A/N: I'm pretty much depressed. I've come to terms with the fact that I might be a bad author. Could you even call me that? Maybe, you could say, a bad storyteller. For I look back into myself and find the need for a simple purpose, in anything, really. The point of anything, the point of merely thinking as to what I am ashamed to write now, would be most helpful. Blugh. What is the point of it all, really!? –crawls under bed- just read. No doubt you will understand the mediocre work, ugh. I think I shall take a small nap.

"Long ago, at the time of my novitiate, you told me the love I felt for you was worldly and impure, a delusion of the Devil-and I believed you. You urged me to cast this wicked love from my heart, so I obeyed you, left you, and journeyed there. For years I told myself that your silence and my prayers would quench the flame of that love, given time. They have not done so. I am old now, and, lying here alone for long days and nights, I have come to believe we are wrong. Is any love truly wicked? My love for you, a mother's love for a child, a man's for his friend or country: could not all loves be said to light a taper in our hearts, one which can illuminate our lives and guide us towards that eternal beacon of light which is the Love of God, in Heaven?"

-The Letters of Isabella de Morlaix to Winifride of Ely, 1257-1301
Edited and translated from the Latin, V.B.S. Taylor, 1913

Dedicated to Marianne

Amy stood there, perfectly balanced and completely at a loss as to her next motive.

She swallowed, allowing her lips to part in a single breath that broke the tension in the air, and subconsciously, she pressed her weapon harder against the boy across from her. In a dying motion, he gave a sad frown, like even now he still felt affection for her.

Between them, her ammunition seemed to beat, like the joined heart that kept them alive in that moment. The gun was now their connection point, where one started and the other ended. Where she would be freed and he would be imprisoned, where she would live, and where he would die. As she stared at his face, the irony almost seemed amusing, if it wasn't completely her fault. The infamous Sonic the hedgehog, who would be killed by the one person who loved him most. Brought down by the very feelings she had assured him were quite okay to feel.

Her facial features relaxed, pain fading away due to the morphine her body was creating. It was simply amazing to think, that when the mind knew there was going to be a great amount of pain, it made its own painkiller. Amy thought about this for the briefest moment, considering the possibility that this morphine just might come in handy later. After all, past Sonic laid Tails, one of the last survivors left. And Amy knew that if she left without permanently exterminating the problem, Tails might revive them all with the Chaos Emeralds. No, she thought, I will get to the base of this infectious organization and bring it down. Just a few more victims, she thought with pleasure.

The boy that she loved brought his arms down, his eyes tightening and his mouth tilting into a straight line. As he turned his head, he inspected the two children that were watching with the brightest eyes he had ever seen. Naomi was standing behind her older brother, holding onto his arm and whimpering, tears glistening. The little boy, Nathaniel, merely stared at him as if he were a complete stranger, like he did not know him at all.

Sonic bit his lip to keep from screaming. They were only a year old, they had no idea what was happening, where they were, or why. Hell, they would not even remember this place; give a few months of separation.

Sonic looked at them, and as he closed his eyes, a tear fell down his face. They would not remember him; they were still far too young to hold in that amount of memory. Give a couple of months, a year at most, and he would be nothing, not even a figure of remembrance. Even though he had been a part of their lives since they were born, it would make no difference. Their developing minds would not recall, and they would never know of all the good he had done.

"That sucks." He whispered, the only words he could find. At the sound of his voice, he noticed with uneasiness that the gun was pressed even harder against his chest. He opened his eyes to see her there, long pink hair, angelic face, and bloodthirsty grin. He waited, waited for her final words before she blew him to pieces.

But suddenly, she paused, and before he could ask, a few words escaped her lips. Though he did not hear them, he saw the result. Tears swelled at the bottom of her eyes, falling down, glistening and descending like shooting stars. Amy watched the face of her blue hero soften as he reached out to her in concern.

As his fingers grazed the bare sin of her arm, millions of memories flashed in her mind. My name is Sonic, Sonic the hedgehog! As she stared, a smile started on his face. I want you to join my team. I'm glad you're here. Happy birthday Ames! I'll never leave you, Amy. As her body pulsed, she remembered. Amy, is something crying? Amy, we're going to run away. She closed her eyes. I don't care anymore.

Her eyes snapped back open. She struggled against him, managing to slash the side of his face with the gun, but he still held on tight. He straddled her arms at her sides, holding her so close that her ribs were pressed tight against his. The only real true hug he had ever given her.

Amy gritted her teeth, trying to lift her hand to point the gun to him and end all this. But she could not, his grip was too tight, she could not move. She was forced to breathe his smell, and as she threw her head back, she unleashed a scream that would forever scare her mind. The sound of an animal that had been caught in a trap, the sound of someone being burnt alive. She screamed louder, muttering things as well.

"I hate you!" she screamed, her ragged screaming horrifying. As his hand cupped the back of her head, it brought her face into his shoulder. She tried to bite him, she tried everything to try and free herself. "I hate you!" she screamed louder, throwing her face into his collarbone. "I hate you!" her screaming became weaker, edged and slightly soft. After what seemed like forever, her screaming ceased, and her exhausted head fell onto his chest, her eyes closing.

Then, she started to cry. The tears making her shoulders shake and her lip quiver. Her knees collapsed, and as he brought her back down to the ground, he held her while she cried. He stroked her hair while she sobbed, telling her it was alright.

With a cautious hand, he wrapped his fingers around the wrist that held the gun, lightly pressing it. Her reflexes made the hold she held on the gun stop, as it dropped to the ground, the sound echoing bitterly all around them.

Brokenly, she parted away from him and turned to the twins, extending her arms and watching them fall onto her. "We have to go." She told them, whispering into their hair. She was still crying, holding onto them, the only thing that was familiar. "Let's go home."

"You're not going anywhere."

All four hedgehogs turned at the sound of the voice. Amy's eyes widened as she saw Rouge the bat, and Tails. The only survivors. Both were holding onto guns, aimed straight for her. But in Rouge's arms was a sleeping baby.

Wait…

Amy inspected further. She saw the contorted limbs, and the neck that had been broken. A dead baby. Her mouth made a strangled noise. Sonic seemed to realize this at the same time she did, eyes wary as he watched them. Naomi whimpered, holding on tighter to Amy, while Nathaniel simply watched.

Tails watched Sonic, unbelieving. "You said you were on my side." He managed, before he pulled the safety off, without moving it away from the pink hedgehog. Tails began to grow heavy, his body weighing tons. "Why won't you just give up? Why can't you just hand over the twins, and save us all?" he asked, whimpering pathetically. Rouge looked away from the blue speedster, only to see Amy inching for the gun that lay merely centimeters in front of her.

"Don't move, Amy." She demanded, as Amy's hand quivered, before pausing. Her jade eyes narrowed, her cheeks turning red. As Rouge stared, her voice was hollow. "You killed my husband."

"Yeah." Amy replied, uncaring. "I guess I did." Sonic stilled, turning his head to look at her. Amy ignored him.

Rouge shook horribly, still holding the child to her chest. "It's all your fault. All of this, it's all your fault. You have no morals. You even killed your best friend."

Amy, to Sonic's utter shock, gave a simple response. Challenging, Amy mocked. "No, really? Wow, nothing gets past you, does it?"

Rouge darkened, taking a step. "You don't even care." Her voice seemed constricted. "You're a monster."

Amy blinked, frowning. "Is there a point to this conversation?" she then replaced her former frown, as she grinned wickedly. "What did you expect? Yeah, I killed them. No, I don't care. A monster? Sure, why not?" she laughed. "Cream, Shadow, Knuckles…they're all dead. Dead, dead, dead."

Tails yelled. "Shut up!" he watched her flinch, before she looked at him. He stayed steady. "You killed Cream…" tears streamed down his face. "I can't forgive you for that."

Amy huffed. "Then don't." she told him, while Rouge spat at her.

Before anyone could say another word, Nathaniel suddenly spoke up. "Baby?" he motioned towards the child in the bat's arms. As Rouge jumped, she watched the little boy waddle to her. Amy reached for him, but as Tails ordered her to stay back, she could only obey. Nathaniel finally made it to her, his arms outstretched. "Baby!" he called, eager and happy. His hair hung in his eyes, his brilliant colored eyes. "Lemme see." He demanded, and when the bat did not move, his eyes narrowed. "Wanna see." He told her, as Rouge merely stared, before she knelt down and let the little boy see her daughter.

As Nathaniel stared, his face grew troubled. "Name?" he gurgled out.

Rouge blinked. "Ruby." She answered him, as Nathaniel smiled once more. As he held his hands over his face, he quickly peeled them away, yelling. 'Boo!' But when the baby remained still, he frowned. Rouge's mouth twitched. "Hon, she can't play, she's…" as her voice trailed off, it broke. "Sleeping."

Nathaniel seemed to think for a minute, before he grinned crazily and set his hand over the baby's eyes. "Wake up!" he yelled, before he lifted his hand. It was quiet for a moment.

Rouge nearly screamed when the chest of her daughter suddenly excelled, and her eyes snapped open. Her arms and legs squirmed, as she made little coughs. Those mimicking aqua eyes wide with life.

Rouge dropped the gun in her hand, and held her baby close. "Ruby! You're alive! Oh, Ruby!" as she sobbed, she cradled her child and rocked. When the little girl began to hiccup, Rouge shushed her. "Don't worry, Maman is here now." She whispered. "Maman is here." As she held her baby, she looked up at Nathaniel. "Thank you." She whimpered. "Thank you so much."

Nathaniel beamed, before he turned around, and raced towards his mother. Amy embraced him tightly, glad nothing had happened. As Tails stared, Sonic took this as his chance. Grabbing the gun that lay abandoned, he pointed it awkwardly at his former best friend. Amy saw this, and as she stood up, she grabbed the twins and ran. She ran as fast as she could, not daring to look back. Minutes later, Sonic was striding beside her.

As she looked at him, she glared. "What do you want?" she asked, as they both rounded the corner. Sonic watched her face and smiled.

"You know, why don't you stop arguing and just love the fact that we're alive?" as they descended down the stairs, he watched her expression turn angry.

"Maybe because I still wish you were dead." She finished. As they ran, she growled. "Sonic, I need to tell you something."

"I don't think now is the time-"

"No." Amy interrupted him as they ran down another flight of the endless stairs. "This is important. Listen, after we get out of here," she jumped a bit, getting faster. "I want you to stay the hell away from me, and my family."

Sonic suddenly stopped, the news overwhelming. As Amy saw this, she skidded to a stop, watching as he shook. "What?" he asked, as if he didn't hear.

Amy did not skip a beat. "Sonic, I'm saying that I'm leaving you." As she panted, she swallowed. "You stay away. For good. You don't call, you don't write, and you don't talk to us." As she stared at him, the light from a small window played over her face. "Because, at this point, you're just a burden to me."

Sonic swore he felt the world stop turning. "Amy…" he tried, but she would not hear it. As she turned, she held the twins closer.

"Goodbye." She whispered, before she started down the steps, and ran right out of his life.

A/N: I gaped, blinking in total disbelief.

This... this couldn't be.

"No..." I whispered out loud, my heart pounding painfully in my chest. "No... this... I..."

The monster before her roared loudly, before rearing it's head. It's ghostly white face stared maliciously at me, the fine, black lines imprinted on it's body twisted hypnotically, trying to draw me in, trying to capture me...

I swallowed. I didn't want to do this... but I had to.

I screwed up all my courage, and reached out to touch it...

... and then the monster bit me.

Pain flooded up my fingers and throbbed mercilessly. I screamed.

"STUPID PIANO!"

And the moral to the story is, "Pianos are wild creatures that should only be tamed by professionals."

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Anonymous Reviews:

cardcaptorsakura: YAY, AN ANONYMOUS REVIEWER! (throws wild party) We're always going to try and update when we can, so hold on :) Thanks for reading!

The Queen of Aces

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