Life of a Shadow III: Crimson Doves
-GamerGirl

Disclaimer: No own, no sue.

Author's Note: Finally decided to post the pulse-pounding, romantic conclusion to my ShadowAmy trilogy, for anyone that wanted to read it.

Completely uneditted from its orginal version, and without further ado, the final installment of my Life of a Shadow series, Crimson Doves!

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Chapter 1: Some Time Alone

As I walked through the dim, cold hallways of the space station, I silently stood my ground. Each step was taken with extreme caution. As I walked, killing every moving thing I saw before me with my trusty laser rifle, I tried to find the ultimate prey, the purpose I was even on this life-threatening mission.

Soon, I noticed my ammo supply getting low, so I avoided any further enemies until I could find an ammo refill. But then, the worst possible thing happened; I found who I was looking for. It was huge and hideous with 3 bulging eyes, a body covered in disgusting swelling areas, and his height easily doubled that of BioLizard. Except this thing made the BioLizard look like an attractive collectable plushie. With my ammo this low, I really didn't wanna fight him right now.. But it looked as if I had no choice.

So I whipped out my BFG and fought the good fight. But when I was down to one shot left, I shot it, and missed! How could I miss?! With that being my last bit of ammo, I was pretty much screwed. The creature leant down over me as I covered my head.. His mouth soon closing over me, and he swallowing me whole.

"Aww, crap!" Shadow screamed as "Game Over" flashed on the screen. "Now I have to start over! And it took me forever to get to that level!!" He then tossed the controller behind him out of frustration and turned off the game and TV. Disappointed, he left the room with his head hanging in shame.

Amy saw him walking down the hall as she carried some clean laundry to her room. "Lose that game again, Shadow?"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't rub it in."

"I won't. I'm sure you'll beat it sooner or later."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, but I'm the Ultimate Lifeform! I should've beaten it already!"

Amy just sighed as she entered her room to put the clothes away. She had grown used to his "I'm the Ultimate Life so I'm best at everything" attitude. Shadow walked downstairs and sat on the couch. Soon enough, Amy came down and sat next to him.

"So, anything you wanna talk about besides that game?" She began.

"No, not really. What about you?"

"Me? Well, I heard that Knux and Rouge are engaged."

"Really? Don't you think they went a little too fast?"

"Nah, if you really love someone, you'll know when it's time; seemingly too early or not." She said as she walked into the kitchen, unaware of the unintentional hint she had just given him.

"Yeah, you're right.." He said to himself, coming up with an idea. "Hey, Ames!"

"Yes Shadow?"

"I'm gonna go out for a few hours okay? I'll be back soon!" With that, Shadow left.

"Okay, can you at least tell me-" Amy entered the living room to see no one there, "where you're going..?" She just drooped her head and returned to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Shadow was outside running through a few of the old zones of Robotnik's that were still intact, gathering rings.

After countless hours of running and gathering, Shadow was wiped and headed home. It was late, about 11:00pm, and upon entering the door, he found a small table in the living room with burnt out candles on it. There were also two plates with cold food on them. With all the lights out, Shadow called out to Amy with a loud whisper. "Amy..!" When he glanced over at the sofa, he saw none other than Amy, curled up for warmth and all dressed up.

"Aww, man. She went through all this trouble.. And I wasn't here. This guilt ain't gonna dissipate anytime soon." Shadow just took all the plates out to the kitchen, cleaned them off and put away all the fancy tableware. When all was taken care of, he gently scooped up the sleeping Amy Rose and carried her up to her bedroom. And once he tucked her in, he gave her a kiss on the forehead and went to bed too.

The next day, Amy awoke to find herself in her bed. Shadow.. He must've… She just thought about last night as she headed downstairs and into the kitchen to make herself some breakfast. When she entered, she saw that breakfast was already prepared for her; Shadow over the stove working on his own.

"Morning Amy. Look, I'm sorry about last night so I thought I'd make it up to ya'."

"Oh, thank you Shadow," She said as she walked up to Shadow and gave him a hug. Then she sat down to eat her breakfast, Shadow soon joining her.

"You going out again today?"

"Yeah, sorry. Try not to plan anymore of those romantic dinner things until I finish this whole thing, 'kay?"

"Sure, no problem." She responded, drooping her head again sadly.

"Don't worry, I'll come back for dinner today. I promise."

"Okay." Soon enough, Shadow's plates were in the sink and he was out the door. "I just wish I could spend a little more time with you.." They hadn't spent much time together or alone at all really. There was always some evil surfacing or a kidnapping in progress. Dr. Eggman, GUN; they would always ruin their time alone, but always bring them closer in the end. But to Amy, it just didn't seem to be enough.

Like he had promised, Shadow was home for dinner. After dinner, Amy insisted they spend some time alone to talk. So they sat on the couch and Amy began the conversation.

"So, Shadow. You never really told me, who was Maria? Or is it too painful..?"

"No, not anymore. She was, my friend, my only friend, when I lived on ARK. Although the Professor created me, Maria was sort of my guardian and we were the best of friends. In fact, she was my only real friend on the entire ARK. And when GUN found out about me, they attacked ARK. Maria was brave enough to put me in a capsule that would send me to Earth safely, putting my well-being before her own. Just before I was shot into space to make my journey to Earth in the capsule, I was able to witness her die.. She was my only friend, the only one to ever care for me or make a difference in my life; well, besides you. I had felt that it was all my fault, like I could've done something.."

Amy could tell he was doing his best to hold in tears that were held in for over half a century. "Oh, I'm so sorry.."

"Don't be. It's not your fault. Actually, I would've destroyed the Earth out of revenge for her death if you hadn't stopped me and reminded me of what she really asked of me."

"And what was that?"

"Her last words and final request, was, to make the people of Earth happy. She said that it was my purpose. And so I did, almost giving my life in the process.." Shadow said, realizing for the first time that he could've died, and been deprived of Amy and the feeling of love. Mentally, he thanked Maria once again.

Amy just pulled him close and hugged him tight.