cold that coming Christmas."

"He has one now," Amy mused. "You're not upset with him, then?"

"Well, no. He's a big boy. I took care of my issue and he took care of his. There's no reason for people to know."

"Now they do," Amy snapped. "I wanted everyone to reunite. Like a reunion. It would be nice. But what do you think the group would assume when they see you with twins?"

"I wouldn't have gone. We live our own lives now, Amy."

"We're still in touch."

Rouge exhaled unsteadily and deeply. "That's different."

"How is that different? How is any of this different?!" Amy hissed. "Just accept that they know, Rouge. It's not something you should be ashamed of. Everyone in the group will only take care of you if we're together. Why are you so adamant about pushing them away?"

"Because I am ashamed. Of myself." The bat had never spoken such scary truth. Her voice was, for once, trembling. Her eyes were, for once, scared.

"Tell me. Did Shadow believe it after he heard? Or was he quiet because he couldn't think I would land in such a situation? Because I, for once, was defenseless."

"It happens, Rouge. You got something good out of it. That's the important part," Amy noted tenderly. "But please, don't be embarrassed to say you couldn't fight back. You're brave, Rouge. You took on parenthood before any of us. You. You called me. Me, of all people, Rouge. And you did so courageously. If they can't accept that then they were never your friends."

Amy bit her bottom lip at Rouge's following silence—it was becoming to be something rather intimidating for the pink hedgehog, no matter who gave it. She sat patiently, however, and forever faithful.

The older female was lost in her train of thought. But finally, she broke the silence she'd influenced. "How are they?"

"Sonic told Tails, who took it pretty well. So, I'm guessing that Sonic and Sarah have both adjusted to the news. Again, it happens, Rouge. But Shadow…" Amy glanced away from the laptop screen—away from her friend. "I don't know how he feels exactly."

"Curse Shadow the Hedgehog for being so resilient," Rouge joked halfheartedly. Amy cracked a tiny grin in response. "But I guess he's fine. He hasn't tried to contact me—to yell at me, more like it."

"You assume he's hurt?"

Blue eyes stared at her with a confident gaze. "I know he was, Amy. The question is if he's still hurt now?"

Amy was about to respond, but she heard the familiar footsteps outside of someone walking towards the porch.

"Shhh!" she motioned Rouge to be silent as she listened.

Even though Scourge had commented on being disappointed that Shadow wasn't walking with a limp, it wasn't something the green hedgehog could've seen. He had to hear it. Amy had placed everyone's walk around the house the first few days.

Sarah walked with a silent shuffle. Sonic took longer steps. Shadow seemed to pause with almost every step he took. It wasn't until Scourge's words that Amy puzzled together that it was the invincible limp. While one could not see Shadow's limp, they could hear the difference from his new walk to his old walk. Amy barely recalled his original walk to be more poised, quicker, and definitely without the pause.

So, the pause in the step outside was a big hint to who was coming.

Plus, it could've only been Shadow.

Amy bit her tongue as Shadow opened the door and entered the house.

He closed the door behind him as his head hung lower than usual. His eyelids were almost closed, and Amy could tell his breathing was a bit wheezier than it had been yesterday.

His cold was getting worse.

The reminder made her swallow and cringe at the soreness in her throat. The illness seemed to be passing through still.

"Good morning," Amy shyly greeted, forgetting that Rouge was there over Skype. She glanced at the white bat, who was quietly (and not to mention very intently) listening and waiting. "Where were you?"

"Morning," he mumbled, "Feeding animals. Slept in."

The words were cut shorter and not even complete sentences. His voice sounded cracked, showing Amy the cold was actually worse than it looked, and it already looked worse.

He glanced at the computer lowly for a mere second and then was on his merry way to the fridge. "What are you doing?"

"Talking to Rouge."

Seeing as his response was silence, Amy glimpsed at Rouge. The ivory mother motioned for Amy to continue with the conversation.

"Over Skype," she nearly stuttered but was glad when the two words were out. The twenty-two-year-old watched her host suspiciously. "You know, where you talk to them—"

"I know what it is."

Amy shut her trap, but didn't have to look at Rouge to know what the bat wanted to do. "Do you want to speak with her?"

"She's listening, isn't she?"

"Yes…"

Shadow exhaled in annoyance as he set the milk carton back in the fridge. He closed his eyes while holding the handle of the fridge rougher than needed.

Could he do this? Could he face Rouge—not in person, but still facing—after still feeling deceived?

It took one to spill a secret and it took one to hold a grudge. He was the latter still, and he wasn't sure how to get rid of the feeling of betrayal. It'd be a leech on him for most of his life.

Slowly, he moseyed to the chair Amy was in. She slid out as he sat down and stared at the screen.

His breath was lost, and so were his thoughts, the moment he saw Rouge.

She had changed. A lot. Eight years had it been? She left for Florida and he…well, he disappeared from the cruel judgement of humanity. They didn't speak to each other for eight years.

And here he was. Here she was. Staring at one another deeply and trying to think of words to say. Neither could do so.

Screw betrayal.

Guilt pushed harder against Shadow until it suffocated him.

How could he have not at least stayed in contact with his only true friend? What if she had died? Would he have even known?

This was a bad idea. I'm still processing that she's a mother and went through rape. I'm still trying to convince myself that it was really Rouge. I can't look her in the eyes right now, computer screen or not—it doesn't make it any less real. This is very much so real.

And I can't say a damn thing to her.

A boulder the size of a car felt like it was sliding down his throat as he gulped it down and tried to think of any words that, together, would make some sense.

She beat him to it.

"Hey, tough guy."

Amy wandered around the kitchen table, looking through the cupboard of food to look busy. Shadow couldn't even fold his arms in a comfortable position.

He didn't know what to do with himself as he suddenly became more and more tongue-tied. More and more pathetic to watch.

"Rouge." He coughed and cleared his throat before nodding at the screen. "How are you?" The words came slowly, as if he couldn't pronounce them without thinking hard.

"I've been in better situations, but I've also been in worse."

"So, I've heard…" He finally crossed his arms in a relaxed position that didn't make this anymore awkward for him. Shadow was still finding it difficult to look her in the eyes though.

"I'm sorry, Shadow."

"Why are you apologizing? I wasn't raped."

Amy wanted to smack him for being so blunt. Unbeknownst to her, Shadow wanted to do the same thing to himself. His lips pressed tightly together after the words shot out of his mouth by accident.

"Well, maybe the world would actually pity you then," Rouge spoke rather calmly. "Unfortunately, you couldn't get anything good out of it—seeing as you can't carry children for nine months in you."

"Thank God."

Rouge's lips twitched upwards. "They're like you in some ways. Estranged from people and judged a bit for their likes. Not cruel however—though I've heard good things."

Red eyes found the blushing female behind him trying to hide behind the cupboard door. "Have you now? I wonder who could've told you that."

"A little birdie you should take good care of, Shadow. She's a lot like how I was when I went through hard times. Lost, alone, and afraid. Broken wings and couldn't fly."

He didn't want to admit it, but he thought he saw water gathering in her eyes. Shadow couldn't allow for that, even if the words touched the beating heart under his ribcage—and even though he wouldn't admit it. Still, his words came out as whispers, whether he didn't want Amy to hear or whether he didn't fully want to say them out loud, "I'm trying my best…"

"Good. Because if I hear so much as one bad thing about you, I am turning Angry Momma mode on full blast."

Shadow smirked as he finally looked her in the eyes. Those blue eyes were still warm towards him after eight years. "Mission accepted."

"That's what I like to hear," Rouge's grin grew wider as she leaned forward on her desk and stared at Shadow. "Now, tell me. How's life been?"

Before Amy could hear anything else, she walked away and into the living room. It wasn't any of her business, she decided.

Plus, it was the first time in eight years that Shadow and Rouge had spoken to each other.

And best friends needed some solitude to reunite after so long.

---

It had been a little past eight when the two had begun talking, and it wasn't until nearly ten when it finally ended.

"Don't be a stranger, Shadow," Rouge lightly smiled at him gently.

Shadow snorted. "Then you do the same."

"I'll try. You might want to get Amy, though."

"Right, I have no clue how to shut this program off." Shadow thought to himself as he looked around the screen, trying to figure it out.

There was a slight laugh. "I sort of meant you might want to nab Amy before anyone else does."

Red eyes stared at Rouge as if she had grown three heads. When he realized she was being serious, Shadow groaned, "Not you, too."

"Oh? Sonic's leaving the nest and doesn't want his buddy alone forever? I see his point—I mean, you don't really want to be single and alone forever, do you?" Rouge wondered as curiosity caked her voice.

Shadow swallowed heavily as he slumped in the chair. There were some things he could talk about with Sonic and others he couldn't. Like feelings. It wasn't something Shadow normally did—with anyone. But he knew that if he did talk to anyone about them, the first would be to Rouge.

The bat was always understanding and willing to give advice. He just had to get through the teasing words and find that advice himself—so, she didn't make it easy on him.

"Being an outcast in society definitely changes things, Rouge. People think they're nobody in high school because so many others are in different cliques and judge them. They have no clue what it's like to have billions of people to hate them though. I could barely walk the streets without getting bad attention."

"So? That doesn't mean Amy's quick to judge."

"She—" He was going to say she already had. But Rouge would probably only give Amy beef. And for some reason, Shadow didn't want to cause a rift between the two. It was obvious there had been some tension between the females, most likely because Amy told them the clandestine without Rouge's permission.

"She what?"

"Things will always be difficult for me, Rouge," Shadow finally answered as he browsed away at the only window without curtains drawn. "Even if I settled down, what would people think? They'd find out eventually. They'd be quick to judge her. Whoever she was, of course. And kids are out of the question. If one so much resembles me even slightly, society will be there to tear them down. I don't think I could watch that happen."

"But you admit you don't want to be alone forever?"

"Solitude was all I ever liked and sometimes not feeling is the only way to survive," Shadow grumbled. "Even more so when the humans treated me like the bad leftovers. And then Sonic and Tails came along and they…after four years of being a part, they found me—helped me survive with feelings. I tried not to enjoy the company."

"But you did. Anyone in solitary confinement would, wouldn't they? Where did you go in the first four years?" Rouge questioned. "I don't exactly see you helping shelters or something in hiding."

"Around. Canada, mostly," Shadow confessed as he cleared his throat. Yet another cough was building up and Rouge had already expressed her worry about this year's cold. "I was always drifting from town to town though, wherever they may be."

"And going so long on your own, finally hearing from someone that didn't shun you immediately—didn't act like you were a killing robot. You liked it." Rouge guessed correctly time and time again, but this time, it never made the truth seem so hard for the ebony male to take. "But you don't like to get attached ever since Maria."

"Yes," he whispered and shivered in the breeze of the room. "Four years later and here I am—trying to tell you that my future won't be as easy as the others' will. Sonic could marry whomever and he'll always be fine. Sarah doesn't like the attention so much, so she stays away from crowded places. Amy still has her future, though. It won't be dragged down by the likes of me."

"You have a future, also. So, what if humans try and drag your potential wife and kid down? I, for one, like the idea of a mini Shadow running around. And I also know they wouldn't care if the world hated on them—if they had someone like Amy's spirit."

"I'm not interested, bat."

"Sure, but doesn't mean you can't be."

"You're starting to sound an awful lot like Sonic right now."

Rouge shrugged with the sly grin rested across her muzzle. "It's the truth. Just watch it, Shadow. If you don't want to fall for the girl, you better try your best not to. After all, the more you hide your feelings, the more they show. But the more you deny your feelings, the more they grow."

He raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "What are you saying?"

"Be careful, Hun, because if you step as much as one centimeter into Love's territory, you're playing the game. And it's not always a forgiving, joyful ride."

"I'll keep that in mind," Shadow scoffed lightly but did his best to acknowledge her advice. She was being sincere after all. "Is that all, O Wise Bat?"

"No."

"What then? Before I get Amy to shut this thing down, or better yet, do it myself."

Rouge stared at him with a soft gaze. Her hand reached up to her collarbone as she held the necklace around her neck. Shadow hadn't noticed it until now. He was still taking in her different appearance—though it was mostly the longer hair and growing bangs.

"Even if you don't end up loving Amy, treat her good. For me? It's the least you could do."

"I will," he promised as he got closer to the screen. It took a while before he remembered that it was just a screen. Rouge wasn't really there.

"At least be her friend. You won't regret it."

Shadow's mouth twitched upwards as he nodded gently.

Amy Rose was surprisingly interesting to him. Although, he didn't know what feelings were directed to her at the moment, he had the notion they were all good. And he also had the idea that being her friend wouldn't be so bad.

Shadow was getting attached and he knew it. He was crossing the point of no return.

The ebony male just never anticipated he'd crossed too far.

---

"I don't know what you're talking about, Amy. Shadow hasn't changed in the slightest."

Amy huffed in amusement as she was now placed in the chair. Shadow made himself something to eat while listening, as it was time for Rouge to go.

"If you say so, Rouge. Then again, you know him better than I do."

"For now," Rouge droned as she looked at her nails. "Unfortunately, you're living with him now so I won't be able to keep an eye on you two. I swear, I only had two kids but sometimes, it feels like I have five."

Amy giggled. "C'mon, Knuckles can't be that bad."

"Some days…So about this wedding."

"It's in May."

"Right, well…" Rouge bit her lip in thought. "I can't just take work off. I'm always writing as a journalist. But I think we should head over there sooner than later. Don't you?"

Amy choked on the water she had sipped from her glass. "What? As in now? It's not anywhere near the wedding."

"Yes, well, it does sneak up on you fast. Plus, it'll give me lots of time to look around there, maybe get a few stories down. To write in that environment for work, Miss Rose, I must live in it. Even if it's only for a few weeks."

"Rouge, that's insane. Just wait until the wedding. Tails will let you stay at his house, by the way."

"Is it free sometime next week?"

"Rouge!" Amy found herself laughing but there was some skepticism involved. "You can't be serious."

"Of course, I'm serious," Rouge scoffed. "I take my job very seriously, you know. It's what gets the food on the table and the roof over my head."

"Are you sure you aren't trying to be here quicker so you can see me sooner?" Amy teased.

"Well, there's always that too."

"Rouge…" Amy breathed out a heavy sigh. "I don't know about this. You don't do anything drastic. It's just a wedding."

The twenty-eight-year-old exhaled gently as she stared at Amy through the screen with a motherly gaze. "Something's telling me to, Amy. Besides, if you get the others involved as well, we might need those few weeks to catch up."

"Then we'll get comfortable, and it'll be harder to leave," Amy murmured sadly. "I don't know how I'll say goodbye to you, Silver, and Blaze when you three have been my rocks for so long."

"Then don't, Amy."

~.~

It was twelve-thirty, and the day was ticking by like a turtle stuck in mud.

Amy sat at the kitchen table most of the afternoon. Her laptop had since been retired to its spot beside her makeshift bed on the couch. She traced the wooden pattern of the table and sighed in the silent room.

Shadow had disappeared after Rouge had to go.

Rouge… Amy thought with a pang in her chest. She's coming here to see us. She's coming early to spend time with us. Weeks before the wedding, and she decides to pack up her bags and leave now.

I guess there's nothing really wrong with it.

She's just never been one to take such big moves, especially with the twins. Rouge has always been a bit protective over them. I see why, though—I mean, any mother would (or at least should) feel the need to protect her child. But I can't believe Rouge would do this so on the spur of the moment.

I hope she knows what she's doing.

Amy was left to worry over her friend. At least Rouge hadn't killed her. That was the upside. And also, they would be arriving sometime sooner rather than later. The only thing she was truly terrified over was what was going on in Rouge's mind.

It was hard to read the bat sometimes, but not as hard as trying to figure out Shadow. Rouge was the 100 piece puzzle. Shadow was the 1000 piece puzzle. It seemed both had similarities though, since as soon as it seemed Amy understood one of them, the last puzzle piece wouldn't fit.

It always left her looking for her mistake.

Getting up from the chair, Amy opened one of the cupboards and looked for any type of food.

To keep from stressing over something, she'd created a habit of baking. Or sleeping. And seeing as she had enough beauty sleep last night, she might as well bake.

Her wrist still hurt from time to time, but it began acting up again as soon as she had the rolling pin out. Amy groaned in frustration. While the damned wrist took her mind off of Rouge and the bat's decision, it wasn't very soothing.

It was painful.

She stopped at one point, trying to clear her thoughts and trying to ease the pain in her wrist. The dough rested under the roller pin and the bowl next to her elbow. She wiped her nose, getting flour on it in the process, but she didn't care.

Failing to hear the door open and close softly, Amy went back to the roller pin.

Rolling once, her wrist tweaked and she bit her lip. This time it hurt even worse. Little pangs turned into sharp tugs.

"Just what do you think you're doing?"

Startled, Amy twisted around. Not surprised to see Shadow, but still surprised nonetheless, Amy brought her hand to her collarbone. "Is this going to be a habit with you? Hopping around the place and scaring people?"

"I'm hardly hopping," Shadow said with slight humor as he walked closer to her. She was cornered between him and the counters in less than a second. "Now, what do you think you're doing?"

"Baking," Amy mumbled, as if she were a child just caught doing something they weren't supposed to. "It helps me from getting stressed, but…"

His fingers touched her wrist, and the tingles returned. It was hardly noticeable now, but the warmth was still strong. She merely expected the sparks this time and wasn't thrown off balance when they arrived.

Inspecting the wrist, Shadow hummed in a chastising tune. "You should know better. We have some self-adhering elastic bandages in the bathroom."

"I'm fine—honest. I'm just being a baby."

He muttered something under his breath as he dragged her to the bathroom. Amy didn't try to fight him physically, but verbally—yes.

She did her best to convince him that her wrist would be better, but he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Sure enough, he pulled out the bandage, but she knew it as a sports wrap. "Shadow—"

"You can't even take care of yourself," he grumbled as he gently gripped her wrist and wrapped the bandage around until it was out of its roll. Her wrist was completely wrapped and practically immovable.

She frowned and touched the wrap. Shadow's hand was there to swat her away from it. "Don't you dare take it off, Amy."

"Is this the thing Rouge was talking about?" Amy suddenly asked. They were caught in silence as she stared up at him, meeting those vermillion eyes she found herself lost in from time to time. "About taking good care of the little birdie?"

"And if it is?"

His tone was calm and alluring to her. But Amy did her best not to think like a teenage girl. She did her best not to swoon.

"Thank you."

"Hmph. You should still take care of yourself," Shadow scoffed as he brushed shoulders with her and left the bathroom. "No wonder you're stuck here."

Amy glared at the shower curtain as she listened to his words. It wasn't long before she was racing after the damn hedgehog.

"Hey, take that back!"

---

The day passed, but not quickly. Still, soon it was night and Amy was nestled into the couch with the blanket over her.

The TV was on as Sarah sat on the other couch and yawned. It was nearly nine-thirty. The clock was ticking towards the Friday that Sarah couldn't stop talking about. It was a no school day.

"Teacher collaboration day, but I don't need to go. The other preschool teacher doesn't either."

"There's more than one?" Amy mumbled and then coughed. "But it's such a small town."

"For now there's more than one." Sarah shrugged as she thought about Amy's words. "It's kind of weird. There are years when there are hardly forty kids. And then there are the years where a baby boom hits the town and we're dealing with over forty kids in each grade."

Amy raised her eyebrow. "There are forty kids to each grade? There are that many children in this small town?"

"Towns. Yes. A few from the two towns a bit further out. Plus, you're forgetting this is a Mormon community. They have lots of kids."

"I was thought that was all bogus," Amy said. She didn't quite understand the religion, and she hadn't heard about it until coming further west. Apparently, they were big in the other state beside them called Utah.

Sarah shrugged once more. "The Mormons around here have lots of kids. I talked to one parent about it before and they went on some religion talk and tried to convert me. They were really weird…Not because of their religion, per say. The person in general," Sarah assured. "I taught one of her kids and met her husband. They're a…polygamist group. Even if other Mormons in other cities don't practice polygamy, these people in the valley do. At least some."

"So, there are lots of kids around here because of the religion?"

"Not just the religion," Sarah shook her head. "We're farmers. Once the humans all moved west and slaves were free, they did the next thing besides hiring hands, since some of the new farmers were poor."

"Having kids to work on the farm for them," Amy guessed.

"Exactly," Sarah confirmed with a nod.

She was a bit of a history nerd, Amy noticed—loving to learn more about the history of both Earth and Mobius. Amy found herself becoming interested the more Sarah ever talked about anything historical. It seemed to put the lime green female at ease with talking and not being socially awkward.

"It's not exactly new to see farming communities having lots of kids in their families—at least not back in the 1800's. Generations and generations pass and we still see that pattern of lots of kids in some families, but the religion in this valley definitely spikes the number up a bit more. Compared to other families in the towns that are Christian, the Mormons have more kids in their households. I'm not going to go assuming things, but that's the best guess anyone's made that I've heard."

"So how many kids are you having?" Amy teased lightly as she wheezed. "Sonic seems pretty comfortable around his niece and nephew."

"Yes, well…" Sarah glanced away and back at the TV. "We haven't gotten that far to talk about kids, but I'm not exactly the kid loving person."

"Yet you're a preschool teacher?" Amy snorted in humor. The cough medicine was definitely making her loopy—she had no tolerance for medication, much less alcohol. "That's a laugh."

Sarah cracked a small smile. "It is, isn't it? I don't know, I wanted to teach high schoolers but then switched to preschoolers. I like some other kids, but not usually. I guess the push was that even though the parents in this town might be rude to some people, the kids are nice. At least until they hit second grade. And I liked this town a lot. I didn't want to move."

"Despite not liking religion?"

She nodded once and called it good. "I skipped past that fact. I just never knew what to believe, and then, I decided I wouldn't. I would let others believe what they wanted and I would respect that as long as they accepted that I'm not religious. The other preschool teacher was the first to actually open up to me in this town. We've become good friends."

"What's her name?"

"His," Sarah corrected with a smirk. "Peter Worthington. He's a Christian and didn't mind that I was I different from the people in the valley. Although, it wasn't until I started to date Sonic that I became more respected."

"That's a shame."

"It is. The way people think in this town is a little annoying at times."

Amy mulled the thought over. "What would've happened if you hadn't met Sonic, or dated him at least?"

Sarah curled up into a ball and stared at the pink hedgehog. She lifted her elbow on the sofa arm and put her cheek in the palm of her hand. Sighing, Sarah looked rather knowing but in a more depressing manner. "I probably would've stayed in town at my apartment, met up with my ex from college and married him. I most likely wouldn't have taught out here either because of the long drive, but that's where most teachers are from. They aren't from the valley."

"Ex from college? Oh, this is getting good," Amy giggled as she leaned closer.

She hadn't the slightest clue where Shadow and Sonic were. But the running water of the shower suggested that Sonic was washing up. And Shadow was mostly in his bed, trying to get rid of the cold.

Sarah rolled her eyes and flipped onto her back.

"Yeah. We were serious all throughout college and then got into a big fight, so he called it quits. I didn't mind after a while. I went out here, began teaching, and then I met up with a college buddy who was looking for Hunter's Ed classes. I remembered they taught them at the school at night—some old veteran and some other guy. I signed us up, thinking it would be a new hobby to take my mind off the breakup."

"And you met Sonic."

"He stole my seat," Sarah grumbled gloomily but in a lighthearted manner. "I could tell from the start he was a flirt."

"Hmhm. Arrogant and flirty, I presume?" Amy laughed.

"You presume correctly," Sarah confessed. She sighed and stretched. "I vowed I would get my seat the next week we went. Then I saw the power of speed from Sonic himself. He was seated in a different spot and just waiting for me. As soon I got to my seat, there were papers everywhere and Shadow didn't look impressed, but Sonic did."

"He stole your seat again," Amy sang. She smiled as Sarah shared her memory, "So what about the ex? How do you know that you would've gotten back with him?"

"Well, five sessions passed—five weeks—and I couldn't get my seat. So, I chose another one and ignored Sonic the entire fifth day. Apparently that signaled that I liked him. So he asked me out. I went home that night feeling better than ever had after the breakup. And then, he was there—as fate would have it. My ex stood at my apartment door, wondering where I had been—he called all of my friends and they had no clue. He was worried sick and wanted to get back together."

"But only a great fool would say yes and give up the chance to date Sonic the Hedgehog," Amy stated with confidence.

"Yeah," Sarah agreed with an amused look. "I told him no and that I met someone else. He was definitely peeved and wanted to know who it was. He wouldn't let it go. So, I told him it was Sonic the Hedgehog."

"He probably thought you were a crazy fan girl then."

"That's exactly what he thought. He tried to convince me that I didn't know Sonic and it was all in my head. So, I invited him to the Hunter's Ed class with me to prove him wrong."

"Oh, no."

"Oh, yes."

"What happened?"

"Sonic was shocked to see someone else with me, rather than my other buddy. He was still there, but my ex went too. So I walk in with two guys—one was a very good friend and the other was my ex. What do you think happened?"

"Well, I would like to say Sonic got jealous," Amy guessed. She pursed her lips in concentration. "But Sonic doesn't show jealousy easily. So, he was probably making friends with your ex and also bragging about himself."

"Surprisingly, no."

Amy lifted her head and raised her eyebrows. "Seriously? Sonic the Hedgehog actually showed jealousy? I guess that makes you The One for him."

"I guess," Sarah shrugged nonchalantly. "I told him about my ex when my ex went out to get a drink of water. Sonic totally understood and knew that I wanted to get rid of my ex before ever getting back together with him. So, Sonic—after showing his little jealous pout the first half hour of the class—decided to turn things up a notch. He just had to go out in style."

"Sonic always does."

"So, he openly asked where I wanted to go on our date tomorrow evening. Now, we hadn't scheduled a date night—just a date. I had no clue when it would be. Sonic was just doing that himself, and my ex had never been so…"

"Angry? Jealous? Hurt? What?" Amy pressed with interest.

"Hilarious looking in my life," Sarah laughed rather loudly. "His face—I can't even describe it. You had to have been there, Amy."

"I wish I had now," the pink hedgehog murmured with a grin against her pillow. "So, now what's your ex up to?"

"I have no clue. He vanished completely that night. Said goodnight to me and wished me luck and then he left."

"Now you're getting married to Sonic the Hedgehog. Only one girl in the universe could say they're the wife of Ogilvie Maurice the Hedgehog and that is you."

Sarah gave her confused look—beyond confused. "What?"

Amy tiredly glanced at Sarah, still in her state of dopiness. "That's Sonic's real name. Or at least was in Mobius. I think he changed it legally to Sonic the Hedgehog during the two years the group was together."

"His name…was Ogilvie?" Sarah took a moment to say it and still pronounced it wrong. "Oh, my God, he's never living that down."

"I shouldn't have told you that." Amy looked at her with a serious, concerned gaze as she saw the evil gears turning in Sarah's head. "I should not have said that."

"Oh, Amy," Sarah got up and kissed Amy's forehead, pressing her hands against Amy's cheeks. "You were brought here to tell me this—"

"No," Amy whispered frightfully but giggled.

"—So I could marry Sonic but put Ogilvie Maurice on the wedding cake—"

"Nooooo," Amy's laughter was completely insane now as she let a tear slip down her face. "He hated the name!"

"—Or when we have our first kid, I could suggest the name Ogilvie Maurice the Hedgehog—"

Amy was laughing so hard that it would've put a maniac's laughter to shame. The cough syrup was definitely taking its toll in the perfect situation.

Sarah kept holding Amy's cheeks while grinning at the ridiculous female. "Oh, thank you, Amy!" She put her hands in the air, letting go of Amy, and whooped. "You have brought me this glorious gift!"

"Could you two be any louder?" Shadow grumbled as he emerged from his bedroom and out of the hallway. He glared at the two females. "Sarah, leave Amy alone."

"Or what?" Sarah snorted as she slumped and looked at Shadow. "You gonna throw me out the window because I'm bugging your crush?"

Shadow sighed and a wheeze came out in turn. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes before speaking in his slightly altered voice due to the sickness that had claimed him. "I assure you, that's not the reason. Simply because Amy is clearly not well and she cannot take medication as well as others can," he calmly motioned to the insane female on the couch.

"I'm fine!" Amy giggled noisily, "Shaddie, why aren't youuuu having as much fun as I'mmmm having?!" She busted out into another fit of laughter.

Shadow's eye twitched in annoyance at the nickname. But he knew he had to be patient with the loopy hedgehog on his sofa. "Get some rest, Amy. It's late and you aren't feeling well."

"I feel fine!" she kept singing to herself as the bathroom door opened.

"Sounds like a party out here," Sonic commented flippantly as he put his clothes in the hamper and walked into the room with his pajamas on. He raised an eyebrow at the scene however.

Shadow looked on the verge of hurling or passing out. Sarah was chortling as she took glimpses at her fiancé and then looked away. Amy was beat red while laughing so hard that tears streamed down her cheeks.

"This is happening…" Sonic slowly padded over to Shadow and clasped the male's shoulder. "Why don't you get some rest?"

Shadow grunted and turned back to the hallway, where he disappeared in the darkness. Sonic was left with the two females—one harebrained and the other not. "Okay, Amy, why don't we get you to bed?"

"Okie dokie."

Sonic rolled his eyes as he tucked her in and she calmed down for the most part. He patted the top of her head and ruffled her bangs a bit before walking to his bedroom door. He glanced back upon noticing that Sarah wasn't following.

She was standing beside the rocking chair that was in front of the window. Sarah folded her arms and looked at Sonic with a smirk.

"What?" Sonic inquired with a questioning gaze.

"Oh, nothing."

"Okay..." He turned and gripped the doorknob.

Sonic couldn't shake the feeling off that something was a bit different. That Amy or Sarah had said something about him, found it humorous, and decided to keep it a secret between them.

They're just being girls. At least they're getting along. He reassured himself as he shook his head and opened the bedroom door, at least until his fiancée broke the silence.

"Goodnight, Ogilvie."

---

The sunlight rays beamed through the window, and Amy cursed herself for not shutting the curtains.

She groaned and tried to untangle herself from the mess of blanket she was in. Her pillow had hit the ground sometime in the night. Butch rested his head on it and peered up at her upon listening to her annoyed sounds.

Amy stretched, minding her wrist, and looked up at the ceiling. "It's Friday…" She sighed happily and snuggled into the blankets, remembering she didn't have to feed animals due to her wrist.

It wasn't a second later when someone's lips were up against her ear. "Hey. Hey, Amy." A laugh. "Wakie, wakie."

Amy swatted at the figure and opened her eyes tiredly to look up at Sarah. The brown eyes were gazing down at her, glazed with humor. "How was your dream?"

"I don't remember," Amy muttered as she rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Why?"

"You were moaning."

Sarah's grin slowly appeared and she bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing at Amy's wide eyes. The rose hedgehog failed to notice the two males of the household watching her. Sonic leaned up against the wall by the other couch and smirked. Shadow made his move towards the couch Amy was on and leaned on the back of it, startling Amy.

Now she noticed all three.

"I…It was a nightmare?"

"Really?" Sarah teased with bright eyes. "It seemed more like a sexy dream, if you ask me."

Amy wrapped herself around the blanket and flushed. "Well, you would know."

"So, what was it?" Sarah pressed and leaned closer with a joking and humorous stare. "Was it Silver?" she whispered.

Shadow huffed and glanced away, "Like those two would ever be…intimate."

"Aw, I think someone's jealous," Sonic spoke from the back.

"I am not. I simply don't see them together." Shadow crossed his arms. "It doesn't make sense."

Amy sighed against the couch. "I told you all about us in the mall and you slept right through it because of your Frappuccino accident."

"Yeah, don't give them that stuff," Sarah stated rather seriously. "We tried that at a park and I lost both of them for about three hours."

"Where'd you find them?"

"I didn't. I just left and went home. Eventually, they found their way. Apparently, Sonic went to the next state over and Shadow crashed on the park bench."

"I take it better than Shadow," Sonic bragged. "I had to bring his sorry ass home."

Shadow grumbled and then coughed. "Isn't there something for you two to do today?" He stared at the couple.

"If you wanted to be alone with Amy, you could just ask."

He glared daggers at Sarah. "For the last time, we're not interested in one another. Stop insinuating that I like her as anything more than a friend. It's not going to happen. I don't want to hear another thing from anyone or so help me, I will kick her out."

Sarah went to open her mouth at the same time Sonic did. Amy beat them to it as she flailed her hands about, cringing mentally at the tweak in her wrist. "Shut up!" she pleaded. "Just shut up!"

Sonic paused before leaning back against the wall. "Well, Sarah and I are going to figure out our wedding cake. We're going to go look around town for other wedding stuff and get our invitations planned out as well."

"Cake?" Amy perked up.

"You can't come," Sarah tucked her back in. "You're sick. Now not as bad as Shadow, yet, but we want both of you to stay home and rest. Try and not attract trouble, okay?"

"But cake…"

"I'm sorry, Amy," Sonic shook his head as he lifted himself up off the wall. Amy noticed both were dressed while Shadow remained shirtless and probably in his pajama pants (she couldn't see his legs because of the couch). "But you're staying here and inside."

"But I'll be good!" Amy begged. "I promise!"

"Good," Sarah grasped her shoulder softly. "Then Shadow won't have any complaints about you."

"I want cake though," Amy whispered. It was rather depressing to watch the two go around the corner. It was even harder to listen to the door shut as they said their goodbyes one more time. She turned to Shadow who was picking something off the couch. "Don't you want cake?"

"Never been a fan."

"Jeez, aren't you a killjoy. What'll happen when you're the one picking out the wedding cake with your fiancée?"

"As if that would happen," Shadow scoffed and walked around the couch. He grabbed the pillow off the floor and Butch stood up, staring at his owner with a loving gaze, though Shadow did not return it of course. "I'll get you a new pillow."

"It could happen," Amy yawned and nestled back into the couch. Her throat felt even rougher, and she wished for a glass of water. "You may never know."

He walked down the hallway and opened the closet door, rummaging through until he succeeded in finding a new pillow. Dog slobber and dog hair decorated the old pillow Amy had used. Throwing that one to the ground, he let Butch drag it downstairs for himself. The new pillow was under Shadow's arm as he walked back into the living room.

"Yes, but for that to actually happen, I would need to mingle as you females call it. Or at least what Sarah calls it."

Amy lifted her head up long enough for Shadow to scooch the pillow under her head. She collapsed back on it and cuddled the blanket. "But you admit that you don't want to be alone forever?"

The words hit him as he made his way to the kitchen. He halted abruptly and paused, searching for words. With Rouge, he could explain it easily. Why? Because she…Well, because Rouge knew him. Amy didn't know him. Would she even understand that after so long, the solitude got boring and the company got addicting?

Would she understand that sometimes Shadow the Hedgehog craved conversation with another being that didn't immediately cast him as an outsider?

Would Amy Rose accept that the Ultimate Life Form had a weakness after eight years? Eight years was a long time—but long enough to gain a weakness, and gain a weakness was exactly what Shadow did. But he didn't see it as a weakness. He saw it as a nuisance.

"But you admit that you don't want to be alone forever?"

Those were the terms Rouge used. Now Amy was asking the same thing.

With both, he couldn't explain it to them exactly how he felt it. There were no words to describe it. But no, he didn't want to spend forever alone. Forever was a long time, and he felt like he had already spent too many years alone.

He was turning more like them. More needy for companionship. He was still far off from that shore, but it didn't make the swim any less different. There were others out there in the world going through what he was.

They just knew how to control and organize their emotions better than Shadow.

He was still trying to understand what it was that he felt for some people.

But did he want to spend his time single forever? Maybe he didn't have to find a mate, but he could at least have a friend. That was what Sonic had been for four years and he had made his impact on Shadow's life.

Now that Shadow knew that Sonic wasn't leaving the town, like he originally thought, it made everything easier to take. Sonic would still be there to keep him company if he ever covertly desired it.

So Amy could go.

Sonic had helped Shadow, like the other people in the community. They helped him, and although he would never admit it, Shadow liked the attention from time to time. Sure, he would disappear to do work alone, but coming home, he sometimes secretly enjoyed the babbling Sonic did.

Amy would never make the same mark as they did. He already had friends; he didn't need her to stay. Sonic was staying. He was still going to be there—Shadow wasn't going to be deserted.

So, Amy could get a job and never return.

They could all move on with their lives.

Or could they?

Shadow mulled it over as he stood there.

She was already so attached with the place. He could tell. And slowly, he knew his needy side was becoming attached to her.

Plus, he promised Rouge. Being friends with Amy Rose couldn't be too bad, right?

But what was that saying? That friendship almost always ended up in love but never the other way around? Something like that.

There were parts of him that agreed with that saying and told him to distance himself away from Amy.

Then there was the other part of him, which focused on the word 'almost' in the phrase and decided that this time was the exception. That if he got close to Amy Rose, he wouldn't fall in love with her.

He couldn't possibly—He was the Ultimate Life Form.

He could control himself from falling for Love's game. Shadow the Hedgehog could not be beat. He still thought that way. So, to think that Love could actually beat him was preposterous.

Therefore, being friends with Amy Rose was all he would ever be. Because he wouldn't possibly fall for Love's tricks. He was Shadow the Hedgehog, after all.

He could be a stone if need be. Love had never cracked it before.

Then again, he never truly experienced that kind of love. So, he had no clue what emotional rollercoaster was waiting behind Love's gate.

It doesn't matter what Rouge thinks. Two can be friends and not feel romantically for each other. Silver and Amy are the example. If Amy and I live together, that doesn't mean we love each other.

It's possible to stay just friends.

Love is an imaginary thing that won't ever exist in my life. Friends are all I have.

He glanced back at Amy, who had given up on waiting for his response and had fallen asleep again. He smirked lightly.

Who's to say I can't add one more on the list? That's all they are, after all.

Friends.

Nothing more and nothing less.

With that, Shadow left the pink hedgehog in the quietness of her sleep.

---

Amy awoke with a headache and a sore throat as usual.

She blamed it all on Shadow.

Walking through the kitchen, Amy looked through the cupboards and the fridge to see if there was anything that could've helped her growing illness.

How dare Shadow just give it to me. She was joking…partially.

Like a zombie, Amy picked up the phone when it rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, Amy. How you feeling?" Sarah's voice greeted her

Amy glared at the fridge lightly. "I want my damn cake, that's how I'm feeling."

"Maybe if you're good, we'll stop off and get you some."

Amy grumbled under her breath as she opened a cupboard she had already checked. "Do you guys have anything here that can help with this cold? Like, food wise?"

"I keep some lemon-lime soda in the garage next to the food storage in there. Try that."

"Thanks. How are things going with you guys?"

"Well, I called to check up on you because Sonic can't decide whether the invitation card should be plain white or if it should incorporate the other colors. But again, it'll look like the Fourth of July."

"Shouldn't have chosen blue and red."

"Yes, well, Sonic's hard to say no to, and you look great in red. I say white invitations though. You?"

"I don't know, I'm not good with this wedding stuff," Amy groaned as she rubbed her eyes. Her quills were stuck in different directions and her pajamas were ruffled. "But since I'm your Maid of Honor, what's the correct answer here?"

"You agree with me."

"Okay, I agree with you. White invitations."

"Thanks, Amy! Try and feel better. Oh! Where's Shadow?"

Amy studied the room as she tried to register who this Shadow was. Her headache was doing a number on her. "Who…I have no clue."

"Okay, well, when you see him, tell him we're getting dinner for you guys. So don't eat anything."

"But I'm hungry," Amy whined. She looked at the clock. "And it's barely past four. I slept that long?"

"Did you just barely wake up? I don't think that's a good sign, but maybe it is. I don't know." Sarah sighed and some voices went off in the background. "Listen, I've got to go. We'll try and be home by six."

"Okay."

Sarah hung up and Amy was left alone again. The dog wasn't anywhere in sight either. Feeling like the plague, Amy walked into the cool garage and glanced around.

There was Shadow's truck. It blocked the view of practically everything. On the sides of the walls by her there were tools and a workbench. No food. Looking across, she noticed a shelf of food and other necessities.

Ambling towards the truck and going around it, Amy jumped when a clank went off in the garage. It was dark and smelled weird. She didn't like it.

As her imagination ran wild, Amy grabbed the lemon-lime soda at the bottom of the shelving of food. She glanced up and grabbed a packet of cookies and a box of cereal. Also some crackers.

Another clank.

What did Sarah say? Something about food. I'll grab some food. I'm hungry.

Amy ignored her imagination as it made up ghosts and monsters in the garage. Grabbing the food and balancing her pop can on top of everything, she immediately dropped it upon noticing one thing.

She bent down and picked up the bottle, reading its label.

"André wine…" Amy hummed and then glanced around, as if the monster in the garage would hate it if she took the wine. "I'm just gonna take this…"

Hurrying to the door, she escaped and went back inside the house.

~.~

Shadow returned from feeding animals a little early.

It was a little after five. He walked into the house via the garage/house door and entered the kitchen. The sight was something to behold.

Amy hiccupped against the counter. The wine bottle barely out of her grasp but looking to be almost half empty.

She's sick…and she drinks wine? Where the hell did she get it anyway?

Blood begin to boil; Shadow marched over to her and grabbed the wine bottle. Amy actually opened her eyes and timidly grinned.

"Hey, Shadow."

"What do you think you're doing?" he growled lowly as he walked to the sink and emptied the rest of the bottle. "You have a low tolerance for medication." He figured that out last night. "And now you're drinking alcohol. Jesus, Amy. You're sick. Wine is the last thing you need."

"Yes, Father," Amy tried to stay up right.

It was obvious she wasn't a heavy drinker or had much tolerance either.

Shadow set the bottle down and glanced at the time. The phone in his pocket began to vibrate and he hurriedly got it out. "Hello?" he snapped as he tried to grab Amy's arm. She chose to flail it all about instead.

"Noooo," Amy whined.

"Hey! We got some food. Sarah called Amy earlier. Said something about lemon-lime soda. Did she find it all right? Is she feeling better?"

Shadow glanced back and forth between the drunkard that kept slipping out of his grasp and the wine bottle in the sink. "Uh. Yeah."

"So, yes to everything? You sound distracted."

"Let go of me!" Amy yelled in a high pitch and annoyed.

Shadow gritted his teeth as he balanced the phone in his hand. "Sonic, I'm busy right now."

"What the hell are you doing?" Sonic was exactly angered just yet. He was more curious than anything. "Sarah could hear that. Is Amy all right?"

"She's being a bit uncooperative at the moment." Shadow didn't want to say the rose hedgehog was drunk. It was Sarah's wine bottle, and the female hated it when someone took her things. Shadow could easily hide Amy so they wouldn't know she was drunk. And then he could replace the bottle before Sarah found out.

"Shadow…" Sonic's tone turned dangerous.

"It's not what you think," Shadow assured as Amy yanked herself back and stumbled towards the kitchen table. She cried out and crumpled to the fall, unable to stand her drunken self up. Shadow groaned in frustration.

Sonic took it as a groan of sexual pleasure. "Shadow, I swear to God, if you're doing anything to her—"

"I have to go, Sonic. It's not what you think, trust me." He hung up, knowing the blue hedgehog would race home now. He shoved his phone in his pocket and flipped Amy over his shoulder.

She moaned as he walked to the living room.

Just hide the girl. Pretend she's sleeping downstairs. Hide the bottle. Or Sarah will have your head.

But if they come home and see Amy's not around, they'll think the worse. I could just hide the bottle and pretend Amy's asleep. Of course, they might wake her to ask if I forcefully had sex with her. And then they'd know she was drunk.

God, I can smell the wine on her anyway.

He set her down on the couch and zoomed off to deal with the bottle. That part was easy. He just had to race outside to the burn barrels, where they set their garbage on fire, and call it good. Unfortunately, he had to do it quick. Fortunately, that wouldn't be a problem.

But the world hated him.

So as soon as he came back in the house, he saw the one thing he didn't want to see. Amy was completely gone.

He circled the couch.

I'm 92% positive that I left her there. She was too drunk to even walk. But still, maybe she did.

Shadow flashed off to look around the house. He didn't even have to hide her, but that was the least of his worries. If Sonic and Sarah showed up now and noticed she was gone, they'd ask Shadow where she was. And Sonic knew what Shadow looked like panicked.

And the more and more Shadow searched, the more concerned he became.

Everything was as it was in the house. All the bedroom doors were still closed. She wasn't puking in the bathroom. She wasn't downstairs anywhere. She wasn't in the kitchen or the garage. It was like her body just went poof.

A poof that would ultimately be the reason of Shadow's death.

And the half hour passed with him calling her name and looking for her. Another half hour and he was desperate.

If Sonic sees that she's gone, he's going to murder me. At least, if Sarah doesn't beat him to it.

It wasn't typical for the Ultimate Life Form to fear things. Despite the growing fear that he would be deserted by the only people on Earth that had accepted him, Shadow was growing another fear.

That if he didn't find Amy soon, Sonic would have his head on a silver platter.

And then a car door slammed shut.

Shadow froze in the kitchen. Listening to the sounds of pounding footsteps, he wasn't surprised when Sonic yanked the door open and looked furious.

"Where is she?!"

The ebony male turned around. "I don't know."

Sonic stopped glaring upon seeing the concerned look Shadow had. It wasn't something he saw every day, and Shadow wasn't a good bluffer since he was always so blunt. It made both Shadow and Sarah easy to live with because they couldn't keep things a secret for long.

The blue hero paused. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I set her down. I left. Came back. Poof," Shadow motioned with his hands.

Sonic's eyes were slits again. Sarah walked through the door with some bags of food. She set them down on the bench that was a coat hanger and also shoe storage within the bench. Guardedly looking between the two, Sarah caught on.

"What'd you do?"

"Yes, Shadow, what did you do?" Sonic hissed menacingly. His ears were folded back and his teeth were slightly barred.

Shadow swallowed and clutched the table. "I fed the animals, walked in and saw…a very intoxicated Amy—"

"My wine," Sarah muttered knowingly.

Sonic snarled however. "Don't tell me that you took advantage of her, Shadow."

"I did no such thing," he assured once more, placing his hands outward. "You called as I was getting rid of the rest of the alcohol. Amy could barely stand and while I tried to get her to bed—" Sonic growled and Shadow rethought his words. "—to the couch for her to sleep alone, you called. She was being uncooperative and that's what you heard. She fell to the ground because she couldn't keep her drunken ass up."

"And then what?" Sarah pressed. "She just disappeared?"

"Yes," Shadow explained exasperatedly. "I threw away the bottle in the burn barrels so Sarah wouldn't get upset that it was her wine Amy drank. I came back and Amy was gone. I've been looking for her since."

"And how long has it been?" Sonic's anger towards him was completely gone and replaced with worry.

"An hour."

"Shit."

---

The room was dark.

She had closed the door and it became even darker somehow.

Stumbling across the room, Amy ignored the door opening and shutting. Then Shadow's voice calling for her. The bed was too inviting to her drunken mind.

Collapsing on the sheets, Amy ignored the outside world and cuddled into the dark sheets. She shut her eyes for a second and her world went entirely blank.

What felt like a second later, but was actually an hour later, Amy awoke to the yelling of voices.

Her head pounded from her sickness, but mostly because of the alcohol. Groaning, Amy buried deeper into the pillow. She tried her best to block out the voices. Thankfully, they died down soon.

"AMY!"

And then they were back, but this time, they were calling for her. Sounded like Sarah. Or Sonic. Or maybe it was Shadow.

They all sounded alike at the moment as their footsteps rushed around the house.

~.~

"She's got to be outside," Sarah confirmed. "You checked the entire house, correct?"

"Of course," Shadow responded with a curt nod. "Anywhere she could be."

"It's already getting dark," Sonic noted as he stood beside the window. He glanced at Sarah and then at Shadow. Motioning to the latter, he said, "Get your flashlight. You and I are going to look for her. Sarah, stay here in case she comes back. Who knows where she is."

Shadow approved and hurried to his bedroom.

Sonic was left to make sure Sarah stayed, explaining to the female it was needed. Sarah continued to disagree and say she could help as well.

Anything could've happened to Amy if she were drunk and wondering outside.

She could've passed out in the tree line along the house. Or be freezing to death in the snow. Maybe she stumbled to the barn, thinking it was feeding time. What if she did something stupid and was knocked unconscious? Or worse, dead?

Don't think about it. Shadow thought to himself as he opened his bedroom door and turned on the light.

The long, infuriated moan made him sigh in relief. He didn't need to look at his bed to know Amy had crashed there.

Why didn't I check the bedrooms? Well, the doors were still closed. I didn't see Amy shutting the door while intoxicated. I guess she did.

"Sonic! Sarah!" Shadow yelled loud enough for the couple to hear. He stared at Amy as she growled at him. "I found her."

Relieved words came from both of them. Sonic ran in first and swallowed heavily. "You didn't check the bedrooms?" he reprimanded. "And I thought the Ultimate Life Form was smart."

"Shut up. I didn't think she would've closed the door when drunk."

"He has a point," Sarah calmly agreed and watched as Shadow walked up to his side of the bed—the side where Amy was.

Well, she was actually more in the middle.

Shadow leaned over her and placed one hand above her head. "Amy?"

Another growl. Defensive and half asleep.

He rolled his eyes and nudged her. Eyes snapped open and Amy pushed him to the side, throwing up in his garbage can next to his bed. He thanked himself for putting it there.

"I'm gonna leave," Sarah whispered and vanished. Sonic remained and stood outside the doorway. He watched with a fatherly gaze.

"What should we do with her?"

"Put her up for adoption," Shadow stood straight and looked down at her.

Amy shakily glanced up. One of the tips of her quills was at the edge of her mouth with something that looked like food. "Just when I was beginning to like you."

"Just let her sleep here," Sonic suggested.

Shadow glared at him. "You don't want me to sleep with the girl, but you still want me with her. Where's the logic?"

"I don't want you to accidentally impregnate Amy Rose, which might happen since you're sexually awkward," Sonic bluntly teased. "So, avoiding sex altogether is for the best. But let her stay here for the night. She's been sleeping on a couch for too long."

"It's her bed," Shadow growled. "And I'm not sexually awkward."

Sonic scoffed, "Could've fooled me. Do the host-like thing and take the couch for once and let her have the bed. Or you know you could always sleep beside her."

Shadow just couldn't stop glowering Sonic to death. He sometimes hated his so-called friend a lot. "You little…"

"Don't think too long about it though," Sonic commented as he was ready to leave. "Dinner's here."

Whether it was the food or the good hospitality he could show for once in his life, Shadow left Amy there in his bed. He shut off the light and looked back at her. She stared just as emotionlessly. Nonetheless, she turned her body and went back to sleep as Shadow shut the door.

Shadow held the doorknob for a moment longer. Then Sonic called for him to get his food.

And he decided he could last one night on the couch.

---

The sofa sucked. That much Shadow figured out.

He felt a little guilty about making Amy sleep there. Butch didn't keep him warm though. Instead, the dog nestled beside the closed bedroom door—where Amy was on the other side and not letting him in. The dog whined and thumped his tail sadly.

Shadow stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep in such an uncomfortable place. The couch was meant to watch TV on.

Not sleep.

He couldn't sleep on the sofa. Yet he had let Amy sleep there. And it took a couple days and alcohol before she spoke up about it because that was how Amy was. Selfless and not doing anything for her for once until she was intoxicated.

Shadow was complaining a minute in.

Two hours in, and the couch was empty.

The pillow and the blanket that smelled like Amy were left alone as he made his way down the hallway. Quietly, he slipped into his bedroom. The fireplace made the house warm, but only if the door remained opened. So, he let the light creep in.

Butch was in before him.

Normally the dog would've never slept on Shadow's bed, but the Ultimate Life Form was cranky and tired. He didn't care.

Amy's form was noticeable in the faint light.

Sidestepping over clothes that had failed to make their way to the hamper, Shadow went to the other side of the bed. The side of the bed he hated to sleep on. The right side when looking at the bed—the left when sitting on it and facing the TV against the wall and the bathroom door.

Sliding in, Shadow was slow and cautious in his movements.

The last thing he wanted to do was wake Amy. She moaned softly as the bed creaked under his added weight. Shadow was under the covers quickly. Thankfully, there was a spare pillow on the other side.

Shadow faced Amy's sleeping form.

Red eyes stared at her as she faced him.

Awake, Amy could've been anything: an annoying nuisance, a drunken retard, a happy-go-lucky girl, or a depressed and lost woman. Asleep, she was only one thing, he decided.

Angelic.

Butch was at their feet. He snorted as he closed his eyes and fell asleep. Shadow continued to stare at Amy as she slept.

Something inside came to life. Something became lit within Shadow. Something that hadn't been felt for a very, very long time. It wasn't just kindness or fondness.

He couldn't place it. But he couldn't stop staring at the sleeping female in wonder. The dog rested at their feet still.

Was this what it was like?

Being with someone?

Were Sarah and Sonic like this right now? Not touching, but knowing that they enjoyed the presence of one another?

The feeling the scene incorporated into Shadow was completeness. Fullness. As if the tranquility he felt at the moment was what it felt like to be with someone you loved.

But is it?

He rested further against the pillow and watched the graceful, sleeping being next to him. Shadow wasn't sure if it was the light cascading in through the bedroom door, but he saw Amy Rose differently this time.

Beautiful. Shadow hitched a breath in dread as the thought occurred within his brain. Had he just admitted he found her attractive? He shouldn't have thought about it. He should've rolled over and went to sleep—pretend she wasn't there.

But she was too captivating. The serenity of the moment set him at ease. It became something more intriguing than that of the company of friends.

With friends, you didn't do this. He knew that much for sure. They talked when they hung out. They didn't sleep in the same bed like this. Feeling something developing, building under his skin that lit his being on fire.

It was the tingles—the warmth—all over again.

But he didn't understand since he wasn't touching her. How could he feel such tingles when they weren't touching? Yet this time, it was everywhere, claiming every inch of him and setting his soul aflame.

The good warmth.

The feeling claimed a home deep within his emotions. It remained hidden in the shadows though, not allowing him to figure out what it was just yet. It was so tiny but so powerful. It was alluring.

Amy was alluring.

Stop, Shadow. You're thinking like a school boy. You don't have a crush on Amy.

With that, he rolled over so his back was pointed towards her. She didn't make any sounds as his quills were around her. They seemed to guard her as she snuggled closer to him in her sleep.

Shadow stared at the wall as Butch's tail wagged lightly.

She deserves better, anyway.

But his heart ached and his gut felt a twinge of sadness at his thoughts.

His logical side was winning over his emotional side—that was how it always was.

Shadow was known to be logical. The day the emotional side won over would be the day the world ended. Or at least until he got over his insecurities and became open, but they were both practically the same senses. World ending, Shadow the Hedgehog actually showing emotions. They went hand in hand, really.

It didn't make his heart or gut feel any better though as logic won once again.

It's easier not to get attached. Not to feel anything. There's so much to lose if I do. And I've gone through losing it once; I'm not going to do it again.

Still, his emotional side felt as if it were snickering behind his logical side's back because it knew something the other side didn't.

It knew that sometimes a person couldn't manage to be just friends.

And unbeknownst to the dark male, as soon as the tiny, powerful, and unknown feeling was born within him, he had stepped his centimeter onto Love's territory.

Surprisingly, Love wasn't the merciful type when it came to playing games.