Three weeks. When Sonic had told her he'd be gone that long, Amy had been sad but thought she could handle it. Sonic needed to roam, stretch his legs, get some space, and see the world; Amy would be a supportive girlfriend and let him have his time. She'd find things to do, and be just fine without him. It was only three weeks!

That's what she'd told herself two weeks ago.

Now? Well, it felt like a decade since she'd seen last seen him. Every little breeze and ruffling of the trees got her hopes up, but every wind she'd encountered had been natural and not hedgehog-made. The other night it had rained, and she'd stayed up late, just listening to the sonic boom of the thunder, wishing it was him coming home to her. But alas, she'd gone to bed all alone, in a silent, cold house. She missed Sonic. She missed his green eyes – bright and happy and observant - , his smile – both his snarky grin and his soft glance – the way his arms wrapped her in comfort and warmth and protection, and the way those same arms clutched her close, letting her know he needed her just as much as she needed him.

Her heart was bursting, aching with pain. She missed him. She missed him dearly. Just knowing he was close, that she could call his name and he'd by her side in an instant no matter how far away was nice, and something she may have taken for granted. He'd been clear he'd be unreachable for three weeks though, more than likely on the other side of the planet, or in another dimension entirely. But wherever he was physically, he was still in her heart, making the organ long to be close to its other half. The pining hurt, physically, and nothing Amy tried to distract herself was working. Not even strawberry ice cream and romantic movies.

It was raining again, and she was home alone on a Friday night. She still had one more week to go before Sonic was due back. Cream had invited her over to bake cookies, but Amy had turned her down, not wanting to be with her friends right now. Maybe she was a glutton for punishment and just wanted to sit in the windowsill, watching the rain paint the windows, leaving small droplets behind. Her cheeks mirrored the window panes, holding tear drops as well. A crack of lightning laced overhead, followed by a near instantaneous roll of thunder. The girl hedgehog didn't even jump; the sound just made her frown as it reminded her of her love, and he was far apart from her… and she'd just have to wait another long, lonely week –

"Ames?"

His voice – now this sound made her jump. She spun around, her eyes wide in shock. She opened her mouth but no words left her lips. She blinked in quick succession, making sure she wasn't hallucinating his presence. Another roll of thunder echoed behind her, but she could only focus on the hedgehog in front of her, wearing a soft smile. She tried to speak his name, but her breath was further stolen as he made his way close to her, slower than normal, gently taking her head in his hands. His thumbs brushed her cheeks, drying them with care.

"Hey, didya miss me?"

Amy managed a weak nod, still captivated by Sonic. Her aching heart was just hurting more now that he was here, and as much as she wanted to raise her arms to hug him as close as she could, she was too emotional.

"Missed ya too…" he admitted, letting their foreheads touch. Their green eyes stared into each other, mesmerized.

Amy was still trying to take, say anything, but found that her lips were suddenly stolen, covered in sweetness. Sonic was kissing her, his lips eager but gentle. His hands combed through her quills and patted at her ears, but as calming as he was, her heart still ached from missing him. Amy could only sit still, her hands limp at her sides – but Sonic made up for her lack of movement by letting his hands fall down her back, pulling them closer on his own. He knew just what she wanted, what she needed – it was amazing to have him back, right here, so close…

Their lips broke but still remained close. The kiss had given Amy back some of her energy, and she managed to mutter.

"I'm so happy you're back… I thought you'd be gone another week…"

He chuckled, his hands linking behind her back. "That was the plan, but… I wanted to come home. Missed ya too much."

Pink blush spread across his muzzle, and Amy relished in seeing it. He was warm, so warm, and strong, and she never wanted to lose him or miss him again.

"Oh Sonic," she blurted out, and found the strength to raise her arms to wrap him in a hug. She squeezed him close, feeling his intense heartbeat crash against her own. Her chin rested on his shoulder, and though her eyes had been dried just a moment ago, she felt fresh tears begin to form. "Don't ever leave me again," she pouted, and half-teased.

"Don't think I will for a while," he promised, kissing the top of her head. "But ya know, uh, the real reason I came back early was, uh…"

Amy felt him swallow and more heat from his muzzle transferred to her shoulder. She released him slightly just to get a look at his handsome face, but he was hiding from her. His bashfulness, so unlike his usual self, made her smile.

"What is it, Sonic?"

"I got ya somethin'. And I couldn't wait to give it to you. So I had to come back. Had to see the look on your face when you got it."

She raised a brow at him. "So your impatience brought you back? I should have guessed."

His arms dropped from behind her back. "Hey, I can leave again if you want – "

"No!" Amy immediately shouted, pulling him close again, tightly clutching him close. "I'm not letting you leave. You're going to stay in my arms forever."

Sonic laughed. "Guess I'm trapped and gotta stay, darn. Uh, anyway, so the thing I got you…" He stopped, as if trying to find the right words.

He was so impatient to get to it, but succumbed to shyness everytime. Amy bit her lip, enjoying how adorable he was. She planted a kiss on his blush. "Well, you gonna give it to me or…?"

His gloved hand reached into his quills, then came back into sight as a fist. "Don't laugh, 'kay? Ah, whatever, just, here, take it…" he had to look away as he shyly opened his fist.

Amy gasped. In his palm sat a gorgeous rose quartz pendant, carved into the shape of a rose flower, and attached to a golden chain. Once again, she found herself speechless.

"I found it," Sonic spoke first, losing his bashfulness at seeing Amy's expression. "On the beach. It looked just like that, like a rose, naturally carved. I thought about you immediately and had to give it to ya. I had them put a chain on it so you could wear it. And ya know. Think about me. I mean, you do that anyway, but – "

"I love it…" Amy took it from his hand, admiring the gentle shimmer of the stone. To think that he'd found this in the wild, on one of his trips, and it reminded him of her so strongly that he immediately had to come home and give it to her… she pictured with sentimentality, Sonic finding the rose quartz crystal and racing home, thinking of her the whole time. It was absolutely romantic.

Sonic took it back from her and unclasped the chain. He spread it around her neck and then let clasped it shut. The pendent hung right below her collarbone, glimmering like it was meant to be there.

"Thank you, Sonic… It's beautiful," Amy smiled at her boyfriend.

He smiled back, happy to be home with his girl. "That's why it reminded me of you."