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Chapter Eighteen:

Broken Records

Sarah awoke to an arm tightly wrapped around her.

Brown eyes blankly watched the wall remain motionless. Sighing heavily, Sarah leaned back a bit to glance at her future husband. He moved closer, indicating he was probably more awake than he looked.

"Sonic?" she whispered.

He only hummed in response, clearly showing he wanted to sleep in. What was wrong with this female? Sleeping in on Saturdays was a thing. Why was she trying to make it not a thing?

"Sonic."

"What?" He slurred awake as he rubbed his eyes. The blue blur glared softly down at her. "You normally sleep in. Something wrong?"

"Feeling a little sick." Sarah didn't try to make it a conversation for long. She moved her legs about until they were free from the mess of blankets she had been in. Getting out of bed, Sarah ignored Sonic's concerned look and headed to the door.

"You must be getting the flu. Or something Shadow tried to cook," the azure hero scoffed.

Sarah gave him a small smile that only lasted a minute. She opened the bedroom door. "There is a type of bug going through the school. I might have caught it."

She glanced back as Sonic fell back into the pillow and rolled over. Softly grinning again, Sarah made her way across the hallway and to the bathroom—which wasn't a long journey—but she stopped short as something odd caught her eye.

An empty couch.

Backtracking, the lime green female raised an eyebrow towards the living room.

Well. It was almost an empty couch. The dog was still asleep, dreaming happily while occasionally kicking his legs. Sarah would have snorted in laughter, but it was either the nauseous feeling coming back or the fact that Amy wasn't sleeping in either that made her stop short.

"Sonic?" Sarah quickly rushed back into the bedroom, her senses on high alert. Her mate turned over hastily and stared with wide eyes in worry.

"What?" Sonic sat up.

"Amy's gone."

The male didn't dare speak as thoughts interrupted his mind.

Sarah licked her lips and took quick looks at the door and her fiancé. "It's a little weird, don't you think? Amy normally sleeps in anyway."

He didn't respond. Sonic only jumped out of bed and stormed through the hallway, knocking on Shadow's door. Sarah gripped his arm from behind him. "Sonic, don't—"

Too late.

Sonic was already barging through. "You have the audacity to just throw her out—"

Everything in the room stopped at that moment. Sarah wasn't even sure their hearts were beating anymore. Hers was definitely skipping a few beats.

Red eyes had never glared so cruelly at Sonic—with slits so narrow they were barely seen. Sonic was the same, and Sarah could only sense that having two males in the same room right now with Amy in bed with one of them was a bad mix.

"Okay, what's going on?"

Amy woke up rather tiredly and grumpily. Sitting up, she failed to notice Shadow and Sonic's state of shock and anger. "Jeez, what—"

Green eyes observed the situation.

"Oh…This can be explained."

Sarah placed her hands on her hips and gave Amy a knowing look. The pink hedgehog cowered slightly and tried to sheepishly grin it off.

"Better do it quick and without any bullshit."

~.~

Sonic stared at the two adults at the kitchen table. His gaze was anything but pleasant as he had woken up to find Amy not on the couch and in Shadow's bed instead.

"So, you mean to tell me that Shadow's not affected with you being in heat anymore? Just poof suddenly. No feelings whatsoever."

"Yes," Amy mumbled like a child in trouble. It didn't help that Sarah was munching on cereal in the back of the kitchen by the window.

"And you're also saying that you aren't affected by Shadow because of your situation?"

Shadow looked like the bored teenager during a lecture. He chose not to speak. Instead, he let Amy try and dig herself out of the grave she was in.

"Yes."

"So you are affected by Shadow?"

"N—"

"Oh, for the love of God, Sonic! It's been five days—her period is practically over!" Sarah yelled from the back. "Just let the damn girl Skype Silver and Blaze so I can get on with enjoying my Saturday!"

"How can we protect bad things from happening if they choose to sleep in the same bed as each other?" Sonic tried to reason with Sarah. Amy just wished for some sort of privacy in her life.

Sarah gave him an unhappy look, as she was clearly not amused. "Like if Amy got pregnant and Shadow got chlamydia?"

"Wouldn't that make it harder for Amy to get pregnant or does she have to be the one to have chlamydia?" Sonic questioned with a sincere tone as Sarah took a moment to think.

Amy bit her bottom lip while Shadow pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't believe this was happening. Amy was merely trying to answer the chlamydia question too.

"What if it works both ways?" the unsure female joined in.

Shadow slumped in his chair with a mental groan of frustration.

I'm surrounded by idiots…

The annoying voice last night on the other side of the phone finally had a face.

And Shadow didn't like it.

There Silver the Hedgehog was on the other side of the screen. And Shadow wanted nothing more than to shut the laptop closed for some reason. It irked him—especially since the two males were sitting in silence.

Silver didn't seem to mind. He didn't even seem to notice Shadow at first.

The ebony male wasn't entirely alone, either. Amy was wandering about behind him in the kitchen while making breakfast for the four household members, although Sarah already had breakfast.

"Cereal doesn't fill you up at all. I can have five bowls in one day and still feel hungry," Sarah spoke as she sat down with her orange juice while Sonic came in from feeding animals.

Amy gave her a light grin. "That's okay, Sarah. Honest. I don't mind cooking for another mouth."

Sarah sighed and leaned back in her chair, watching Amy carefully and warmly. "You'd make a wonderful mother one day."

Even the lime green hedgehog could catch the quick glance Shadow found himself giving Amy. Sarah couldn't help but smirk before letting it falter across her muzzle and staring at her drink.

Sonic arrived from taking his shoes off and sat beside his future wife. "So, are we gonna get this show on the road or what?"

"I'm making breakfast," Amy snapped, pointing the spatula at him. "Make conversation with Silver."

"I made conversation with him last night though."

"You said hello."

"That's conversation enough."

"I can hear everything you two are saying…I just can't see you."

Sonic tilted his head to the laptop. It rested in front of Shadow, who chose to glare at the screen like it was a dark spirit that had Amy wrapped around its finger. The blue hero scoffed under his breath as he stood and walked around the table.

Going to the laptop, Sonic stared at the screen.

"I think you got chubbier, Silver."

"Shut up."

~.~

By the time everyone ate breakfast, Silver and Blaze had eaten dinner. Although they were several hours ahead of them, the two proved to be busy—well, at least Silver did. For them, it was nearly four in the evening.

"So, what was the news?" Amy propped herself between Sarah and Shadow, squishing in comfortably. Her chin rested on her palms as her elbows squeezed together to make room for Sonic to stand by Sarah.

Shadow remained immobile as ever. It was clear he wasn't moving to make any room whatsoever. It was as if his chair was glued to the floor.

Despite how many times Amy nudged him aside, he seemed to sway right back into the space he was before. Amy grit her teeth in annoyance while plastering a smile across her face. Happily making conversation with her best friend, the rose hedgehog did her best to forget the stupid male beside her.

"Well…Blaze and I were thinking," Silver scratched his chin in thought. Blaze had sat down several minutes after breakfast and remained quiet. "That we might be there a little early."

"How early? You said you'd go see—" Amy stopped and stared at the table, as if she had almost exploited the biggest secret in the universe. "Uh, I mean, you sounded like you'd be here earlier. But how much earlier?"

"Let the guy talk, Ames," Sonic groaned. "Your stuttering is slowing the process down. I got a whole Saturday to do nothing, and I'm spending it by Skyping someone who could just fly here in a couple days—hours—whatever."

"That's actually what we're doing."

Amy's ears perked to the screen.

She decided against glaring at Sonic because she could feel the red eyes staring at her in suspicion. Shadow would never let her mistake go—he'd catch on sooner than later and she'd be force to tell him that she planned to see Cream after talking to Tails.

And then he'd probably give her some lecture and chew her out.

"What?"

"It's a long flight. We leave tomorrow morning at seven a.m. We'll get there around eleven at night."

"Tonight or tomorrow night?" Sonic narrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"It should be tomorrow night," Silver responded. "This includes the long drive we have to get to Shadow's place."

"What."

"Shadow, I might have given them your address before I even moved here," Amy turned to the male and tried to explain, although shock was clearly written across his face.

"Yeah. Blaze just printed out directions to it from the capital airport. Then we'll be all set. Ish. If everything goes smoothly. There could be plenty of things wrong—they might delay the flight or—"

"Let me get this straight."

Everyone was quiet in the room while Shadow spoke. Red eyes stared at Amy with confusion and malice.

"I show up at some airport, pick you up and bring you to my house, and let you live here under my roof only to have you thank me, say some shit that's offensive, blubber apologies out, and repeat. And now you think it's okay to let more people stay here without my consent?"

He stood and glowered with those vermillion eyes.

"Truth be told, I don't know who I'm more upset with right now. Sonic for getting me into this mess, or you—dear Amy Rose—for all the stupid actions your tiny brain seems to come up with," Shadow didn't care if Sonic was giving him death glare or ready to punch his lights out. Something snapped right then and there, and Shadow wasn't sure if recovery was an option after all the words were said.

"Or maybe it's me that I'm really upset with. I'm upset that I didn't just say no. That I let you waltz in here, act like you own the place, treat me like garbage, and not once stand up for myself against you. Maybe it's because I actually pitied you for a second."

Amy's ears flipped back against her head while she glared at Shadow. Her hand lightly touched the laptop, wanting to close it so Silver and Blaze didn't see this. She wanted to disappear from the angry male that was finally becoming the regular Ultimate Life Form that Amy Rose had once feared.

"Shadow, I—"

"I'm not going to stand here and be a lackey anymore," Shadow snarled, backing her into the table while Sarah moved to Sonic. At this point, even Sonic backed down. "You, Amy Rose, are a self-centered little girl who never grew up—and that is why you're here trying to live another life. You're so caught up in the past, you can't move on. I've had it with your actions, you pathetic child. You've never gone through half the hell I have—calling me a broken record. Telling me to grow up."

Amy swallowed heavily as she stared at the floor. Tears prickled her eyes. She couldn't look up at him—she couldn't let the words hurt. But a part of her knew he was telling the truth.

"Treating me like the dirt under your shoes—yet I fed you, let you stay—I bought you clothes for God's sake," Shadow hissed. He grabbed her chin roughly. A tear trickled down her cheek and hit his thumb. "You're the broken record, Miss Rose. You're shallow to the core, and I've never been more disgusted about anything in my life."

Furiously, he let go of her chin and turned. Seconds later, the door to the garage opened and slammed shut tight.

All the couple could do was watch as the pink hedgehog sobbed. All her friends on the computer screen could do, was listen.

And all Amy could do, was realize how right Shadow was.

She took the keys.

It'd been two hours since the argument—more like harsh lecture from Shadow. Amy had apologized (as always) to Silver and Blaze. Sonic and Sarah had given her space.

But Amy didn't want space. She wanted closure. And she wasn't about to go find Shadow to reconcile again.

He's right.

I'm the broken record.

I felt terrible walking in on his life—I really did. Yet at the same time, I just lined myself up for all of these mishaps. And I never even tried to stop myself from insulting him.

The truck flew underneath her as she tried to recall the way to Tails' house. It dawned upon her that she could just steal Sonic's keys and take his truck. Shadow's truck was stick—and there was no way she was going to steal his truck after what happened.

I can talk to Tails about what happened, give Shadow some time to cool off, talk to Tails about Cream, go back and apologize.

Amy frowned in the rearview mirror.

Because apologizing is the only thing I'm good at nowadays.

His words still rang in her head.

No matter how harsh they did seem, Amy wasn't even offended. No. She had cried in front of him because of how true the words were, not how rude the words were. Although Shadow probably took it up one notch too far, Amy didn't mind. He had his reasons for blowing up—and honestly, it was building up to the point that it was inevitable.

I should have seen it sooner. Of course, he would have blown up sooner or later in my face, but I had hoped it wouldn't be in front of our friends.

Especially since they won't talk to me now.

All Silver and Blaze had said was their goodbyes. Sarah and Sonic had left in a hurry. Amy had been left alone in the kitchen to ponder about what to do next.

That's when the keys had caught her attention.

She stopped the truck as soon as she pulled into Tails' driveway.

Getting out of the pickup, Amy walked quickly to the front door. Tear stains were evident on her face, and her eyes were a bit red. Other than that, the rose hedgehog could care less if the fox questioned her.

He answered quickly after the knock, wearing an apron and a mitten on one hand. Embarrassedly, Tails glanced away. "Hey, Amy…I didn't think it was you. I thought it was UPS or someone—"

She cut him off by storming in. Another thing she was good at.

"Tails, I need your help. With several things."

The male shut the door behind him and took off the mitten. He raised an eyebrow as his tails twitched tensely. "Okay…"

Amy swallowed as she tugged at her hoodie. "I know you dated Cream, and I know you still have feelings for her—you show it too easily. And I know you might hate me for waltzing in and telling you all of this, but that's the least of my worries after Shadow finally cracked this morning, and I need an apology greater than all apologies ever said, written, sang, whatever."

"Okay, slow down." Tails motioned to the kitchen as his eyebrows furrowed. "How'd you know about Cream and I?"

"She called," Amy answered as they walked into the kitchen. She took a seat at the table. "And Shadow told me. At first, he withheld some of the facts. After Cream called yesterday, I got Shadow to tell me everything. Or what I hope is everything."

Tails slowly leaned against the counter. He set the mitten and the apron on the counter, beside him and the stove while something baked in the oven. He stared at Amy with a blank stare. It beckoned her to continue.

Amy licked her lips. "I don't know what happened between you two—I mean, I do for the most part. But I don't want to be involved in your issue with her. I just want to see her. And I can't do that without you. Shadow would never tell me where she lived, much less take me there. And by the story he told me, I doubt Sonic would either. And I don't think Sarah would care all too much—plus she's busy with work for the most part."

"So…You expect me to go and take you to Cream?"

"Yes."

Tails laughed. "No."

Amy frowned as the fox paced a bit. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to see her."

"She regrets everything," Amy pleaded. "And you don't have to speak with her. Just drop me off."

"And what? You stay with her? Did Shadow kick you out?" Tails snorted.

After the moment of silence, the fox tilted his head in curiosity. "Did he, Amy?"

"No," the rose hedgehog's ears drooped as she spoke. She stared at her hands. "He might as well have though…God, I've been terrible." She gripped her quills. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Slow down. Take a few breaths." Tails reached into a cupboard and grabbed a glass. Filling it with water, he turned off the faucet and handed the glass to Amy. "And tell me what happened."

She sipped the water before setting it down on the table. Her hands were shaking and her words spewed out quickly. "I've been nothing but a selfish bitch this entire time. I've insulted my host more times than I can count, and I've apologized even more to the point that we've all gotten sick of just hearing my voice. Everything is falling apart in my life, and I can't fix it."

Tails watched as she rested against the table. He sat across from her.

"Maybe that's your problem, Ames."

"What?"

"You're thinking about you. You're being selfish because it was your life that was in shambles. You wanted so desperately to get shelter, you bombarded on our lives. After we gave you an inch, you took a whole mile."

"So…What should I tell him?" she brushed her quills aside. "I mean, he's disgusted with me. He said so himself."

Tails winced at the choice of words. "That's Shadow for you. I'm surprised he didn't stand up to you sooner. He was too kind for his usual self."

"Is that a good thing?" Amy questioned, gripping onto the glass of water.

He shrugged slightly. Pursing his lips, the fox thought out loud. "Shadow isn't the most social being out there. He definitely isn't the nicest either. Sure, after all these years he's pretty decent. He can put someone else before him now. Not everything is about him anymore. But I couldn't believe it when he actually let you live with him. I was waiting for him to kick you out. He hasn't?"

"Not yet…"

Tails cracked a grin. "He likes you."

"He hates me," Amy whispered. She was angry with herself. Angry that Shadow had said what she was denying this whole time. "He has a right to hate me. But he was beginning to sound like a broken record—it was…annoying."

"He's dramatic like that."

"But I was sounding like one, too." Amy bit her lip. "I made everything about me and losing my job in New York. Losing everything I ever had earned in those ten years. He lost his freedom. I lost my way of living."

"Sounds to me like you're both broken records," Tails slightly grinned as he leaned back. "I'm sure he doesn't hate you entirely. There's a small part of him that likes your spunk. Likes something that you do." He eyed Amy up and down. "You've caught his eye."

Amy flushed. "Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about. I've been nothing but a nuisance to him."

"Yet you've made it this far. Which hints that you two have probably had heart-to-heart conversations. Well, as heart-to-heart as Shadow the Hedgehog gets," he teased.

"Tails, I'm being serious."

"Maybe that's another one of your problems."

She narrowed her eyebrows to glare at Tails.

"Think about it, Amy. You've done nothing but mope and say, 'woe is me,' this entire time. You've never once stopped to smell the roses," Tails propped up against the table, putting his arms on the wooden surface to lean against. "You're not Amy Rose anymore."

They were speechless for a long while.

She played with her fingers. He watched her remained quiet.

"Then who am I now? A bratty, selfish person with no heart to her old friends?"

"I say you and Shadow are both broken records. You're both people who aren't your old selves anymore. You're both stuck in the past some way or another." Tails raised a suggestive eyebrow.

Amy didn't like the way he was looking at her. "What are you saying?"

He leaned against his palm. "Maybe you should consider the possibility that you two are more compatible then you think. You just need to sort your situations out, get rid of the broken record, and start fresh. Together."

Slowly shaking her head, Amy stood from her seat and pointed at him accusingly. "You're not playing matchmaker right now."

Turning to the entry, Amy worked on her way to leave. Opening the door, she was surprised at the sudden strength Tails showed by slamming it shut and blocking her exit.

"Does he even know you're gone right now?"

"No." Amy walked back until she hit a table with a vase filled with flowers. She gripped the mosaic decorated stand unsteadily. "I don't need his permission to go somewhere, Tails."

"Fine…Let's compromise."

The rose hedgehog eyed the way to the back door quickly. Tails stopped a few feet in front of her. She was too nosy for her own good, she decided. "What?"

"I'll take you to see Cream—"

"When Silver gets here. He promised he'd go with me."

"—whatever. I'll take you to see Cream, and I'll even help you make up some stupid apology to Shadow if you want. But in return, you run a little experiment for me. For me and Sonic, really."

"I know you two want us to be…" just the word made her cringe. At this point in time, she never wanted to be in the same room as Shadow. "…something, but that's not going to happen."

"When you've successfully apologized to Shadow, act…" Tails eyed something in the living room. He glanced over at Amy before holding up a finger. "Hold on a moment. I'm going to get something that might help us."

Amy waited patiently, yet anxiously, as he went into the living room and came back out with a book. Softly, he placed it in her hands. She flipped it over to read the cover.

"How to Read Mobian Behavior by Ally Scorn." She glanced up at the fox. "You want me to read one of Sally Acorn's books on Mobian behavior before you take me to see Cream with Silver?"

"No. Not exactly. Read this," Tails tapped the book. "I haven't finished it. It was somewhat boring since I didn't have any reason to read it. It's mostly about how Mobians in general act, though. I got all five of her books. If you're interested, take whichever ones you like."

"Okay…" Amy raised an eyebrow as she looked over the book. She turned it over to read the back. "The mind of a Mobian can be somewhat difficult to read. At one point, they seem fully humane, and then in a blink of an eye, they're more animal than human."

"Read it. Study Shadow's behavior for me. Got it?"

"You want me to be like a secret psychologist for Shadow?" Amy stared up at him as if he were the stupidest thing alive.

"Yeah. Now, if you don't mind. I have a pie in the oven that's ready to come out soon. And no, you cannot have a slice," Tails spoke as he started to push her towards the door. "I have to work on a plane soon, so I've gotta go to the airport."

"We have an airport?"

He opened the door and shoved her outside. The rain clouds thundered overhead as Amy wondered when they had appeared. "Yes, it's just small. How else do you think we get a crop duster in the air?"

"Never actually knew what a crop duster was…"

Tails stopped and then saluted her. "Do what I asked for, and I'll take you to Cream. See ya, Amy."

The door shut and Amy was left outside. Little droplets of water began to hit her. She frowned and clutched onto the book. Giving it one last look, Amy shook her head.

What was Tails expecting to learn from this?

It was a book written by…an old friend. Amy climbed into the pick-up and set the book beside her. She stared at the alias Sally published by. Lightly smiling, Amy turned the truck on.

Fine. I'll give her a chance. From now on, it's a new start. Where I don't worry about the past, and I just live.

Sonic was waiting for her. With his hands on his hips and his foot tapping, it was obvious the blue blur was anything but happy.

"Look, you can go pout about what happened between you and Shadow, but that doesn't mean you should go and take my truck without permission."

Amy narrowed her eyes as she placed the keys in his palm. She needed to find Shadow. She didn't have time to chit chat with Sonic when all that would come out were rude comments.

"Asking for permission isn't really my style," Amy made a snide remark as she walked back outside in search of Shadow. She heard Sonic start to say something, but Sarah cut him off.

The door shut and she was left outside. The rain was coming down harder now. Glancing around, Amy saw the light in the workshop—where the tractors were kept. Running through the mud, Amy opened the side door with difficulty. She peered in and took her hoodie off. Listening to the sound of a wrench, she found Shadow under a swather.

He rolled out, lying on a cart, to see who it was. His face expression turned into a frown, and he pushed the cart back under the swather.

Amy glowered. Placing her foot on the cart, she easily rolled him back out from underneath the swather. He growled in annoyance and sat up.

"What do you want?" he snarled. The red eyes weren't friendly, but it wouldn't be the first time. And Amy doubted it would be the last.

Amy sucked in a deep breath of oily smelling air and exhaled. She offered her hand to him.

He could only stare at the hand and at Amy with a questioning look. Shadow wasn't entirely sure what she was doing. At least, not until she spoke.

"I'm Amy Rose. I was born and raised in Mobius, got saved by some hot rod, and followed him around for the majority of my life. I joined a fighting crew, although I was mediocre at best, and I ignored anyone that insulted the hero of my life. I survived plenty of wars by pure luck, got my heart broken several times by the same guy, and then moved to New York with my best friend whom I dated rather awkwardly."

"I don't have time for this," Shadow mumbled and moved back under the swather.

Amy wasn't about to give up though. She simply continued as her voice shook and her chin pointed slightly up. "We broke up mutually, and we eventually went on with our lives. I failed at college because I cheated on my final exam, and the professor caught me. I landed a job at a big magazine corporation anyway and I worked as a photographer before a graphic designer for them. I was fired by a man that wasn't allowed to fire me."

The ebony hedgehog raised an eyebrow at her as he seemed to inch out from underneath the machine. He was listening to her—that's what mattered.

"It wasn't a normal week unless at least five guys tried to ask me out or fill me up. After I got fired, my landlord would let me keep my apartment if I slept with him. I worked as a bartender for three days until I accidentally clocked a bitchy woman in the nose."

Oh, this story was getting interesting.

Shadow pulled out all the way and sat up, staring at her and the hand she still offered like an idiot. He was busy listening to her though.

It was like he was seeing so many different Amy Rose's at once. And it was exhausting, but peculiarly enough, he was engrossed for some reason.

"I walked dogs for only a day because I managed to lose one, and I have no clue where it is to this day. I enjoy cooking, reading, watching romantic movies, city lights at night, and ranunculi—or a ranunculus for singular. They look like roses on steroids." She took a breath. "I dislike dirty scumbags that expect me to be some stupid girl willing to spread her legs for them in an instant. I don't particularly like artichoke hearts or asparagus, and I choked on a grape in public once. It was a nightmare."

He watched as her chest was practically heaving from quickly speaking. Blinking, Shadow opened his mouth to say something. But she wasn't quite done yet.

"And my last job was as a stripper."

The wrench dropped from his grasp. Shadow ogled down at the ground as she stood there. He pursed his lips in thought.

Looking up slowly, he found her hand still waiting for him. Sighing, Shadow grabbed it. Amy helped him up and the two gazed at one another, still holding hands. Amy shook it slightly and offered him a small smile before pulling away.

The slight tingles from their touch vanished instantly.

"There. I'm done living in the past. I'm done thinking about the fact that I didn't make it. I'm done being a broken record. And I'm done being all about myself and being rude to my friends. You called me too selfless once. And I'm going to live up to it now," Amy finished and held her hands together loosely.

Complete silence followed, which she wasn't entirely surprised about. Amy figured he would turn away and not care that she had just spilled everything that she had tried so hard to forget and hide.

And he did turn away.

He picked up the wrench and put it back in the toolbox. Shutting the toolbox rather roughly, Shadow turned and leaned against it. Folding his arms, he scrutinized the poor female in front of him until she squirmed uncomfortably.

"You were a stripper?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Not my best moment…" Amy agreed with his tone. "But I was desperate. And it was either that or I actually sleep with my landlord."

"What, you didn't have any morals? You couldn't tell Silver and Blaze?"

"At that point..." she stared at the ground and exhaled shakily. "I didn't want to seem like a failure to them," Amy looked up. Her eyes were either watering again, or they were just like that. Shadow wasn't sure. "It wasn't about morals or values anymore. It was about living. And then I thought about Sonic and Tails. And I took it. I had to get out of there, Shadow."

He nodded in understanding as he kicked a pebble away. He cleared his throat, "Doesn't change anything that happened this morning."

"I'm sure Silver and Blaze will get a hotel when they come here. It'll be just for a night," Amy said. "And then I'll go with them."

"No, you're not."

She was astonished to hear him say that. The rose hedgehog backed up marginally because of the harshness laced within the words.

"You work for me, and you've done little to no work."

"Shadow, I don't think—"

"You really think I can keep this place running by myself after Sonic and Sarah leave?" Shadow moseyed to the swather and hung onto it. "It's grown bigger over the years because I've had the extra hands."

"Yes, but I'm not staying forever—"

"And until then, you're replacing them. You can stay as long as you act like a guest should from now on."

Amy looked down at her feet and bit her bottom lip. "Yes, sir."

Shadow's gaze softened a tad, but he wasn't going to let the issue go so easily. This damned female was going to have to learn who was in charge around here. And she certainly wasn't going to be excused whenever she insulted him anymore.

Enough was enough.

He motioned to the door. "Now get out of here and let me finish in peace and quiet."

She nodded and hurriedly walked across the workshop. Putting her hoodie over her head, she gasped at a thought and turned to the ebony male. "Don't tell anyone what I've told you. Please. I don't want them to know."

"What makes me any different from them?" Shadow whispered, as if expecting her to ask this of him.

Amy shivered in the cold. Her hand rested on the door knob. She looked frantically at him, pleading in a tiny voice, "Because you and I are both broken records. We're the same. They wouldn't understand."

She left without another word. She left Shadow to stand in the workshop with a curious look across his face. She left him to think of the words she had spoken, and the truth she had said, and the confessions she had made.

The apology, for once, wasn't that bad.

His lips curled up to smirk slightly at the closed door.

Yes.

They were both broken records. They were both stuck in the past. They were both in the continuous loop of reliving their failures and fears every day with no one to talk to. The two hedgehogs had more in common that they had previously figured.

And for once, Shadow didn't feel completely alone.

Flames and smoke clouded her vision. All of her senses were useless as her legs continued to run in an unknown direction.

"What's going on?!" A voice so familiar yelled.

"It's the portal! It's collapsed!" Another familiar voice. Yet, she couldn't see anything. What was happening?

"How?!"

"Tails was a little off on his measurements!"

The voices were faint, trying to yell over the crackle of the fire and the shouts of Mobians.

Something was wrong, but her legs kept running—or it felt like they were. When she blinked, it didn't feel like she was running. The scenery of trees on fire never changed to match her legs running. It was like her top torso was still, and her legs were stuck in a hamster wheel.

"A little off?! We can't afford to be a little off! Eggman's getting closer to the city—we need these Mobians out of here NOW!"

Suddenly, things changed. She wasn't running in place or surrounded by flames anymore.

Amy awoke to look at a ceiling of white. A light blared back at her until it was moved away by a purple cat. So familiar…

"Amy?" The figure was blurry and her voice was slurred.

Amy groggily got up from the bed and looked around the plain white room of brick. "Where am I?" she apparently spoke.

"Two miles from the portal. You got caught in some of the aftermath of the portal destruction. Tails is fixing it now—burials are taking place. Other than that, we have another group of Mobians missing. One of the crew members took a wrong turn in the canyon. We need you to go find them as quick as possible."

"Okay."

Her vision became white. Her eyes became droopy. She was gone again, flying through the air and above the forests.

Then it was white again, and she was standing in front of a group of scared and lost Mobians. There were only about twenty of them—some children and others were adults.

"Let's go—"

A bang filled her ears as the tree caught fire and the missile exploded. She flew through the air, catching herself with a tree branch. Looking back, Amy only saw a sight of horror.

Bodies mangled and fried to the core while Mobians ran about and screamed.

Her group of lost Mobians was supposed to be under her command; she felt the responsibility seep in. This was familiar. This moment…it was like déjà vu.

Another missile exploded and her vision blurred again. Blood, death, fear—it all filled up her senses and she couldn't think. Her vision went along with it. She felt like scratching at her eyes, trying desperately to see the wreckage she had caused.

She was supposed to take care of them. Just a small group of Mobians. And she had failed to do even that.

Her sight came back to her only for a moment as a little girl in the group appeared. Running through the battlefield, the little girl cried out for her deceased parents. Holding a stuffed animal close to her, she stopped upon seeing Amy standing several feet away from her.

The little hedgehog ran towards her with the toy in tow. Tears ran down her cheeks, but Amy could recall the relief that crossed through her eyes upon seeing an adult.

Then another missile was fired, and everything turned into fire.

"AH!" Amy shot up in her sleep.

She didn't notice she was crying until she felt the tears run down her cheeks rapidly. Glancing around at her surroundings, Amy tried to gather where she was. Breathing rapidly, her lungs felt as if they were burning like the trees in the memory.

I'm downstairs. I stayed up later to watch a movie and apologize to Silver and Blaze over email. I must have fallen asleep.

But she didn't remember turning off the TV or grabbing a blanket. Amy huddled into the couch and thought of the dream. Staring widely at the TV, it took only a second before Amy found herself curled up in a ball and bawling into the blanket.

She tried to smother out her cries with the fabric, but she wasn't entirely sure if she was succeeding. All she knew was that guilt and regret ate away at her. It felt like she was punched in the gut a thousand times and a thousand more for extra measure.

The face of the little Mobian girl kept flashing in Amy's head.

Her heart hurt like hell—or maybe it was just her chest, as her lungs heaved up and down with her irregular sobs. She hadn't had that nightmare in a long time.

Arms suddenly wrapped around her figure, trying to pick her up.

"No!" she screamed within her cries. "No!" It was more like a bloodcurdling sound than an actual word, but it hurt everyone's ears.

"Amy?" the lights turned on, but she didn't care. She only winced from the bright light and continued to cry in the blankets. "Shadow, what's going on?"

The ebony hedgehog was trying to pick up the distraught female. "I don't know. She must have had a nightmare. I'm tried to pick her up, but she freaked out."

Sarah walked in between Sonic and Shadow. She combed through Amy's quills softly as the trio let the pink flower bawl. "Amy? Did you have a nightmare?"

"It was my fault," the words were barely heard throughout her cry fest. "It was my fault they died."

Sarah looked back at Shadow and Sonic. Shadow simply shrugged at the questioning female. Sonic sighed and gripped his quills however.

"Jesus. Amy. That was a long time ago."

He knelt down and grabbed the end of the blanket. "Amy had a bad run during one of the missions to save a lost Mobian group. She and two others survived. I remember her having nightmares, but," he shook his head, "Nothing like this."

"Maybe she hasn't had one for a long time, so it's a bit more of a harsh reality coming back to slap her in the face," Sarah suggested.

Sonic stood, along with his mate, and continued to hover over the distraught female. "Either way, we can't just leave her alone tonight. She's had a rough day as it is."

Shadow inched down again and slipped his arms around her. She made a protesting whine and pushed against him. This time, he expected the sudden freak out from her. Holding her tightly against him, Shadow led the way up the stairs.

"Sonic, can you get the lights?"

The blue blur was the last one up the steps of the basement. He shut the door, watching as Butch padded down the hallway and into Shadow's room. The light was on and Amy was nestled in Shadow's bed.

"Shadow…"

"She needs company," Shadow remarked, not looking at Sonic as he tucked Amy in.

Sarah came up behind Sonic and touched his arm. Giving him a reassuring look, Sarah went to their bedroom after saying goodnight. Sonic leaned against Shadow's door.

Butch didn't hesitant to walk in and jump up on the bed.

Licking Amy's face, Butch let out a small whine and cuddled up to the pink hedgehog. He didn't understand why she was suddenly crying. It made him sad. But he figured his licks to her cheek were helping in some way.

Shadow walked to the door and stared at Sonic. The blue hedgehog sighed and let his shoulders drop.

"I never pegged you for the bad guy anyway."

The ebony male watched as Sonic disappeared into his own bedroom, where Sarah was waiting. Shadow shut the door and turned off the lights. Finding his way to the bed, Shadow slunk in under the covers. He was caught off guard by Butch's head being in the way.

Opening his mouth to shoo the dog away, the Ultimate Life Form halted. The dog nuzzled Amy until her cries became soft hiccups and whimpers.

Shadow exhaled deeply as he brushed aside her bangs.

Her crying didn't completely stop until ten minutes or so later. Her hiccups ceased after a couple more minutes.

Amy batted her eyes open as she glanced up at Shadow. He was sitting in the bed, looking at the wall intently.

Green eyes stared as her lips trembled. She dared to speak, but he cut her off before she could even get one syllable out.

"After Rouge left, I stayed in the city for only a week. The people weren't particularly nice uptown or downtown. So, I moved to Canada—spent my time alone. I'd occasionally go into a small town to visit a psychologist. They told me my past actions were always going to somehow influence my future." Shadow gazed down at his hands, as if seeing all the blood of the people he had killed splattered across his palms.

"I never saw myself as a hero. But I never really saw myself as a villain. And after so much time, it made me envious that everyone could settle down into a normal life, and I could not. There were small towns that I would be welcomed in. But it was cold. So I moved back to the States after Tails contacted me. And I've been here ever since."

He ignored the sparks that shot across his arm as she touched him. The fluttering in his stomach was probably just from dinner.

"I figure everyone goes through their fair share of hell. I was mistreated by the people I saved. And you were mistreated by your coworkers. I'd move on," he murmured in deep thought, "…but there will always be someone willing to throw a milkshake at me. And the reminder of their disrespect—their hate—will only come back to shove me into solitude."

Amy scooted closer to him, minding the sleeping dog between them. "You're the Ultimate Life Form. If they see you as a monster, then give them hell."

Red eyes looked at her with something akin to shock. Shadow raised an eyebrow. "You want me to make the monster part true? Like I want that in my life?"

"No." She shook her head sympathetically. "Either give them hell, or give them a reason to think otherwise, Shadow."

He twisted away from her, but not without ruffling her quills. Amy groaned in annoyance, but he only nonchalantly chuckled at her reaction.

Amy paused before sitting up a bit more. "I wanna make a truce. And a pact. Between you and me."

"Hmph," Shadow tried not to laugh at her. He only looked at her as if she were delusional. "A truce?"

"I'll do my best not to insult you when you aggravate me, and you do the same for me. We become friends—or at least tolerable of each other in the nicest way possible."

"And the pact?"

"We help each other move on with our lives. And if one of us is falling into a relapse, then the other is there to help—no matter what's going on."

Shadow leaned closer to her, which caused her to blush and sink lower back into the bed. "And what makes you think I'll agree to either of those things?"

"Because we're more alike than you think, Shadow. At least, we understand one another. Sonic and Sarah can't understand you like I can. That and…" she looked at her hands embarrassedly.

"And what?" he pried.

"And I don't want to lose you," she whispered sincerely, much to his disbelief. He backed away, unsure if she was telling the truth. "I don't want to lose anyone."

Shadow heaved a sigh tenderly. Amy was caught off guard as his lips grazed her forehead in a soft kiss. She watched as he spun away from her again. Getting the message, Amy smiled gently and sunk back into the sheets obediently.

"Wake me if you have the dream again," he mumbled and lied down on his side, facing away from her.

Amy hoped that wouldn't be necessary.

She wasn't even certain if she could fall asleep, though. Her eyes were tired from crying, but her heart had skipped a beat upon his caring gesture. It was odd for Shadow the Hedgehog, and it must have meant something. He wouldn't have done it to just anyone.

I think I got through to him finally. Amy grinned into the blankets. And I'm not going to mess this up again.