A/N: KagamiPINKAgreste has been going through a difficult time lately, so I wrote this to cheer her up and let her know how much she means to me. I would've had it in last week, but I was so busy with Christmas stuff. PINK, I hope you don't mind this being a week late.

It was a cold fall day in the Kingdom of Mobius, and Shadow the Hedgehog was spending it by running all the way to Emerald City. He didn't care how he got somewhere – running, driving, flying – he just did whatever he felt like doing at that moment. As he got within the vicinity of the city, his Hedgehog Sense started going off. This innate "sixth sense" allowed a hedgehog to detect danger or anything that would otherwise be of interest. In Shadow's case, it was alerting him to someone who was in need, and as he got closer, he could feel it coming from somewhere in the North Lake borough. Problem was, in a city as densely populated as Emerald City, Hedgehog Sense could get thrown off. Still, Shadow kept his head as clear as he possibly could as he headed there. Stronger and stronger the sensastion got, until it led him to the Warren Kingston Nature Preserve, and it was there that he got a real shock: curled up by a large maple tree, crying her eyes out was Amy Rose. Immediately, he rushed over to her:

"Amy, it's me, Shadow! What's wrong?" He knelt down next to her.

"It's terrible! My mom died last night!"

Shadow gasped and put his hands over his mouth. He'd actually met Petunia before and had heard some of the horror stories that Amy had told him about her. Even so, seeing his favorite girlfriend in this much pain because one of her parents died was too much for him. Nevertheless, he knew exactly what to do:

"Oh my…Amy…I'm so sorry!"

Shadow gave Amy a big hug, and she buried her face in his shoulder as she continued to bawl her eyes out. All this talk of a family member dying only served to remind the Ultimate Life Form of the premature death of his beloved Maria, and that combined with hearing Amy cry made him want to break down himself. In spite of how bad everything hurt right now, he did his best to keep his composure, to stay strong for her, to be her rock, the one she could lean on when she wasn't feeling so strong herself. In a way, though, keeping his composure helped him feel stronger, like he could get through this all right. While this wasn't his first time having to comfort Amy, Shadow still got a sense of satisfaction and pride from knowing that he could be there for her when she needed it most.

Similarly, Amy got a sense of satisfaction from having a guy like Shadow be there for her. Where others would've run from the sight of this dark, crimson-streaked hedgehog, she not only saw his red accents as a mark of handsomeness and passion, but she took them as a sign that this guy would go to great lengths to protect the ones he loved. She'd had several times where she considered herself lucky to have met Shadow, but this moment took the proverbial cake for her. Even if she was feeling sad and messed up knowing that her dear mother had died, she also felt happy that she had him to hug in her hour of need. Plus, being able to have him like this while crying made her feel all secure and snuggly. Finally, after letting out enough tears to fill every river in the world, Amy stopped crying, but she kept hugging Shadow, and he kept his grip on her as well. Eventually, she backed away from him, but kept her arms wrapped around him as she gazed deeply into his blood red eyes.

"Thank you, Shadow."

Shadow smiled. "You're welcome, Amy. I don't expect you to move on from this overnight, but I promise, I'll always be here if you need me."

"Awww!"

Amy hugged Shadow again, this time with a smile on her face. Sure, there were still tears in her eyes, but these were now tears of joy, knowing that she had a trusted and loved guy to console her in her deepest hour of need. Then, she felt Shadow scratch her in front of one of her ears, and she purred as a result.

"Shadow, that's so good!"

Amy continued to purr as she basked in Shadow's warm embrace. Granted, everything still hurt, but things hurt a lot less with what he was doing to her. All she could think about was their first meeting and how that initial moment of awkwardness had blossomed into something beautiful. While others would've fled from the Ultimate Life Form or treated him like a monster, she knew that deep down inside, he was a good boy who would do anything for the people he cared about. Again, she let go of him, and he followed suit.

"Here…"

Shadow handed Amy some tissues, which she blew her nose and dried her eyes with.

"Amy, can I get you a glass of warm milk?"

Amy gave Shadow a blank look. "Shadow, why would you want to give me warm milk? Isn't that what parents give to their children to help them sleep?"

Shadow rubbed the back of his head and averted his gaze. "Well, you see…whenever I cry, I always feel better after having a glass of warm milk."

Amy giggled. "That's cute, but thanks, I'm good!"

Shadow looked at Amy again. "Then at least allow me to do something else for you. Your feelings mean everything to me."

Amy smiled. "Well, why don't you take me out to eat? Crying my eyes out made me hungry."

Shadow smiled. "OK, then why don't we go to that French fry place you like? I'll pay for everything."

Amy put her hands on her cheeks. "OH MY DAMN CHERRY BLOSSOMS!* I'm gonna order fries until I puke!"

"Come on, my dear Rose."

Amy took Shadow's hand, and they headed on out. Even if she was still saddened and conflicted by her loss, at least Amy could rest a bit more easily knowing that she had a special somebody who would always comfort her when she needed it most.

*The phrase "OH MY DAMN CHERRY BLOSSOMS" is a registered trademark of KagamiPINKAgreste, used with permission.

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