A/N: Hey guys! It's been a bit quiet lately, so I'm posting early... and okay, I'm bored too :P Besides, I knew y'all missed psycho Amy :D.

The formatting for the quote (if you hadn't noticed already) is a bit strange. Fanfiction's new document thingy doesn't have a copy/paste option anymore, so there's gonna be a lot of white space in between.

Enjoy the chapter, and I'll yak later.

"Because the pressure of this world

They can take their toll,

And it's tough to get away

When they take their hold.

The only way to break free

Is to break the mold!

You can't stop now,

Lock and load!

Don't stop now,

Come on, rock and roll!"

-"His World" lyrics – Ali Tabatabaee and Matty Lewis version.

Dedicated to Marianne

Cream gasped for breath, the air searing as it sliced thorough her lungs.

It hurt so much to breathe. Her throat was too tight – much too tight. It burned as if the wind had cut it open, and then her salty tears had flooded into them. She gasped again, and it stung mercilessly. Her chest was had clenched itself around her heart, and she could feel it struggle to beat.

She had always thought that she knew him well – that she had knew herself well. She thought he was the one that she could depend on, someone who would get her though this, who would help her be her, not this… this thing that she had forced herself to be molded into.

But… she was wrong.

Again.

It wasn't fair! Everything she had depended on, everything she had wanted had been swept away in one blow. She wanted to cuddle up with Cheese. She wanted to cry on her mother's shoulder. She wanted her friends back. She wanted… she wanted Tails. Not that monster that had heartlessly harmed a child – a mere child that was barely older than himself!

What had happened? Everything was falling apart!

She sobbed again, the cry echoing through the endless hallway. She had to get away from here. She had to get out of this eternal hell!

With a final burst of energy, she crossed the last few steps and wrenched open the metal door.

Her first reaction was to run when, with a shower of rust, the door beside her was thrown open.

Cream didn't seem to see her at all at first. She looked past her as if her mind was elsewhere, a feral look of freedom in her eyes.

The rabbit had grown so much. Her eyes had darkened to an auburn tint, her fur the colour of a glossy peach. She was almost taller than her now, her long ears reaching to her ankles. Her orange dress was tattered, the blue ribbon astray, her face tear-stained and dirty and a touch less innocent… but despite the clothing and tears, Amy never imagined her to be so beautiful, never imagined the way she seemed to glow with a radiance she could not understand.

But than she stopped… and saw.

"A-Amy?" she asked, both incredulous and… scared?

Amy felt and unexplainable trill of fear when the rabbit had said her name. Her heart started to pound wildly.

"A-Amy?" she asked again, and started to walk forward timidly, her hands outstretched.

The pink hedgehog backed away, the gun clicking at her side. "Stay away," she said, her voice low as she backed away.

Cream stopped and seemed to see the gun for the first time. She looked back at Amy's face fleetingly, and the hedgehog felt her heart clenched with longing. 'Idiot!' a part of her screamed. 'If Cream can do this just by looking at you, than how are you going to deal with Sonic?'

"I… I've missed you," whispered Cream.

Amy pressed her lips together. 'Tell her that you haven't,' her mind hissed. 'Tell her that you hate her. That you never want to see her again.'

"I've missed you too," Amy said faintly as her mind growled in anger.

Cream's eyes widened, and a few tears escaped. Amy shook her head frantically as the tears sent another shock of longing through her body. No, she couldn't act like this. She couldn't feel like this. Not when so much was at stake…

"Where've you been hiding?" Cream asked her. "Where have you been… all this time?" Her voice broke.

'Lie.' "We were… hiding in the south," Amy heard herself unwillingly answer. 'No, no, no!'

"In the… south?" Cream blinked at her, and than looked behind her. "Tails… you lied to us all… for them?"

Amy blinked. "Tails lied?" 'And so what if he did? Is that going to stop you? Is that going to keep you from your goal?'

Cream's eyes filled with remorse. "Oh, Tails…" They slid down to her shoes.

Amy was silent. She wanted to move. Every part of her was screaming at her to move, to get past Cream and to the twins. Her fingers tightened around the gun in her hand, and she could feel it shaking as if it was about to shatter. 'Are you this weak?' She heard the voice hissing again. 'Is it this hard to take out one little obstacle? She wouldn't struggle… she would throw herself at your feet if you asked…'

"How has Tails been doing?" She found herself asking, just to get away from the hissing in her head.

"Not so well," Cream answered, her eyes meeting Amy's again. She felt herself quiver under the gaze. "None of us have…" she added, her voice trailing off.

Amy swallowed. "I'm sorry…"

"For what?" Her mind echoed the question.

"I'm sorry for… for making your lives miserable. For making all our lives miserable."

Cream bit her lip. "Yes, you should be," she said, with a trace of harshness. Amy flinched. 'Weak,' her head whispered. "Nobody's been doing well with you two gone… everything's been falling apart." Her eyes filled with tears again.

"You didn't give us a choice!" Amy shouted. Cream shrank away from her, but she didn't care this time. Her mind smirked in victory. "Did you ever think about asking what I thought? Did you ever think that maybe… just maybe… the twins weren't dangerous at all? Did you ever think that maybe I love them?"

Cream turned cold. "You love them more than us? Is that what you're saying?"

"Maybe I do," she growled out.

There was pain in Cream's eyes, but she found that she didn't care. "Okay, maybe you don't love us. Maybe you hate us," Cream said. "But what about the whole world? Should they die because of your selfishness?"

"…" Amy looked away. "At this point, it's too late for me to care."

She heard Cream's sharp intake of breath. "You're a hero. You're supposed to make sacrifices."

Amy closed her eyes. Here it was again, all this "hero" crap! She had never chosen to be a hero! Had anybody ever stopped her, while she was about to take off for another journey, to ask if she had wanted to go on it in the first place? No! Had anybody ever offered to take her place? No! She never even had a choice when someone had left the twins on her doorstep! She never had the choice to meet Sonic or not… he just happened to have saved her!

Suddenly, she chuckled darkly. 'This is where it all comes down to, doesn't it? Sonic.'

Amy smiled at the rabbit, who seemed taken aback by her sudden change in mood. Her smile widened when the rabbit backed away in fear.

"W-what are you doing?" Her mouth dropped open when Amy held out the gun. "Amy?"

Amy chuckled again. "I'm about to end all our problems."

"I… Amy… you…" She shivered, and Amy felt a surge of pleasure. She had Cream completely at her mercy…

'Yes, that's it! End it, and move on. You have better things to do…'

She cocked it, and the click bounced across the hallway.

"Amy," Cream whimpered.

'End it!'

She aimed.

'There's no turning back…'

"You promised that you would do anything to protect me…"

Amy stopped. "What?"

"When I asked you…" Cream said. "A long time ago… right when you got the twins… you promised that you would do anything to protect me."

Amy's eyes narrowed. 'Look at her! She still has the audacity to remind you of a silly long-broken promise!'

"Do you seriously think I care anymore?" Amy asked, contempt in every syllable.

Cream shook her head. "No… not really," she whispered. "I guess… I can't change your mind about this at all, can I?"

"I… I tried to find some pity for you," Amy said, thoughtfully. "But I couldn't find any."

Cream suddenly glared. "I don't want your pity," she retorted.

"Than… what do you want?" Amy asked.

"I… I don't know," Cream admitted. She paused. "I guess… After all this, after you left us, after we hurt each other… I still want… to be friends… Amy." She smiled ruefully. "I'm stupid, aren't I?"

Amy froze. "Friends…?" she repeated, the very word sounding strange on her tongue.

'No, it's too late, it's already too late! End it now!'

"I…"

'End it!'

"I don't know if I…"

'End it now!'

She touched her face lightly.

Blood.

She could feel it splattered across her cheeks, wet and warm.

She kept on walking in a sort of daze. But the voice was insistent.

'Sonic is next… He's just around the bend…'

She staggered around the corner. It seemed to take her forever.

"Sonic!"

Amy blinked. It was not her who said that name.

Naomi giggled as Sonic lifted him gently down from a cell. Amy felt anger. They had put her in a cell? How dare they…

"Sonic!" she said again, hugging the blue hedgehog. Nathaniel was already out, and he had his arms crossed, pouting a little as if regretting that it wasn't he who was lifting Naomi out.

Sonic chuckled and ruffled Naomi's hair. Amy felt her throat burn. Sonic shouldn't be happy. He shouldn't be allowed to be happy. Not after all he had done to them – to her.

"Put her down."

Sonic immediately stiffened and turned around.

Intense hate seemed to freeze her veins and stab down her spine. She could feel the shadow of his grip on her shoulder like a spot of dirt that refused to leave. She barely held back a growl. He actually still dare touch the twins after what he had done? She brought out the gun and pointed it at his face. How she longed to pull the trigger…

Sonic glanced at the gun once, then back at her face. Amy felt a twang of annoyance. How come no one seemed to care that she was holding a deadly weapon in her hands? If they thought that she couldn't use it, then they were all fools.

"Amy," he breathed out. Her reaction was much different than it had been with Cream. She just grew angrier, her shoulders starting to shake.

"You…" She refused to say his name. "Put her down right now."

Sonic set Naomi down gently, even brushing down her skirt before straightening back up. Naomi and Nathaniel stared at Amy, wide-eyed, looking at the strange thing that she was pointing at Sonic's face. They didn't move away from Sonic.

Using the gun, she pointed to a corner of the room, and he obeyed her without a word. He stood there, still staring, his blank expression never changing.

She looked back at the twins, than smiled. A true smile that broke through her face like a diver surfacing for air.

It was infectious. With a cry of joy, the twins both ran towards her. She bent down on one knee and took them both in her arms.

"My babies…" she whispered. She kissed them both on the tops of their heads, pressing their soft cheeks to hers. She breathed in deeply, the scent of baby lotion filling her nose, bringing back a thousand bath time memories. Their forest-green furs were damp with sweat, and Naomi's long hair was snarled and tangled. But that didn't matter – they were very real, very safe in her arms.

"I'm so sorry for leaving you…" she said, her voice going hoarse. She rubbed Nathaniel's cheek with a finger, his odd eyes so wonderfully familiar.

Suddenly she frowned. "What's that on your arm?"

She held out his arm. An angry, red welt like that of a bee sting was bright on his skin. It puckered up, and when she touched it, Nathaniel whimpered. "Hurts," he admitted for the first time.

"You too, Naomi?" Naomi held on her arm, and there was another welt, but bigger and more painful looking. Naomi actually cried out when Amy tried to touch anywhere near it.

Amy's eyes narrowed. Without looking at Sonic, she asked, "What happened?"

"Tails took blood samples," Sonic answered automatically, mechanically.

Amy shot up. "Blood… samples?"

"He wanted to find out more about them."

"He wanted to find out more about them…" she repeated. Her hands tightened themselves into fists. "He treated them like a research experiment. Like they were a new project of his. I see. From the looks of it, he didn't even bother asking them for permission."

"No… he didn't think it was necessary," was Sonic's toneless answer.

"And did you try to stop him at all?" Amy asked, taking one step towards him.

"No," Sonic said.

"Why?" Amy questioned.

"I didn't think it was necessary." Sonic's eyes slid away from hers.

Amy stared at him. "You didn't think it was necessary?' Sonic, look at them! Look at Naomi's arm!"

Sonic glanced at it. The red spot stood out from Naomi's pale skin, and it seemed to scream in pain. He turned to give Amy a heartless look. She had never imagined that she would ever see the emptiness in his eyes, as if instinct had scorched away all his emotions.

"I don't care anymore, Amy," he said emptily.

Amy swallowed. "Don't… care…" she stated, her voice faded. Her shoulders started shaking again.

Sonic looked at her warily, his expression changing for the first time.

The pink hedgehog suddenly threw back her head and laughed. The twins shied away from her and hugged each other, but she didn't seem to notice. It was ridiculous! All of it! It was like some sort of dream you'd only have when you were delirious, some fear pulled out of her personal hell. Her laughter grated in her own ears. This couldn't be real. This was fake, all fake.

This was just… impossible.

"I don't think I can believe you, Sonic," she said, still snickering. It didn't hurt to say his name anymore, and it nearly sent another wave of laughter through her. "But that doesn't matter." She pulled out the gun and pointed it to his skull once again.

Sonic still had not moved an inch.

Amy frowned. "Why aren't you saying anything?" she snarled. "Do you seriously think I wouldn't kill you? Or have you forgotten already that I hate you?"

There was a flash of pain, and Amy smiled. She felt his eyes flash over the front of her dress, the gun, and then at her blood-splattered face.

"How many?" he whispered.

Amy's smile disappeared. "What are you talking about?"

"How many?" he asked again, nodding at the gun.

Amy froze. "I-I don't know…" she muttered. "But what does it matter to you? Apparently, nothing matters to you anymore. You don't feel anything, you don't care, you're just… you're just a monster!"

More pain. She felt that same, vindictive pleasure as Sonic seemed to crumble, but why did it feel like she had just hit herself in the gut?

"It doesn't matter…" she murmured again. "I've gotten to you. And I'm going to kill you Sonic. That's the only thing that matters to me right now."

Sonic was still staring at her bloody cheeks. It was starting to annoy her…

"And what are you going to do after you've killed me?" Sonic asked her, as if it was the most natural question in the world.

Amy's face took on a faraway expression. "I'm not sure, actually. I'll get the kids and go somewhere far, far away. A place that nobody's ever heard about… where nobody's ever heard about us. Nathaniel and Naomi can start pre-school…" her voice quieted to a dreamy whisper. "And we'll live in a nice house with a white picket fence. We'll have a tall tree out in the front for Naomi to climb… and I'll let Nathaniel get guitar lessons. It will never be cold, like an eternal summer. It will be our own personal paradise…"

"A paradise…" Sonic breathed in deeply, as if he could smell the smells that Amy could, as if he could see the sights that Amy saw. As if they were lying down under the same, cloudless, blue sky together…

The two slowly shook their heads, coming out of their stupors. "Yes, Sonic." Her finger tensed on the trigger. "It will be our own paradise… and it'll be without you."

Amy stopped. 'A paradise without Sonic…' It sounded strange, unnatural. Confusion flitted across her face.

Sonic suddenly sighed. Amy stared as a look of grief shadowed his face. "Is that really what you want?"

Amy paused, then nodded. "I made my choice already." And how long ago it seemed! "You can't change my mind."

"I won't." Amy blinked as his reassuring tone. "I'd already decided too…" He laughed, but it was as bitter as hers was delirious. "I should've never tried to love you, and never tried to make you mine. If I hadn't kissed you on that plane…" His voice trialed off wistfully.

"Yes… if only you hadn't… things might've turned out…" She searched for the right word, "… differently."

"Hmm… do you think so?" Sonic smiled remorsefully. "Or was it just always set this way? Was I just never good for you from the very start?"

"Good for me?" Amy glared. "Don't give me another round of self-pity, because I'm already sick of that!"

"I'm sorry." He sounded so sincere… "But I'm just me this way, aren't I? I doubt myself when I'm with you. You're not an easy person to handle. You're not an easy person to love."

Her hands shook. She was surprised when she found that she was blinking back tears. Her heart started to beat hyperactively in her chest. "You actually… still love me?"

She heard his breathing stop. She looked up at him, and found that he was looking away from her. "Oh, damn," she heard him say under his breath.

"What?" she asked him.

Sonic shook his head. "It's… it's not supposed to be this way…" he answered her quietly. "I'm not good for you Amy…" His eyes were imploring as they stared into hers. Her heart thumped painfully. "We both know it… we both tried to deny it… but…" He ran his hand through his quills. "I… we both know… you can't… and I can't…"

Amy's mouth dropped open. She tried to force it to form coherent words. "It… it really is too late isn't it…?"

Sonic nodded. "You've made your choice… and I made mine..."

"…And neither of us is going to back out…" Amy finished for him.

Amy suddenly felt tugging at her side. She looked down into Nathaniel's pupil-less eyes.

"Amy…" he said quietly, as if knowing he was intruding into forbidden territory. "What's happening?"

"Yeah." Naomi looked at her with baleful eyes. "I bored," she complained.

Amy bit back an unexpected smile. Suddenly, she kneeled down so she was looking eye-level at them. "Can you tell Amy something? And promise to be truthful."

The twins nodded solemnly, their childish seriousness almost comical.

"Tell me…" She took a deep breath. "Do you think Sonic is good for me?"

The twins frowned, and thought for a moment, their tiny faces screwed up in concentration.

Nathaniel answered her first. "No," he said.

"Why?" Amy asked.

Nathaniel pouted. "He make you cry a lot."

Amy gave him a tiny smile. He was much more perceptive than she gave him credit for.

She turned to Naomi.

Naomi looked at her for a long moment, and Amy felt the sudden feeling of being x-rayed.

"Yes," Naomi finally answered, and Nathaniel looked at her, annoyed.

"Why?" Amy asked.

Naomi smiled, each of her sparkling teeth glowing. "He make you cry a lot!"

Nathaniel's frown deepened. "What? That's dumb!"

Naomi pouted at him. "Amy must really love Sonic enough to care what he thinks!"

It was, quite possibly, the longest and most truthful sentence that she had ever said before.

Amy turned away from them, then gasped. Sonic had snuck up on her without a sound. But just as she was about to push him away, he spread out his arms and hugged her, the gun pressing into his chest.

Every part of her stilled.

"Listen Amy," he said, his breath tickling her ear. Her spine quivered in response. "It doesn't matter what you're about to do to me. If you do decide to keep me, then I'll stay with you as long as you want me to be with you. But… if you decide to shoot me…" He pressed her closer, the gun digging into his flesh. "I promise you… I won't run."

His face was just an inch from hers, and his eyes smothered her gently. She would only have to reach up… and his smell was almost hypnotic…

'But… I'm supposed to hate him…' She thought to herself. 'And I do hate him… so what…'

Sonic shook his head, as if reading her mind. "You have to decide for yourself, Amy." He closed his eyes. "I won't run," he promised again.

'I get to decide for myself… for the first time ever…' So why did the choice have to be so… hard?

Her hand tightened around the cold metal, and he heard his voice again, promising something that she had always wanted, but now wished that he would just take back.

"I won't run…"

A/N: I hope you like it! And in case any of you didn't pick this up from the quote, this is a different version of "His World" from Sonic Next-Gen (Ali Tabatabaee has an AWESOME last name. I still can't say it, but it's so cool!).

I am so not insane... XD

I personally really liked this chapter, except for the little scene with Cream and Amy (and no, I'm not going to tell you if Amy really killed her or not, so please don't ask). I kind of expected it to come out more... heart-breaking, I guess, but they're so cut off from each other now and I really couldn't find much emotion to write about. I like the SonAmy scene though! Especially my pathetic, awkward attempts at getting Nathaniel and Naomi to talk like normal kids with bad grammar (dies of embarrasement).

(sigh) Enough of me filling up white space and trying to make a semi-interesting author's note. Review, throw tomatoes at us, do nothing... you know, the usual.

Thanks for reading!

The Queen of Aces

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