ARAAT2: Eclipse - Part 2

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A Rose And A Thorn 2: Eclipse

Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651

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Harley: More reasons as to why this is an NC-17 fanfic in this chapter. Are you squeamish? If so, I’m surprised you got this far, but it’s not over yet.

Froggy: Where have all our regular reviewers gone? BZLF is the only one! Now… At The End Of The Tunnel is a scrapped project. Work on it has ceased, and I've archived all work on it for future reference. But don't worry, It's for a good cause. It is to be replaced by something much more impressive...

Harley: Something we can sell!

Froggy: Quiet, you.

Harley: Now, where were we? Oh, yes. Continue with the ShadAmyness! Don’t you just love those parts? All squelchy and romantical and stuff…

~~~

Chapter Twelve: Drugged Love

Shadow slowly opened his eyes. He hurt all over. He had for several days. But now... now, it wasn't quite as bad. He was being given a chance to heal. The room was cool and white, just like the lab...

The lab! He couldn't go back there! The black and red hedgehog quickly sat up, and screamed as the pain kicked back in. Strange how there were no restraints. He lay down again, narrowed his eyes and looked around curiously. What was going on?

A doctor in a white coat stepped into the room, "Oh, good morning, Mister... Lifeform?" he hazarded.

Shadow clenched and unclenched his fists. He couldn't be in a lab. No scientist would be so stupid as to approach him without restraints. Or this might just be a nightmare. Maybe he was back at the lab, and Amy was dead, and he was a prisoner forever… he didn’t know what was real any more, "That would be me."

"Okay, Mister Lifeform, I'm just going to give you something to help ease the pain," the doctor produced a hypodermic needle.

"No, you're not," Shadow said, an angry warning in his deep voice. He’d had enough of needles to last him two or more lifetimes.

"Mister Lifeform, please relax," the doctor told him, "You're not well; you were unconcious when Miss Blossom brought you in here to be treated by us."

"I said, you are not sticking me with that needle. Try to, and I'll stick it in your head," he growled.

The doctor approached him, "Mister Lifeform, we're trying to help you," the doctor took Shadow's arm, needle at the ready.

In a flash, Shadow's other arm lashed out and grasped the doctor's wrist, politely but agonisingly bending it and the needle towards the doctor's neck. He didn’t care how much this hurt him, he just wanted to hurt the doctor, "I don't make idle threats," he growled quietly, "So forget about the goddamn needle! Let me go right-"

"Shadow!" Amy's voice cried out. He turned. Amy was standing in the doorway, holding Eclipse in her arms, "Stop that! I took you to a hospital! These people are doctors! They're trying to help you!"

Shadow hesitated for a moment. He could trust Amy, right? She wouldn't let him come to harm; she risked her life to save his. Reluctantly, he let go of the doctor's arm, lying down.

Amy stepped forward, and sat on the bed, next to Shadow, "You're safe now," she told him, "Do you understand? You're safe here," she put her arms around Shadow gently, "You're safe," she repeated.

"I... I understand," he replied quietly, lying back in bed, "Thank you..."

The doctor pushed the needle into Shadow's arm and he found that some of the pain really did leave his body. At least it didn't hurt to breathe any more.

Amy sat just behind him, lying his head in her lap and stroking his ear with her thumb, "You’re safe now, Shadow," she said quietly, "So tell me, how much do you remember?"

"I... I know that we've met before..." he said, relaxing against her, enjoying her stroking, "I know that you mean something important to me... but I don't remember why..."

Amy felt like she wanted to cry. She continued to stroke Shadow. She refused to tell him how he should feel about her, but she knew how she felt about him, "Maybe it's because I love you, Shadow. You know that, right? You mean everything to me," she told him, her fingers trailing through his quills gently, "You and Eclipse. He's… our son."

Shadow was silent for a moment, just feeling Amy’s gentle touch. No one had ever told him that... or had they? His faulty memory was maddening. Finally, he said softly, "I believe you."

Amy nodded, "As for how you feel about me... if you can't remember, you'll have to find out again. I can't tell you that." Amy could feel tears running down her face. If he didn't remember how he had felt... when he found out again, he might feel differently. He might not love her the way he once had. She wasn't sure she could live with that.

Shadow moved closer to Amy, "...Do you know where it is? There was something the soldiers took from me... Something I was supposed to give to someone. It was small... metallic..."

Amy thought about the ring. It was still in her pocket, "Yes... I know where it is," she admitted.

"Please... is it close? Can you give it to me?" There was a hint of desperation in his voice. Somehow, he knew that the object was important for some reason. He needed it.

Amy took a deep breath, "Is this it?" she took the ring out of her pocket, and put it in his hand.

Shadow closed his hand around the ring. He rolled it through his fingers, felt it, looked all over it slowly. It was very important to him, he knew it. But why? Why... Suddenly he gasped, a rush of memories coming back, "Amy..."

Amy looked up, "Shadow?" she asked, hope trembling in her voice, her heartbeat speeding up. Her fingers touched his quills again.

"I..." He clutched the ring tighter, afraid that if he loosened his grip on it, his memories would vanish with it, "I remember you..."

A hopeful smile spread across Amy's face, Please, please let him remember, she begged mentally, "I love you," she told him, "I love you more than anything else alive - except perhaps Eclipse. Do you remember how you feel about me?"

Tears formed in Shadow’s eyes and quietly rolled down his cheeks as he buried his face in her belly, dampening her fur, "Yes, I remember... I remember how much I love you… I love you more than power… more than sunlight… more than breathing… oh gods, I'm so ashamed... how could anything make me forget that?"

"You went through such a lot," Amy told him, stroking his chest fur gently, "And I could never be ashamed of loving you... so you needn't be ashamed either."

Shadow smiled gently up at her, tears still rolling down his face. Tears of shame, of relief, of happiness, "I was so afraid I'd never see you again…"

"And I was afraid I might not find you in time," Amy bent over a little and kissed him gently.

Shadow reached up and cupped her face in his hands, kissing her back, warmth filling his body. It didn't matter that he had been tortured for days; his wounds were forgotten. As it always was with her, a few words from her lips could make his whole world better. Slowly ending the kiss, he looked into her emerald eyes, "Help me up," he whispered.

"Are you sure you want to stand?" Amy asked him, "It could - no, strike that, it will be painful. You won't be fully healed physically for a while yet."

"I don't care," he said with a shake of his head, "I can take the pain for the moment. There's something that I've been meaning to do that I have put off for far too long, and I have to do it properly."

"Well... okay..." Amy wrapped her arms around Shadow's waist, helping him to sit up, then she supported him as he climbed out of the bed, "Okay." she said, still supporting him.

Shadow winced as he got to his feet. She was right; it did hurt. But it hurt him far more to put off this task any longer. Fingering the ring, there was no more nervousness, no more hesitation. There was only certainty. This was what he wanted. He was ready, "I started this the day we walked the beach, but Eclipse interrupted us. Now I will finish it. Amy... I love you. You have brought me back from the brink, physically and mentally, and you have taught me that it's alright to live my own life. For that, I am eternally grateful. I am at my happiest when I am with you, and I want that to last for my whole life. And so, I ask you this," Slowly, painfully, Shadow lowered himself to one knee, not letting his suffering show on his face. Looking up into the face of the one he loved, he offered her the diamond ring, "Amy Rose, will you marry me?"

Amy's eyes were shining even brighter than the diamond. She'd wanted this... oh she'd wanted this so much... and she'd known, as soon as she'd seen the ring, that it was meant for her... for this… and now the time to answer the question was here.

She took a deep breath, "Shadow... you aren't just my hero... you are the father of my child... you had faith in me even when I had none in myself... I will spend my life with you... because without you, it's barely a life at all." Amy reached out her hand towards Shadow.

Shadow sighed deeply, feeling an enormous weight lifted from his chest. She said yes. She said yes! Warmth flooded his body, a peaceful feeling of completion. Everything was going to be alright. Shadow and Amy would face life together, and it was right that it should be that way. He reached up and taking her left hand, slipped the ring on her ring finger. As Tails had promised, it was a perfect fit.

Proposal in a hospital recovery room. There were less likely places, but what did it matter as long as it was done? Amy dropped to her knees and kissed Shadow lovingly. She wasn't sure that she ever dared to let go of him.

Shadow wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back with equal love and passion. He felt fulfilled. He didn't need to know his past when his present and future were so perfect. He would always be by her side, exactly where he wanted to be.

Amy was the one to break the kiss. She helped Shadow to his feet, and back into his bed. She couldn't stop smiling. She kissed him again, gently, "This is a new happiest day of my life," she told him, "Ever since our first night together, I've wanted to hold you forever and never let go. And now I can," she sat behind him slightly, stroking his quills, "I love you," she told him, "And I will love you forever."

Shadow smiled and reached up to caress her cheek, "I love you too, and I always will."

Amy picked up Eclipse gently, "What about our baby?" she asked him, suddenly a little nervous. Shadow did remember Eclipse, didn't he?

Shadow gently patted their son on the head. "I never forgot him. I couldn't. He was always there on the edge of my senses."

"I... I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to stop GUN," Amy told Shadow, "When I was searching for Eclipse, I found out that their plans didn't just involve brainwashing him, they wanted to drive you insane and turn you into a weapon again..."

The black hedgehog shuddered. If he had been in that facility any longer, GUN might have succeeded. He didn't want to admit just how close to madness he had come. The images were still fresh in his mind... but that again made him wonder what was real and what was not. He would have to find out... for the sake of his family, "They will not do that again."

"I hope..." Amy hesitated, "I hope Sonic's okay. He wanted to be the hero, and if you and Eclipse were going to get away, I had to let him."

Shadow looked away, thinking hard about the blue hedgehog's sacrifice, "He has made some terrible mistakes in the past, but he's still good inside."

Amy stroked Shadow's quills, "I'm sorry... I shouldn't be making you worry about something you can't do anything about. You should rest, Shadow. I'll be right here," she promised him.

Shadow smiled again, nuzzling into her touch. "I know you will be. You always are there for me. I will get my rest... I certainly need it."

Amy smiled, stroking Shadow’s body until he fell asleep. Once she was quite certain he was resting peacefully, she put Eclipse in the cot she’d requested for the room, and got up from the bed to find a payphone and call Tails. She didn't hear Shadow whimper as she left the room. She found a payphone and using the rings in her purse, called Tails' number.

Eventually, Tails picked up the phone, "Hello?" he asked.

"Tails," Amy sighed with relief, "Tails... Shadow's awake. And he... he remembered me. And then he proposed." She smiled, "And I said yes!"

There was no way of telling Tails' full reaction over the phone. There was a moment of silence as the fox digested this new information, "Oh... oh! That's... that's great news, Amy. I'm happy for you!" He really was surprised and happy for her.

"Oh yeah... heard anything from Sonic?" Amy asked. It was hard to think about anything other than Shadow, but she could do it with some effort.

"...No, I haven't... I hope he's ok," Tails replied quietly. He was hurt by his friend's absence and deeply worried about his well-being.

"Damn..." Amy muttered. She wasn't sure what to do, "Do you think... he's been captured?" she asked him. Images of Shadow strapped to the lab table floated to the front of her mind, and she shuddered. Nobody deserved to be treated like that. Nobody.

"No!" Tails immediately insisted, "Not Sonic... he'll get away somehow. He always does..."

"Don't kid yourself, Tails," Amy told him, "Shadow didn't make it out of Prison Island either, and he had the element of surprise. I know you have faith in him... but too much of it could see him in the same position as Shadow."

Tails didn't want to admit it, but Amy had a point, "If he doesn't show up soon, I'm going back for him."

"We waited three days for Shadow, and it nearly killed him, Tails. I can't leave Shadow, but you have to take someone with you. Promise me you'll take someone with you."

"Knuckles never seems to have much to do. I bet I could convince him to come," Tails assured her.

"Ha! Knuckles wouldn't help save Sonic's life if his life depended on it!" Amy shook her head, "Try Espio. You can actually reason with him."

"Alright, I guess I could ask him and the other Chaotix, if they aren't on a case... And well... you think Rouge would help, too?"

"I don't know," Amy sighed, "But you can ask. Since she and Sonic split up though, I'm not sure she'll do it for free any more... Oh, and while you're in there..." Amy took a breath, "They downloaded Shadow's memory somehow. Could you get it back?"

"I will try," Tails said firmly, "GUN won't get away with what they've done."

Amy sighed in relief, "Don't put it off, Tails," she told him, "I hate to say it... but I'm worried about Sonic. He's not the perfect hero - even if there is such a thing," she added.

"...He's sorry for what he's done, Amy. I know it. I see it whenever he talks to me. It's like he's dying from the inside out."

Amy nodded, though Tails couldn't see it over the phone, "I'll see you around, Tails," she told him, "Good luck. And come visit Shadow some time, I think it would do him good to see you," she added.

"I will," Tails said, "Good luck to you, too. See you later."

~~~

Shadow slowly opened his eyes to the white room, facing the ceiling. He was once more back in a world of pain, his whole body aching and cramped. The GUN scientists were merciless, emotionless, going about their job without any regard to his comfort.

"Professor, your new assistant is here," said one of the nameless, faceless scientists.

"Show her in."

Another vague face in a white lab coat stepped forward. As Shadow focused on the scientist, her features rearranging into someone he recognised... his fiancé, Amy Rose Blossom.

Shadow's eyes widened, not believing what they were seeing. It couldn't be Amy… she couldn’t be here, she couldn’t be one of them... "Amy?!"

"The one and only," her voice rang out, and she smiled. But her voice was icy cold, and her smile was cruel.

"...What are you doing here?" the black hedgehog asked, shock and disbelief evident in his voice.

"What a silly question," Amy took a scalpel from the Professor and turned back to Shadow. She stroked his face mockingly, "I'm here to break your heart, just like you did mine..."

"What? What are you talking about?" Shadow's blood ran cold. Something felt very, very wrong. The pink hedgehog looked like Amy, sounded like her, but it couldn't be her... right?

"You think this isn't me? You think you're hallucinating again?" Amy smiled wickedly, and bent forward, kissing him. She pulled away, still smiling, "Now let’s finish this," she said coldly, and pushed the scalpel deep into his ribcage.

Shadow cried out in pain and fear as the scalpel cut deep into him. That was no hallucination... and she really was Amy. The way she kissed him, her taste and scent... it was her, "Why?!” he screamed, “Why are you doing this to me?!"

"Because you broke my heart... and now I'm going to break yours." The scalpel cut deeper into his chest, sawing open a slit. Shadow screamed again as he saw his skin and bone pushed aside, and Amy reached into his chest.

"No... NO! STOP! AHHHH!!!" Shadow screamed, feeling Amy slide her hand into his chest. He tried to yell that he did nothing to hurt her, to ask her why she was killing him, but he couldn't. A chill spread through him, then deepened, freezing him from within as his life fluids spilt onto the table beneath him, then dripped off it and pooled on the floor.

Amy's hand found what it was searching for, and with a sharp twist that brought a whole new meaning to the word 'pain', she tore his heart out of his chest. His last few memories were of watching his own heart slowly stop beating as it was dropped into a specimen jar...

~~~

Amy hung up on Tails, and sighed, looking at the ring on her finger. She smiled. Whatever happened next, it promised her a future with the hedgehog she loved. She headed back to his hospital room, but. she was only half-way there when she heard him screaming like a demon. She broke into a run, bursting into the room to see Shadow screaming in agony, twisting in the bed against restraints that weren't there, "Shadow!" she shouted, rushing over to him and shaking him.

Shadow eyes snapped open, wide with fear. In a flash of movement his hands shot out and shoved her back, “Get away from me!” he screamed.

Amy was pushed away so violently that she fell over, "Shadow!" she gasped, "What's wrong?"

Shadow shot upright, his eyes sweeping around the room. They showed the fear that was still coursing through his veins, his fur coated in a cold sweat. His hands clutched at the fur on his chest frantically. Realizing that he was still in the safety of the hospital, a deep sigh escaped him. The black hedgehog buried his face in his hands, his body shaking.

Amy stood up, "Shadow, what's wrong?" she asked again, approaching him carefully.

"J-just a nightmare... just a nightmare..." he whispered, drawing his knees up to his chest, still shaking.

Amy wrapped her arms around Shadow, "It was just a nightmare," she agreed, hugging him, "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, stroking his tousled quills.

Shadow flinched at her first touch, but relented, letting her hold him, "No... no..." he whispered. He wanted to forget that nightmare, not discuss it – and especially not with Amy.

"Okay, if you're sure," Amy held him close. It must have been bad; he was still shaking, "Shush, baby... it was just a nightmare," she said gently.

Shadow leaned against her, accepting her embrace, comforted by her touch. It was just a nightmare... she would never do something like that to him...

"There, you see?" Amy rocked him back and forth, stroking his quills, "Was it a nightmare about the lab?" she asked him, as his body stopped shaking.

Shadow nodded, "Yes, it was," he answered quietly, relaxing against her touch, "It was… horrible..."

I'll bet it was, Amy thought, "Well, you're safe now," she told him, "Whatever those people did to you... I will never let it happen again."

When she said it, he could believe it. Sighing, he softly nuzzled her. "Thank you, Amy..."

A doctor came into the room, "Mister Lifeform?" he said, "I'd like to talk with you for a few minutes."

Shadow nodded, "Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of me and my fiancé," he said proudly, not letting go of Amy.

"Well... ahem... we ran tests on the drugs we found in your bloodstream... The drugs that restricted your Chaos abilities will have withdrawal symptoms," the doctor looked as if he wanted to be somewhere else, "They are addictive, and we’re not sure how addictive."

Shadow sighed deeply. Wonderful. That was all he needed right now, to have to get over an addiction the GUN scientists gave him.

"So when your Chaos powers return, the withdrawal symptoms will also start kicking in, and... we don't know what those will be."

Amy hugged Shadow, "Don't worry, Shadow," she told him, "You'll be fine. I'll look after you."

Shadow smiled softly and hugged Amy back, "I know you will. I'll be alright. I can handle a little withdrawal. Nothing those scientists did to me is going to keep me down."

"When it comes on, you'll have to be closely monitored, Mister Lifeform," the doctor told him, "You may become a danger to yourself and others around you."

"I understand," the hedgehog replied, nodding towards the doctor. Whatever it took. He couldn't allow himself become a danger to Amy.

"If that's all... could you leave us now?" Amy asked the doctor. He nodded, and left the room. Amy held Shadow close, "It's gonna be just fine," she told him.

"I know," he whispered. With her close, how could anything not be fine? The shaking of his body finally stopped as he gently kissed her lips.

Amy continued to kiss him, stroking his chest fur gently. There was still a lot to go through, but they would go through it together, and in the end, wasn't that the most important thing?

~~~

Froggy: Is that the end?

Harley: Hell no. We’ve got Sonic to sort out and you know it! And I’m so amazing that I amaze myself. I need to prove that too. Plus we’ve got to make Shadow suffer some more.

Shadow: Haven’t you done enough to me?

Harley: Baby, when we’re through you won’t be able to close your eyes without screaming.