Everyone had settled down after eating their dinner on a late April night in the living room. It had been a long day for Sonic and the others full of fighting off our arch-nemesis, Dr. Eggman, and it showed on the boys' exhausted faces. While Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails had gone off battling his robots, I was given the usual duty to look after Cream, a small, charming little rabbit. Though the five of us were completely diverse from one another, we felt like a family living under one roof. We spent the day making dinner and going for walks outside, but we stayed close to home in case the boys called us. They returned safe and sound but looked worse than they usually did; it seemed that Eggman was getting stronger somehow.

Cream and I sat steaming cups of tea on the coffee table, a mint brew specifically chosen to help them relax. I pitied the boys for their exhaustion as they lazily picked up their cups and took a sip, leaning back in their chairs. Cream and I took ours last and settled down on the sofa, but as Cream drank hers delicately, I held mine in my hands, savoring its warmth. I had been in a steady depression ever since I found out Sonic had no interest in me. It wasn't that I was heartbroken; it was that I was disappointed in myself for wasting all my time in going after Sonic. I felt like I had achieved only artificial happiness because I had talked myself into it. Luckily for me, Cream had always stood by my side and tried to cheer me up whenever I had the worst of days.

"Mm, thanks, you two…" Sonic mumbled tiredly. Cream replied for me.

"You're welcome, Mr. Sonic; but it was really Amy who made the tea." Cream smiled at me. She and I knew full well that she was lying; Cream made everything that afternoon happen, including the tea, but she was really trying hard to get the others to cheer me up as well.

"Really?" Sonic replied, perking up. He was forcing enthusiasm; even I could tell. "Well, Ames, it tastes great. You should do this more often."

I only nodded in reply, not daring to look up. The room turned silent after that; it was ordinary for everyone to think I would have freaked out over Sonic's compliment to me, but in reality, Cream and I were the only ones who knew that my obsession with Sonic was over. He was completely unaware that I had "dumped" him, but I sort of wanted it to stay that way. I thought that telling him would overcomplicate things.

I spotted Knuckles gulping down his tea in one swig ferociously. He slammed his cup onto the table, startling us.

"That stupid Egghead is getting on my nerves. He needs to find a better hobby than to build those cheap excuses for robots of his everyday," the red echidna growled. Cream stood up quietly and got the kettle from the kitchen. She refilled Knuckles' cup without a word and set the kettle on the table. Just as Cream sat down next to me, Knuckles snatched the cup angrily, taking another full gulp of it as if it was alcohol.

"He's getting stronger, too. We keep coming home more worn down than before." Tails sipped his tea next. His blue eyes held the feeling of dejection as he let his head drop down. It concerned me when Tails was sad; he was a brilliant inventor that made robots and technology of any kind, and what was even more surprising was that he was only a few years older than Cream. He usually remained proud of his work, let alone the entire team for their effort, and when I saw him that sad, it made me wonder if something severely bad happened to either him or his inventions.

"It's either he's getting stronger or we're getting weaker. Either way, we need to get our game together." Sonic sounded serious now as he leaned forward in his chair. "What I want to know is how he's getting so strong."

"Maybe he's just suddenly finding out all of our weaknesses and making robots to poke at those weaknesses. It's the only thing I can come up with, that or he's finally gaining some I.Q. points over the years." Knuckles said, crossing his arms.

I finally took a sip of the tea as my thirst was beginning to get the best of me, but in doing so, I forgot how hot Cream had made the water before steeping the tea. As the tea entered my mouth, it almost burning my tongue, and I nearly spat out my drink in reaction. Everyone stared at me as I tried to swallow it and catch my breath. Unfortunately for me, Knuckles had taken my reaction the wrong way.

"You wanna suggest something, Amy? Go ahead. In fact, why don't you just go out with us and help fight?" he barked. Knuckles wasn't just tired, he was frustrated, and I had never seen him take it out on me before. I was almost scared of him. I shook my head, taking the defensive route.

"No, sorry, you don't understand – my tea; I almost burned myself with it and –"

"Yeah, yeah. You might as well just stay out of the conversation because you weren't there to begin with, Amy." Knuckles snapped again. I gulped, slinking back into my invisible shell. I was about to defend myself once again but Sonic beat me to the chance.

"Easy, Knuckles. Easy." Sonic interrupted. It was the first time I was actually happy he came to my rescue. "There's no need to take it out on Amy, okay? We're all just a little tired from today, and besides, is that really how you should be treating the girl who made dinner and this tea for us?"

He winked at me. My stomach quivered in disgust, something I thought I would have never done when he did that sort of thing. I prayed that he didn't have a crush on me somehow now that I gave him up. As a response, I simply looked away, tracing circles on the carpet, trying not to look too flattered after the comments he had given me. Though in their defense, it had to be at least a little confusing for Tails, Knuckles, and the blue blur himself to have seen me so unresponsive to Sonic.

The red echidna simply glared back at the blue hedgehog. I hugged my knees, sensing a fight brewing between a hot-head and a smooth talker, one that we all knew who would win. And as soon as the verbal fight commenced, Cream leaned over to me as if it weren't a big deal.

"Those boys never stop, do they?" she whispered. I gave her a small, pitiful smile. "It's okay, Amy. I'm sorry the tea's a little hot."

"N-no, no, it's not your fault. I wasn't thinking." I replied. She smiled, scooting over closer to me.

"Remember tomorrow morning, okay?" Cream chanted. I nodded, feeling slightly happier than before now that she was here. She was referring to when her mother came to walk Cream to her mother's house to spend the day; I would always say goodbye at the door, exchange a few words with her mom and off they would go. Cream was usually back home after dinner. Because she was only a child still, her mom still was uneasy to let her only little daughter live with the rest of us, but just as long as Cream visited every week with her mother, she could live in our house as long as she wanted. It was my duty every Tuesday morning to watch her go out the door, almost as if I were a guide.

Just as Knuckles's face was turning as red as his dreadlocks, we heard three clear knocks at the door. We all froze, turning our heads to the door simultaneously; it was odd for us to get visitors, especially in the nighttime. If anything, we always assumed it was a trap sent by Dr. Eggman, only because our home was secluded from neighboring cities like Westopolis and Central City. Tails slowly slinked off of his chair, mumbling that he would volunteer to answer the door. He tip-toed towards the door and stood on the tips of his toes to see through the peephole.

"Oh…no way…" Tails muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. Sonic stood up from the sofa and took a few steps forward, assuring Tails' safety. I leaned forward to see the two as my curiosity got the best of me.

"What?" Sonic asked in his normal voice.

Tails swung the door open, revealing a black hedgehog leaning on the doorframe. His red streaks traced the top of his quills, echoing his crimson eyes. He only had a black jacket on, his gloved hands stuffed inside the pockets, not appearing to be moved by Tails' reaction, but he still carried an impatient air about him as Tails stared. It was a hedgehog known as Shadow; he never sought out companionship, and in fact, it was assumed that he loved being alone more than he liked being around others. His past was full of death and destruction, and it influenced him greatly for what he fought for, but rarely did any of us see him due to his lone wolf attitude.

"Sh-Shadow?" Tails stammered, stepping backward.

The name sent my heart pounding. I took it as a simple shock to my system, but I could feel something more brewing in my stomach.

"Tails," he replied in a low voice. It sounded different to me for some reason, almost…more stirring. I couldn't quite tell what it was, but his tone was refreshing to hear. "Is Sonic here? I need to speak with him…"

On cue, Sonic walked into Shadow's view and smirked as his eyes beheld the Ultimate Life Form. "Shad! How are you and that military job doing?"

Shadow's eyes darkened. "That was what I needed to talk to you about. May I come in?"

The two nodded in a way that acted like fear, and he stepped inside, the door shutting tightly behind him. He simply kept his hands in his pockets of his jacket. A jacket, I thought, was interesting for him to have on in such nice weather. Knuckles stepped into the front hallway, suspicious of Shadow's reason of being in our home, but stayed silent and waited to hear him out. After snapping at me so harshly, I was stunned to see him so quiet when he saw the black hedgehog. Cream peered over my knees at him cautiously.

"You need something to drink, buddy?"

Shadow shook his head, ignoring the nickname. "I'm fine, thanks."

I suddenly found myself rising, moving towards the front hallway as I carried my empty cup of tea like it was a sentimental belonging. As I came closer in view to Shadow, I could see his perfect stature closer and my heart stuttered. I felt askew, like I was just glued in a new picture that I didn't belong in. It felt different, awkward, and strange in so many ways. But at the same time, the feelings I had felt amazing and intriguing. I sort of liked it. Before I knew it, my hands were empty, and the air filled with a sickening crash. I swallowed as five pairs of eyes shifted their focus at my feet.

Oh, God, I gasped, what just happened?

I had to cover up for myself, for whatever just happened, but I couldn't stop looking at the black hedgehog. I was in a trance of something I had never felt before. Within seconds, his piercing red eyes found my soft green ones. Something clicked, like a spark in a fire, and I shook like a leaf. The spotlight was on me now, and I could feel the heat. I was just praying that I wasn't sweating.

"Amy!" Cream yelped from behind, looking at my feet from behind. "What did you do? The cup…oh, no…"

I felt a pang of guilt as I intercepted the distressed words. I dropped it! I yelped. Shadow's gaze remained fixed on me. I could just feel him finding my cheeks to be unnaturally red. It was so embarrassing, but I couldn't move at all. I couldn't escape the spotlight, not yet, at least. He took some interest in me, and Shadow, surprisingly enough, started talking to me.

"I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?" His tone was casual, yet it was his usual cold-sounding voice. Strangely, it made me loosen up a little bit, but I still couldn't quite get a grip on myself. It was like falling onto a cloud; relieving and peaceful at first, but then you realize that the ground was coming next.

All that came out of me was unidentifiable confused stutters. I felt like an idiot; I didn't know why I was such a mess and it made me feel worse. My heart raced and my throat grew dry, but Shadow remained patient among the others, who were now embarrassed for my sake. Knuckles shook his head, Tails looked away, and Sonic smirked quietly, as if he knew what was going on. That did it for me; I would show Sonic what amazing response I could dish out. I finally gathered myself together, after what seemed like hours, swallowing through my mysterious anxiety.

"I-I'm doing okay. Fine, yeah…how about…you?"

If I could have, I would have smacked myself in the face; some amazing response I had. A nod would've been better; heck, no response would've been the best.

"Managing." Shadow mumbled, suddenly looking irritated. I frowned, wondering if it was my fault he suddenly turned angry. He stared at the mess at my feet for moments on end until finally continuing. "Do you need help with that?"

My trembling and uncontrollable emotions and actions stopped, and reality somehow finally brought me back to the surface of reality. I felt more awake than before now. Seeing Shadow looking at the floor made me drop my head to stare at the mess on the ground. Bits of ceramic were scattered on the floor. I cursed in my head, knowing that I was bringing too much attention to myself now. I brought my hands up to my cheeks, realizing the trouble I made for myself.

"I…um…" He walked towards me whether I wanted him to or not. I bid farewell to reality again as my hands trembled again. I was helpless; it was a vast spiral of entrapment and I was stuck in the middle of it. I snapped my eyes shut, feeling my face flush as his eyes looked me over. My mind was disconnected with my actions as I simply fell to my knees and stared at the mess. I reached out to pick up one of the pieces, trying to regain my composure at the same time. To my surprise, Shadow's hand caught my own. I stared up at him in amazement.

There was a long silence before he said anything. My heart pounded in my throat. "Don't touch it; you'll end up getting hurt."

I could feel my temperature rising. I was such a klutz, and he was right. In this state, I'd probably end up mortally wounding myself with a small piece of ceramic. We gazed at each other, obviously for our different reasons, but we seemed to ease after a few seconds. His eyes were strangely calming to look into. A door slam from behind me startled me. Shadow simply brought his head up, scanning Cream from above me. She stood with a broom and dustpan, struggling to keep them both in her small hands as she walked briskly toward us. Shadow hoisted me up to get me out of the way. I felt like a burdensome rag doll, but his hand clasped on mine made me feel more alive and thriving than ever before.

"Do you wish for me to do that, Cream?" Shadow asked softly. The generous question threw everyone off, including me, after past experience with the black hedgehog. His unfeeling and cold heart had suggested him to be uncaring and self-centered, leaving everyone to tend to themselves. Cream looked up amidst her work, shaking her head merrily. She seemed to be the only one who didn't feel as if Shadow's comment was out of place.

"Of course not, Mr. Shadow. This isn't your house; and besides, you haven't been inside but for a few minutes. It'd be rude of us to make you do all the work."

In a way, I was glad that she said no. Shadow just got in the door, after all, and to have him instantly start cleaning would just be out of place. That, and Shadow cleaning would be hard to look at; he was a super-powerful hedgehog that wielded unimaginable power. He wasn't a janitor, much less a servant to anyone.

But despite that, he frowned, nearly looking hurt again. "I see…yes, well, I probably should get to the point for my visit."

Sonic piped in, walking out from behind the staircase. "Sure, Shad, let's get to the living room and we can chat."

Tails, Sonic, and Knuckles moved back to the living room after staring at us both as Cream finished sweeping the debris up from my clumsiness. Once finished, she disappeared behind a door in the kitchen to place the broom and dustpan in its original spot. Shadow and I were left alone. I realized that our hands had been intertwined the entire time. Shadow looked uneasy as I felt my cheeks turn red.

"I was hoping you would notice and let go, but I didn't want to make a scene," he mumbled harshly. His tone made my heart stutter in a different way than the first. My eyes widened.

"Agh! I'm sorry…!" I released his hand, cupping my cheeks to hide my red face. Shadow shrugged and began to undo his jacket, fumbling with the onyx buttons. I watched in awe, as if I had never seen the action happen before. As the jacket began to come loose, my eyes glanced down at his white tuft of fur on his chest. It was becoming increasingly hard for me to breathe. Luckily, he didn't take note of it and simply tossed his jacket on the stairway. Something in his jacket jingled quietly upon impact, but I didn't think much of it at the time.

"It's fine." he replied simply. "You have a strong grip is all."

Shadow brushed by me, making his way toward the living room. I stared after him, watching his black quills delicately bounce with each strong step he took. He was so unaware, I thought, that I was going to go after him very soon. So blissfully unaware, just as I had been a few months back.

The rest of the team plus Shadow had settled in the living room before I had a chance to catch up with them. Shadow was offered a place on the sofa and he folded his hands contently as I simply planted myself next to him without any thought at all. I was filled with joy as I noted how close we were to one another: mere inches. I fought back a giggle. I suddenly found him to be so charming, more than I found Sonic to be.

Cream soon came in with a cup of tea for Shadow, in which he accepted but merely placed it in front of him. Apparently she didn't hear his refusal at the door for a drink, I thought. I could tell that he didn't want to deny her of anything, nor did he wish to stall for time. The rabbit sat down on the floor near the fireplace to get a full view of Shadow and I next to each other. I could tell she was eyeing us over, smiling at me, as if to say "look at you, Amy, sitting with Shadow!" I forced a smile back at her. Long moments of silence hung over us all. The sound of the clock ticking was the only noise in the room. It was getting uncomfortable to sit in such a looming silence, and someone needed to say something to pull us out, but words were stuck in my throat and wouldn't come out. I was still in aftershock from holding hands.

"So…" Sonic trailed awkwardly. Shadow looked at him. "What brings you here, Shadow?"

I silently thanked above for Sonic to have spoken up; silence had never been so painful. The black hedgehog frowned, staring at the ground. He took another anxious pause before responding.

"I'm unsure of how to start this…but Sonic, I wish for your hospitality."

The comment surprised everyone. I thought even Shadow himself was surprised of how he phrased it. In an instant, everyone began to stutter at the same time. I remained silent, though I had a strong urge to show both shock and happiness. After our little moment, Shadow wanting to live here was like heaven on Earth.

"Shadow…?"

"What?"

"Why?"

Shadow raised his voice above the others'. "Temporarily, at least. Can you comply or do I need to find elsewhere to stay?"

I wanted to say "no, of course you can stay!", but I was still frozen. I had to pray that Sonic would be okay with it. And just then, heads turned to Sonic in response, who barely took a thoughtful pause.

"Don't see why not. You've helped us a lot of times before; you deserve something like this from us."

I relaxed. Sonic was being reasonable tonight. Shadow nodded absentmindedly. He looked as though he wasn't quite satisfied with the answer that he had received from everyone in the room, but I think he sort of expected the reaction. It was a sudden question and appearance from the black hedgehog, after all. Shadow looked as if he wanted to explain more, but he couldn't quite get the words going. Maybe my shyness was contagious.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Shadow?" Cream asked softly. He sighed.

"Just a small personal crisis," he replied, shaking his head. I suddenly found my voice wandering in the warm air.

"Like what?" I asked. My advice-giving therapist personality was starting to show. Shadow didn't bother to look at me. It hurt a little to not see his eyes, but at least he acknowledged my presence with his response. I was counting my blessings.

"I've been offered a job in the military, GUN to be specific. I would be fully compensated for working with them, supplied with living quarters and all, and respected by many. At first it sounded satisfying, but it is just that, nothing more." Shadow explained. I listened intently, analyzing every word. "But…something about it isn't right. I'm just not convinced it's where I belong. So I asked for a month for me to be free of it, and after that time I would give them an answer."

"But they sound like they got ya set up pretty well." Knuckles said, leaning back in his chair and resting his arms on the back of the chair. "You should at least try it out for a month or two and then see what you think. Maybe you'll grow to like it."

Shadow lifted his cup off of the table, feeling its warmth in his hands. He stared into it, looking into his sad reflection. "I don't think you understand. After everything that's happened with GUN, both recently and a while ago, it's hard for me to grab at the opportunity and call it good. They were the exact people who took all the lives on the ARK. I know I swore to put my past behind me, but this seems like I can't look away from it now."

I had to agree, but I didn't know if it was my heart agreeing or my logic. I decided to step out of the debate in fear of saying something stupid.

"Shadow, I hate to oppose you and your moral beliefs, but GUN helps protect humanity." Tails said carefully. "They had to do the same thing fifty years ago on the ARK, but it was for a cause, you know? If you join GUN, you'll still be fulfilling your promise to Maria by protecting the planet."

Shadow closed his eyes, setting the cup back down on the table. It was obvious that he disagreed with Tails and felt pain, but he knew how to control his anger and keep it inside of him. I couldn't stand my neutral person anymore; it was short-lived, but after seeing him like that, I felt like I needed to comfort him. It was still a little bit foreign to feel like that toward Shadow; I had that feeling before around Cream or Sonic, but now I was starting to find myself pushing Sonic completely out of mind. My hand reached out to touch his shoulder. His eyes opened, trailing over to my face. I opened my mouth, ready to say something unknown to her. Sonic beat me to the chance.

"So what you need is a good month to mull this thing over, huh?" he asked. Shadow nodded slowly. "Sounds doable. It won't be that much of a hassle, especially since you can fend for yourself. And hey, even in the month we have together, you'll be a great temporary addition to the team. The more fists to fight off some robots, the better."

Tails and Knuckles perked up at that comment, and Cream's face brightened as well. With Shadow on the team, Eggman wouldn't stand a chance, and all of us knew that. Everyone had their mind set on Shadow staying for a month, throwing away all the past mistakes he had made.

"We have an extra room upstairs next to Amy's, if you can tolerate that." Knuckles scoffed. Shadow said nothing, but forced a smile. My cheeks turned red again as I removed my hand. I stared at the ground, frowning. It hurt when Knuckles put it like that; that night was apparently his night to take out all his pent up aggression on me. It made it sound like I stayed up all night blaring music and keeping the entire house up. Cream shifted her position on the floor. She looked like she was ready to come over to me.

"Care to show me around, then?" Shadow asked after glancing at me. I was hoping that he knew something and wanted to help by getting everyone except Cream out of the picture, but I thought it might have been a stretch. Sonic agreed merrily, jumping up from the sofa. The boys stood up and exited the room, Shadow glancing back at me thoughtfully before leaving. I didn't see it fully, though; my focus was on the floor still but I saw it from the corner of my eye.

Cream stood up after she heard footsteps go up the stairs. She walked over and sat down where Shadow sat, putting her hands on mine. I looked up at the small rabbit.

"What's wrong, Amy?" Cream asked. Her brown eyes were full of concern. She gave me the same pang of sympathy as Shadow did. "You look so…sad."

I forced a smile. "I don't know what's wrong, Cream. As soon as Shadow stepped inside, I felt weird, almost like what I feel like around Sonic, except ten million times better; maybe even more real than I felt around Sonic. It's just really confusing." I lifted a hand, ruffling my bangs as I frowned again. "I'm not sick, either, I swear."

Cream was pensive. "I'm sure you're not, Amy. You were just fine until Mr. Shadow came in. There's one thing that's on my mind, though…you and Shadow…are you…?

I knew what she was getting onto, and because of reflex, I blurted out, "What? No! He and I…" –the concept sunk in further now– "…he and I…I…I don't know…isn't that…weird for me to…?"

The concept of Sonic and I together had melted into my head for so long, it seemed illogical for me to be with anyone else. Sonic was so beyond out of my interest now, but apparently I formed a habit in referring to him as my destined soul mate.

"Oh, Amy, I don't know if it's 'weird'. That's for you to see on your own, isn't it?" Cream smiled, her eyes closing and her brow furrowing. She could sense the conversation was going to involve me speaking aloud to myself. Conversations about affection and romance with Cream usually were like that. She was a good listener, though; she sparked a lot of ideas. I simply shrugged in reply. In this case, I kind of hoped she would reply honestly instead of give her normal neutral answer to me.

"I'm so over Sonic, after all. That's what's making me feel so sad now, but when Shadow came in, I felt a lot better." I trailed off, describing what I had gone through when I dropped the teacup and during my freak-out session. It was refreshing to speak my ideas to Cream. She was such a great friend. Cream and I talked for about a minute before I went silent. I started going off into my own thoughts, which were filled, much to both my surprise and knowledge, with images of Shadow.

"…Shadow and I held hands while you were cleaning up the cup I broke, Cream." I giggled quietly, my cheeks flushing. Cream perked up at my comment, beaming. "And he said that I had a strong grip."

"Except with teacups, Amy." the rabbit giggled as well. After the laughter died down, I hugged myself, looking at out the window as the bright moon rose higher into the sky. My emerald eyes glistened as I stared at the black sky. Memories flooded my vision as I gazed upon the bright stars.

"That one time that I hugged him on the harbor by accident…he was so soft and warm! Gawd, it was embarrassing, but he really was so nice to hold now that I think of it."

Cream beamed, knowing what to make of my pointless, random comments. After looking over her shoulder towards the front hall, Cream leaned in close to me, speaking in a hushed voice. "Amy, you've realized it!"

Whether I was clueless or playing dumb was beyond me. "Realized what…?"

"It's so obvious! Do you think…that you've moved on? Moved on to someone else?"

I stared at her for several seconds, unsure how to take the comment. But as I recalled everything that I had said, everything that I had done that involved Shadow, I felt myself smile. I found myself on the verge of tears now. It was all too much to contain. Sonic was disappearing, Shadow was replacing; I could feel it in my heart. Finally I was reaching the surface of my sadness, and I was breaking out of it.

"Cream…" My eyes watered, and I wiped them dry before continuing. "I feel it happening. It's all so fast, but I think I have moved on…"

Cream squealed and gave me a bear hug, holding tightly and laughing. She was overjoyed that she helped find my problem and we had solved it together. For years, she had known something I hadn't; the fact that I was wasting my precious time in following Sonic around, and once I had realized it, I felt awful. However, the time that the turning point I had been looking for had finally came. I joined into the laughter, embracing her back as I let Sonic, my past love, slip away for good, never to come back into my heart again. The sentence that I whispered joyfully echoed in my head for the rest of the night.

I'm in love with Shadow the Hedgehog.