I apologise for the shortness, but I don't like to try and force a chapter, as it usually ends up terrible.

Been writing other things while I can't find the Mojo for this one. Maybe have a peek?

Aftermath and emotion in this one, no sex I'm afraid.

But story and crap I suppose? =]

Chapter 11

It took some time - close to forty five minutes - before Amy managed to regain enough composure to think straight, at which point the senses beyond those in her nether-regions finally began to return, and she stiffened unconsciously. She still straddled Shadow's hips, finding herself in his loose embrace now against his chest, an arm draped over her shoulders while the other still cupped a buttock beneath her panties. Her face was buried in his shoulder, white hair tickling her nose while his chest rose and fell with his gentle, even breathing.

She felt warm, safe even, and despite her body's strong response to the situation she found herself within, part of her didn't want to leave his arms.

Compared to the others she had taken advantage of, this encounter felt the most genuine so far. Sonic had been an act of passion, Tails one of revenge, and Knuckles she was almost willing to put down to simple desperation, but Shadow… she couldn't even find the words. Like the echidna, he had resisted her at first, though he had not resorted to being as forceful as her red-furred victim. Being easily stronger than her, he had kept her at arm's length for a number of seconds after she mounted him upon the sofa, looked her dead in the eye and allowed his piercing gaze to cut through her lust-driven pheromone haze to ask a single question.

"Are you sure?"

His tone had sent a shiver down her spine, and she was forced to reflect internally on the impact not of those words, but his actions. No other participant had queried her motives, nor taken the time to be certain she was not being driven entirely by nature. These were people she trusted as friends and - at one time - team mates. People she would have trusted her life to, and yet they did not seem too concerned with her overall health and wellbeing once the season reached its climax.

Now she lay on another who, despite his own needs and the feelings he must have had inflicted upon him due to her pheromones, was more concerned with her welfare than his own. He'd stopped her from throwing herself at him until she had confirmed this was something she wanted to do, and not just another hormonal attack on someone she knew to scratch an itch. It spoke of a respect for her boundaries, and she had been enamoured immediately, any doubts she had been having dissolved on the spot.

Despite this rationalization, her cheeks began to blaze beneath her pink pelt at the memory of their encounter, silently cursing herself for being so easy to manipulate. Maybe he hadn't meant to be, but in showing such consideration, Shadow had turned her to putty in his hands. She felt embarrassed for her lack of restraint in the face of basic manners as she shot bolt upright in his lap, the slight chill of the room making her cheeks feel as if they were on fire, and stared down at her latest lay with poorly masked regret.

Said hedgehog himself seemed quite relaxed, perhaps more so than she had her seen him before. As she straightened, the hand that had been resting on her shoulders slid lazily down her spine to her waist, leaving both a trail of heat and a shudder of pleasure in their wake. Closed eyes became half-lidded crimson orbs that regarded her own guarded expression, and a frown began to form on his brow, speaking softly as he met her gaze. "Amy? Are you-"

"I'm fine." Her tone didn't seem fine, nor did her rigid form, but he was not permitted to question her further before she had begun to dismount him. "I just… I didn't mean to…" She swallowed thickly and looked away from his gaze, highly embarrassed that not only had she lost control again, but concerned about who it was with. "I need a shower." She stated, and with that statement she darted for the bathroom in just her panties, door closing and locking audibly behind her.

He sat up turned in his seat to watch her departure, from lap to bathroom, the door closing softly but still making him flinch. Shadow considered heading over and knocking for a few minutes, still staring at the closed door as he did so, before turning back and slumping more comfortably back into the cushions with a disgruntled puff of air. It seemed despite her positive affirmation before they got intimate, the girl still regretted giving in to her desires.

This was why he avoided relationships; they were messy.

He chose to ignore the mess he himself was in for now and reached instead for the remote, which had been hastily cast aside once the channel had been muted, deciding he could shower once Amy was done and they could discuss whatever this was once she'd calmed down. To distract himself from the questions and concerns currently forming in his own mind, he un-muted the TV and settled down to watch the current program in peace.

A soft growl escaped his lips as his phone began to vibrate on the coffee table, and he sat up straighter slowly, glaring at the device as he did so. It continued to vibrate across the sleek wooden surface, urging him to pick it up and answer, and yet he did not want to. Only two people possessed his mobile number; Rouge, in case a mission had come up while he was off-site before his retirement, and Commander Towers himself. That meant there was a fifty percent chance that this was Rouge calling despite him recently telling her to fuck off, or Towers had been enjoying the show and wanted to give his opinion on the matter now Amy wasn't present.

Once it fell silent, he begrudgingly lent forward to retrieve it with a still-naked hand, unlocking the screen to confirm which of the two he didn't want to converse with was attempting to make contact. Missed call from: TOWERS greeted him on the home screen, and his frowning gaze slid slowly to the "hidden" camera he'd found within the frame of his flat screen just days after GUN had paid to have it delivered to his door.

Immediately, the phone began to vibrate again, drawing the dark hedgehog's attention back to it. Incoming call from: TOWERS the phone declared, its vibrations and light much more obnoxious this close up than it had been when it wasn't in his hand. He allowed it to ring for a short time before blatantly rejecting the call and placing the device screen-down on the coffee table, standing and heading slowly for the kitchen as he did so.

It began to ring again, but he ignored it, focusing instead on making himself a cup of coffee.