A Rose And A Thorn

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A Rose And A Thorn

Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651

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Harley: Ain't that a bitch? I lost an entire chapter. Which means I lost whatever intro I had here before. But since that was just a comment on some moron Flamer, I'll forget about it.

Froggy: It's a sobfest this time!

Harley: RAW has been very studious, reviewing almost every chapter. And since I lost Antwerp's review in that glitchy thing, I'll answer some of his questions instead. Yes, Sonic and Shadow are going to come to blows. They always do. No, I'm afraid they're not going to be Super, because you need the Chaos Emeralds for that, and they smash up enough stuff without using those things.

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Chapter Eleven: Good Advice, Bad Timing

As Amy folded up her uniform neatly, she glanced over at Shadow, who was leaning on a wall, "So how did you get sidetracked in Night Babylon?" she asked him.

Amy would want to know, and Shadow had no problem telling her, "I saw Cream being attacked by a pair of thugs who had dragged her into an alley. Luckily enough, I was in the area at the time and stopped them before they went any farther than that."

Amy looked horrified, "Oh, my... is Cream okay? Did you tell her mother?"

"She will be alright, and yes, I told her mother. She wanted me to stay, but I had to get back here to work. I told her I would return later."

"I think I should go over too, to see if Cream's okay," Amy said, "Work's over, we can head over now."

Shadow nodded quietly and walked over to Amy, taking her hand, "I agree. It would help Cream to see you."

Amy nodded and called into the back, "Miss Flora? Could you finish locking up? I really have to check on a friend of mine..."

"Certainly, Amy," Miss Flora's voice came back.

"Come on, Shadow, let's go," Amy tugged him out the door.

Shadow and Amy walked out together. After a long day of work, he figured she would rather travel at a slower pace, so he didn't pick her up and take off running like usual. He just walked next to her, enjoying her presence.

Amy seemed very worried, "I don't like Night Babylon, and this has given me no reason to like it more. It's far too dangerous, there should be more police there. The only police force they have are the rented Guard-Robos, and they can't tell bread from butter," she said scornfully.

Shadow chuckled darkly at her rather accurate assessment of the Guard-Robos. They were pretty much useless, "They need something better than that."

"I'm glad you were there to help her," Amy told him, "I've heard that people walk right by the muggings in those alleys because they're scared of interfering - it makes me sick."

"Me too. But I'm not afraid of those gutless punks," he said. Quiet for a moment, he continued, "Maybe I should go by there more often."

Amy looked sideways at him, "You're not thinking of turning... vigilante hero are you?" she asked him, a small smile on her lips.

Shadow smirked. "Well, the idea had crossed my mind..."

"Well, the only reason I've got my job is because you're working as a delivery boy," Amy pointed out, "It's tough enough to juggle two jobs at once, let alone one job and an all-consuming hobby."

She had a point. Carrying out a job and being a vigilante could be difficult, "I see your point. But I may be able to pull it off. If I take the Chaos Emerald with me..."

Amy frowned slightly, "But then what time would you have for me?"

Shadow frowned. Amy came first, there was no doubt of that, and he had made a promise to Miss Flora after all. He took his promises seriously, "I guess being a hero will have to wait, then."

"Hey," Amy nuzzled his cheek, "You're always my hero."

Shadow smiled and nuzzled back. She always knew the right thing to say to him. Before long, they were nearing Lady Vanilla's home.

Amy rang on the doorbell, and the maid answered, "Oh, hello Amy," she smiled, "I expect you're here to see Cream? She's a little upset at the moment..."

"I know," Amy said, "Shadow told me."

"I see," the maid turned to Shadow, "And Mister Lifeform, Lady Vanilla would like to speak with you."

Shadow bowed slightly towards the maid, "I would be honoured."

They entered the large house. The floors were bare wood, but polished to show that they could have afforded carpet if they'd wanted it. There were lots of works of art on the wall and on shelves - Lady Vanilla was a patron of the arts. Amy went straight upstairs to Cream’s bedroom. Shadow was led into a room containing chairs, a table, and Lady Vanilla drinking iced tea in a china teacup so fine you could read a book through it. She looked worried, "You may go," she told the maid, and nodded at Shadow, "Tea?"

"Yes, please. Thank you," Shadow said. He remained standing, unsure of what to do.

"Oh, please, sit," Lady Vanilla gestured to a chair, "Shadow, all that is said in this room is between you and me. I asked Cream what happened. If you want it in grown-up language, she told me that she was sexually molested. Is that true?"

Shadow took the seat as requested, facing her. He looked at the tea he had been given but didn't reach of it yet. Looking into Vanilla's eyes, he said, "Yes, that is true."

Lady Vanilla sipped at her tea, "And then you saved her, and killed her attackers."

Shadow picked up the teacup and sipped from it, gathering his thoughts, "Yes, I did."

"I am grateful, Mister Shadow," Vanilla sipped her tea, "However, dead bodies do not simply disappear. You're also wanted by the police for questioning over the attempted rape of Miss Rouge."

Shadow snorted in disgust, and he had to make a conscious effort to get from squeezing the cup too tightly. Lady Vanilla probably wouldn’t be too happy if he broke it, "I know. She's angry with me for leaving her and is trying to get back at me. It's a lie, nothing more."

Lady Vanilla wrinkled her small nose, "That ill-mannered whore... I don't believe her story for a minute. But money does more than buy expensive paintings and sculptures."

Shadow raised an eyebrow upon hearing her comment about money, "What are you suggesting, Lady Vanilla?"

"I mean that I have my own contacts," she sniffed, "You have saved my little girl’s life. I can see to it that the police do not bother you any longer - although I have no connections to the military. And my connections will get you some good press. It is, in short, my way of thanking you."

Shadow sat back and considered this. Having the police off his back would make things much easier, and having some good press about him would help to persuade people to ignore Rouge's lies. All in all, it would help enormously.

"Thank you. I deeply appreciate the gesture. I couldn't stand by the let that happen to your daughter... I only wish I could do more of such actions. Unfortunately, I have an agreement with a local florist shop that prevents me from doing so, and I can't spend any more time away from Amy..."

"Hmmm... so the rumours are true?" Lady Vanilla smiled, "You and Miss Amy... I never would have thought such a thing possible."

Shadow smiled back, "I have come to learn that life always finds a way to take you by surprise."

"Indeed, indeed," Lady Vanilla smiled, "Shadow, those attempted rapists you killed already had several counts of sexual harassment and stalking on their record, and had also been tried for, though never convicted of rape. You'll be a hero by tomorrow afternoon."

Shadow nodded and looked down at the table. He had never asked to be a hero, but it seemed that he had stumbled into the position, "The law should have dealt with them long ago. Because of its inaction, Cream could have been raped and killed. So could Amy..." His face hardened and he looked back up at Vanilla, "I can do something about it, though. If you were to compensate Miss Flora for the damages done to her shop, I would be free to clean up Night Babylon and other places in the city." Maybe this was what Maria wanted of him... He had the power to change things, to make them better

Lady Vanilla finished her tea and placed the cup back on the saucer, "The compensation of Miss Flora... it is not something I offered, but I see no reason why not..."

"Thank you, Lady Vanilla," Shadow said gratefully. With that responsibility taken care of, he would be free to keep other such rapes and muggings from happening... and he would still have time to spend with Amy.

She glanced up, "But I would like you to remember that you are not untouchable, Shadow. You will inevitably make enemies... and your loved ones may suffer as a result. Have you considered Amy's well-being in all of this?" she asked him.

Shadow froze. Someone going after Amy to get at him was not something he would have thought of. A blind spot... He was only thinking of direct confrontations, not underhanded moves like that, "No, I hadn't..." he said quietly, tensely.

"And the press are a fickle bunch," Lady Vanilla warned him, "They will hound you and your loved ones like dogs. The slightest slip-up and your heroism will be yesterday’s news. You will be a cheat, a drunk, a gambler - whatever they choose to make you. It will put further stress on your private life. And love is not so strong as you think. The press destroyed my own marriage - once they accused me of having an affair, my husband and I could no longer trust each other. We divorced some months later. I sued of course... but all the money in the world could not heal our marriage. Have you considered them in this either?" she asked him.

Shadow never had worried about public opinion before. He was the Ultimate Lifeform; he didn't need to worry about other people. But as Vanilla told him of the dangers, he could see how Amy had changed everything. She had given him strength, gave him something to live for... but in doing so, she had also become his weakness. Suddenly, he was much more vulnerable, and that scared him, "No... This is more complicated than I thought."

Lady Vanilla stared out of the window absentmindedly, "I do believe that Doctor Robotnik has held Amy hostage to lure Sonic to him... and only recently Cream's chao Cheese was put in danger. Cream vanished for three whole days. If you take the law into your own hands, you will find that the only ones who suffer are you and those you care for."

"I... I can't do that," he said finally, "I can't endanger Amy like that." He seemed to sink into the chair.

"There will always be more villains to fight, more heroic antics to enact," Lady Vanilla said gently, "Heroes are never-ending and replaceable. But most of all, they are alone."

" I don't want to be alone again," Shadow said quietly, wrapping his arms around himself, "No... it's not worth it. Thank you for your advice, Lady Vanilla."

Lady Vanilla smiled again, "I'll deal with the police, that will make life rather easier for both of you. As for the press... well, a little good publicity will do you good. There will doubtless be some drunken supermodel or rowdy pop-star to remove their attention from you in a couple of days, if not sooner."

Shadow smiled and got to his feet, "Indeed. It has been a pleasure speaking with you, and I hope we can do it again sometime."

"Yes, Shadow," Lady Vanilla nodded and sat down, "Yours and Amy's teenage spontaneity is a fine thing, but it is no match for my life experience. You may talk to Amy about our discussion, or you may keep it under your hat, as you wish."

"I value your experience and will take it to heart," Shadow said with a bow. Turning, he walked towards the door, looking around for Amy. She was probably upstairs with Cream. He could wait for her... but then again, Cream might want to see him. He went upstairs towards her room.

Amy was in Cream's bedroom, talking with her. The young doe seemed much happier now - hopefully this unpleasant experience wouldn't harm her mentally.

"You're so lucky to have Shadow to look after you!" Cream was squealing as Shadow approached her door.

"Yes, I am, aren't I?" Amy replied, just as he entered.

Shadow smiled as he entered the room, "Talking about me, I see."

Amy blushed, and Cream nodded, "Amy says she's really proud of you, Shadow!" the rabbit smiled, "You're really nice!"

Shadow had never dreamed anyone would ever describe him as ‘nice’. It was amazing how things could change in a short amount of time, "Thank you," he said, "I do my best."

"Mom says that's all anybody can do!" Cream looked happy, "What did you talk about? Oh, sorry, it's not really my business..."

"It's alright. I have nothing to hide," he replied, "We talked about your rescue. Apparently I'm going to be in the papers soon for it... her way of thanking me."

"Mom has lots of friends in the papers," Cream said happily.

Amy looked a little worried, "Shadow, have you... thought about this?"

Shadow nodded, "I have, and it seems like it will help both of us. Yes, there are some risks involved... but I think they are worth taking. Vanilla helped straighten out my priorities..."

"And those are..." Amy asked him

Shadow smirked and crossed his arms over his chest, looking into her eyes, "You, of course."

Amy relaxed considerably, smiling. She turned back to Cream, "Feeling better now?"

"Yes, Amy," Cream smiled.

"Well... I've got to go now. With Shadow. But you can still come visit me, any time you like," Amy told her.

"What if I see you two... cuddling again?" Cream covered her eyes.

Shadow chuckled, "Just knock before you enter."

Amy blushed a little, remembering Knuckles' entrance. He'd knocked plenty... "Bye, Cream," she told the rabbit, "See you soon!" She took Shadow's hand, and they left the Vanilla household together.

Shadow looked to the horizon, seeing the sun set. It was getting late. Smirking, he looked over at Amy, "Should we take the slow or the fast way home?"

Amy nuzzled his chest, "Slow... I need to think. You don’t need to run to give me a thrill. I get enough of a thrill out of kissing you.”

~~~

As they came to a stop in front of their home, Shadow did just that, kissing her gently. It had been a long day, and he was glad to be with her alone again.

Amy glanced at her door. It had been fixed since Knuckles had battered it down a couple of nights ago. Maybe paying for a busted up door would help him to control his temper a little - but she doubted it. She opened the door and walked in. Her face became worried again though, as if she wanted to say something to Shadow. Finally she spoke.

"Shadow... Cream told me you killed the two men who attacked her," she said quietly.

Shadow didn't pause as he took off his shoes. Without looking up, he replied, "Yes, I did."

Amy chewed on her lip, looking worried, "Shadow... killing people is... wrong," she told him, "Whether those men deserved it or not - I don't want you to be a murderer."

Shadow bit back a remark about it being too late for that. Instead, he looked up at her and said, "I killed them in the process of stopping a far worse crime."

"But..." Amy looked really worried now, "But you didn't need to... Cream told me that those men begged for their lives before they died..."

Shadow's jaw tightened. In the back of his mind, he’d known this was going to be a problem, he’d just chosen to ignore it, "Yes, I could have let them go. But I didn't want to. I imagined you there in the same position as Cream, I imagined those filthy animals touching you, and I... I just lost control."

Amy began to wring her hands, "But it's still not right... and in front of Cream, too!"

Shadow closed his eyes and faced the floor. He knew what had broken free in that alleyway, the dark side within him that was once willing to destroy everything in the name of vengeance. He wanted to hide it away from Amy, to spare her it, but it seemed like he had failed to do so, "I know it was wrong. I'm sorry that I did that in front of Cream, and I'm sorry that you had to hear about it..." He looked up and opened his eyes, "But I'm not sorry that I killed them."

Amy looked uncomfortable, "I see," she said quietly, sitting on the couch, "So... you liked losing control?"

Shadow paced across the living room, a distant look in his eyes. He didn't want to hide anything from her. He wanted to be honest, to share with her what he really thought. She deserved it, "Yes. I enjoyed losing control. I enjoyed watching them beg. And I enjoyed ending their lives. If they would be so cruel as to take a child's innocence for a cheap thrill, they forfeit their right to live. Were the police to get a hold of them, chances were they would be released in a few years to continue raping children. If ending their wretched lives could have saved ten other such children like Cream, then so be it. I don't feel at all sorry for them."

"Neither do I," Amy admitted, "But... oh... I just thought you'd changed..."

Those words made Shadow freeze. Amy looked at her feet, unhappy. He realised that her smiles had all been faked to make sure that Cream felt fine - right now she was plagued with worry. He frowned, taking a seat next to her, "You don't like what I have done..." he said quietly.

"No," Amy admitted, finally, “It… scares me.”

"I would never hurt you, Amy," he said, trying to reassure her. He hesitantly placed one hand on her shoulder, “I would never, ever-“

Amy didn't move, "What if you lost control again?" she asked quietly.

Shadow closed his eyes, "If you do not want me to do that again. All you have to do is say so, and I will not."

Amy still didn't move. What she wanted to say was that he couldn't control when he lost self-control, that he frightened her now, that he enjoyed losing control, didn’t he, that she doubted his words... and she couldn't say any of it.

Shadow's calm voice broke, his emotional pain and fear suddenly revealed, "Please, talk to me, Amy. Tell me what you are feeling. Tell me what you want me to do..."

"I want... I want..." Amy stammered over the words. She looked so fragile, as if she was about to fall apart. She felt like her heart had just snapped in two. Rouge had been right, even if she hadn’t thought she would be... Shadow had hurt her, "I want you to leave..."

The hand Shadow had placed on her shoulder shook gently. Shadow tried to say something, but no sound would come out. His blood felt like it had turned to ice, and it seemed like he was no longer a participator in this conversation, only a spectator watching from outside.

Everything had been going so right. He and Amy had been happy together. He had found what he was looking for. He was a hero to her and others. Where had he gone wrong? He slowly drew his shaking hand away from her shoulder. Words finally came out, quiet, choking, full of pain, "...As you wish."

Amy stifled a choking sob as his warm hand left her. She felt her legs begin to shake.

Shadow stood up and walked towards the door, picking up his shoes as he did so. Everything felt unreal. He was empty inside again, his whole world crashing down around him. As his hand wrapped around the door handle, he whispered, "I love you." It was so quiet, he wasn't sure that she heard him. Even if she hadn’t, it hurt too much to say again. He opened the door and stepped outside mechanically.

Even as the door closed, Amy felt as if her heart had been torn out of her body. She raced into her bedroom, flung herself onto the bed with a misery-laden wail, and began to sob.

Everything hurt. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to think, it hurt to know that once again her heart had lead her in a cruel dance, it hurt to know that she still loved Shadow so much, it hurt to know that she would die for him, it hurt to know that he scared her.

She lay there crying, and even though Shadow had only been gone for a few moments, she had never felt more alone in all of her life.

She lay there weeping a long time before she fell asleep.

~~~

Shadow emotionlessly put on his shoes and walked away from Amy’s apartment. The walk turned into a jog. The jog turned into a run. Soon he was practically flying through the streets, faster and faster and faster, pushing himself to his very limits, and trying to outrun the one thing that he could never escape, no matter how fast he ran - his loneliness.

The world around him became a blur, the pavement underneath him all but melting in his wake. A pain-filled growl escaped his chest, and became an inhuman scream. People scattered in fear as he rocketed past them, faster and faster. He left Central City behind him in his attempt to run from yet another painful memory. Finally exhausted by self-hatred, despair and self-pity, he stopped trying, letting the raw misery of the situation wash over him. He collapsed to his knees and looked up at the night sky.

"What more do you want from me?!" he screamed at the stars. They had no answer. He must have knelt there for hours, waiting for an answer that he could never have, before he slumped forward, and resting his forehead against the pavement, began to sob bitterly.

~~~

Harley: Yes indeed. Sobfest. I hope some of you are crying. If your review vanished, feel free to review again. Because-

Froggy: We love you! What did I say last time? Oh, yeah... Will Shadow and Amy make up? Will Amy do a bit of impromptu self-harm? Will Shadow rape Amy for dumping him?

Harley: Will anybody notice that the summary now includes the warning 'Preg'? Come on people, replace your reviews!