A/n: Oh, looky here, another chapter. No copyright infringement intended.

History

"This is a really good track." Knuckles turned up the volume on the stereo as the group listened to some recorded songs from Chaos Roses'. The track would be released to radio stations in Station Square in a week.

"I'm glad you like I Knuckles." Amy said. She handed him a beer and he thanked her.

Everyone sat in the living room chatting, laughing and drinking. They had gone through the spirits quickly and Knuckles was finishing the last beer. Left on the table was the whiskey and empty shot glasses. Shadow opened the liquor and filled each individual glass. He handed them to everyone but Cream, who was the only under aged person there.

"This again?" Sonic asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Remember last time?" Tails asked. Everyone nodded and Amy blushed a bright red. Her cheeks more rose colored than her hair. Amy's green eyes looked over to Shadow, whose eyes met back with hers.

"Yeah," Shadow answered. "I remember."

Sonic looked at the two, feeling rage consume him. He gnawed on his bottom lip. He was suspicious of them since their arrival, and the glances they gave each other throughout the evening. How could she openly flirt with Shadow and no one notice? How could they do so with him in the room? At one time he and Amy were lovers. At one time he and Shadow were close friends. That changed though. That changed in one night. A drunken kiss and many fights later, things began to change.

He didn't like that she left him there. But what could he really do?

It was a lovely place. It was their place, even if it was for a short while.

He didn't throw out any of her things. He just left them, like she left them. Her hair brush still in the same place. Strands of blonde hair still wrapped around the individual bristles. Her clothes still hung up in the closet. Dresses. So many dresses. A soft pale blue was her favorite color, and she had many dresses with that shade. He started smoking once she left. He wasn't always a smoker. He picked up the dirty habit from her. She was pure and beautiful, except for the light cigarettes she'd smoke after they made love. She said it made her feel like a woman.

They shared the cigarette after touching skin and flesh. They kissed and passed it between their kissed bruised lips.

"Happy Birthday Rouge!" They all cheered.

They chose to have her party in that apartment he lived in. The apartment Maria left him in. The apartment he never called his own.

She owned it. She left it. She left him in it. Like her hair brush. Like those dresses. Like those cigarettes that were in the drawer of the nightstand. A new pack. He smoked one the first night she was gone. Then he bought a different brand. The one's she smoked couldn't be found where they lived. Couldn't be replaced. He couldn't replace the box of cigarettes if he smoked them. He couldn't replace her since she left him.

It wasn't a terrible habit just yet though. He only smoked when studying for the LSAT. Before leaving she told him law school would suit him. Whatever that meant. He tried to distract himself from her. Tried to replace her with studies and things.

What if he couldn't replace her?

"Oh my God..." Rouge's eyes welled with tears and Sonic smirked.

"Tears of joy?" He asked. He bought the cake. Perhaps he felt too good about his choice. It was only strawberry short cake. It was his favorite flavor. Maybe it was just happy because he wanted a slice. He secretly hoped no one would have any.

"No. I'm old!" She sobbed. Tears rolled down her face and everyone just sighed. "I'm going to have to get Botox before I know it!"

"Rouge, you're beautiful." Amy handed her a napkin and the white haired woman cried more tears. They wondered if she actually resented them for celebrating. Silver turned to Blaze hoping to find a way out of the awkward situation. Everyone else stared in stupor. Except Amy.

She noticed him standing there. Shadow stared out the window with a look of sadness. Her heart hurt for him. A bit.

Why they decided to have the party at his place, she didn't know at first. She remembered that he did live in a nice place, though she had never been there. With their arrival, she understood. She understood all too well.

It was a woman's place. He lived with a woman.

"Shadow?" Amy called. He looked at her and she could see how glossy his eyes were.

"Yeah?"

"Are you-okay? You look like something is bothering you." She was only trying to be a good friend. Any friend of Sonic was a friend of hers. They never really spoke, or had much to say to each other really. He'd appear and Sonic and he would vanish. Do whatever boys do, or so she thought.

"Yeah...no, I'm good. Why do you ask?"

"You just look like, stressed out."

"I am. A little. Uhm – the LSAT and just a lot of studies. It's time consuming and intense."

"Right. I understand. Sonic has been talking about taking the police exam. He's still thinking about it."

"Yeah, he was telling me. I think it'd be good for him. He's just the right man to be in blue."

"Yeah." They shared an awkward laugh and Shadow caught himself smiling. For the first in a long time he smiled. "You have a really nice place."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. I was shocked to find out you lived in this neighborhood. Everyone who lives here is so grown up." Amy looked out the window at the city skyline. Station Square West was grown up, from the residents, to the old buildings and 100 story condos.

"Yeah. It's not really my place. It's my ex's." Amy turned and looked at him. He gazed out the window staring at the night sky. His crimson colored eyes, jaded.

"Oh…what happened?"

"She went back to her husband." A silence more awkward than the laughter followed. Amy looked away, feeling her face burn with embarrassment. Shadow saw that he made her uncomfortable and touched her shoulder. "It's fine. I'm learning to cope with it."

"I had no right asking-"

"I told you because I wanted to."

"Why?" The two didn't make eye contact. Amy covered her face and Shadow stared out the window.

"I guess I had to, to let her go."

Amy turned around and looked at Shadow once more. This time he seemed different. Lighter. He smiled and she smiled back. "We should lighten the mood. It's a birthday party after all." She said to him. Grabbing his hand she walked him back to their friends. Soon after they had done shots. They played multiple drinking games and finally reached drunken truth or dare. Sonic, outside his sober mind laughed at Shadow.

He knew Maria left him.

"Tru-tru-truth or dare?" He asked Shadow, hardly able to enunciate his words.

They were friends.

"Truth." Shadow answered.

He knew everything

"Is it true you haven't gotten laid in almost six months?"

Why did he hurt his friend like that?

A collective 'ohh' went around the room. Silver sat next to Blaze holding his hands over his mouth. He was trying to hold it in. The nausea. The urge to –

"It's true." He said. He wasn't in his right mind, but he didn't care. Fuck Sonic. Fuck him. Fuck them all. "It's my turn now. My turn." Shadow stood up and Rouge and Tails clapped excitedly. They sat on the floor by the coffee table that Knuckles rested his head on. He scanned the room looking at each of them.

No one, none of them were his friends. Rouge and he were close for a long time. She didn't count. He introduced her to them. He watched she and Knuckles as they fell in and out of love. He envied her. He envied that despite each other's flaws, they always wanted each other.

Sonic was his friend. Or was he? They were roommates and then classmates, then roommates again. Until he moved in with Amy. They were serious and he just packed up and left. How could he call him his friend and try to humiliate him like he just did. How could he?

Everyone else became his associates because they were friends of his "friend". And then there was Amy.

He only spoke to Amy few times. He saw her when he hung out with Sonic at band practices. He always found her simple. He only knew her as Sonic's girlfriend. And knowing Sonic the way guys know their friends, he offered her kind words. He tried to be a good friend. Good to his friend's girlfriend, good to his friend. His friend.

"Amy." Shadow looked at her. She sat next to Sonic and looked surprised to hear her name.

"Ye-yes?" She responded. Her bottom lip trembled. Her lips were so pink, so pouted and full.

"Truth or dare?"

Shadow hoped she'd say it. He hoped she'd say it with those pink trembling lips.

"Dare." Sonic's eyes were wide. Why did she say it? Why did she say dare?

"I dare you to kiss anyone in this room." He'd hurt his friend. He'd hurt Sonic for hurting him.

Amy arose. Sonic grabbed her hand and she slowly removed it. She looked back at him with a smile on her face. "It's only truth or dare, right?" Sonic felt his heart stop. How could Shadow do it? He knew how Sonic felt about Amy. How despite his courage, good heart and loyalty he was possessive, jealous – and insecure.

Amy grabbed a beer off the coffee table. She chugged it, trails of the beverage running down the side of her mouth, on her shirt. She wiped the excess off her mouth and stepped to Shadow. With determined and ambitious eyes she looked at him. Shadow felt his heart race. He didn't expect her to choose him. That wasn't the idea –

She kissed him. She crushed her beer tainted lips on his and kissed him. Sonic jumped out of his seat, his face red with rage. Rouge gasped and covered her mouth. Tails and Knuckles immediately got up to grab Sonic and Silver couldn't hold it in anymore.

He threw up on the floor.