Okay, I want to say a few things before I get right into this story. First off, this is set after Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, while everyone is riding back home after defeating Ix. There will be four couples = four chapters (SonicxAmy, TailsxCream, ShadowxRouge, and KnucklesxShade.

What inspired me to do this? Well... I sorta wanted to branch out and do other couples that I don't usually write (sorry my fellow Knouge fans... I still support the couple but wanted to try something different. I'm not leaving KnucklesxRouge completely!)

Spoiler Alert!

I'm starting out with a couple very familiar to me: SonAmy. Those of you who've played the game know that there is a romantic subplot between them: at the very beginning, Amy claims that she finally has a boyfriend "Dexter." Based on what you choose to have Sonic say to Amy throughout the game, there could be a sweet little ending scene where Amy says that Dexter isn't real, she made him up to get Sonic jealous, and Sonic admits that he does care for Amy (EEEEEEK!). That's one thing that I like about Chronicles: it's more open-ended then usual, and you get to pick what Sonic would say.

But anyway, I'm rambling. Assume that in this timeline, Sonic wasn't the total sweetheart that us SonAmy fanatics made him out to be when we played through, but nor was he the total jerk option, either. He was just typical Sonic: impatient, teasing Amy lightly but not being mean, in general just avoiding the topic. The thing is, we don't see those two talking together all that much in any canon media (if you don't count Sonic X), so... their relationship "off screen" is sorta ambiguous and it's hard to nail their friendship. He was nice enough that Amy asked to talk to him before they left to invade Nocturne, but Sonic said they didn't have time; so the two hedgehogs didn't have the "Dexter talk" yet. So here they are after the battle.

Anyway, I've said way too much but I wanted to explain what in the world was going on. Enjoy!

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Chapter 1: Dexterous

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One major downside to traveling across dimensions in a super cool spaceship was that Sonic found himself unable to ever get away from everyone and get some simple privacy. Sure, when they'd stopped at the different planetoids he'd been able stretch his legs and do some running and exploring, but the traveling times? He was literally stuck in the same "boat", squished up close with 9 other people. While most of them were his friends and he didn't mind them, spending a long time with his odd, mismatched companions was wearing everyone thin. Whether is was Big's oblivious blurted out comments or Shadow's sarcastic ones, Omega's computerized monotone or Rouge flirting with everyone having a Y chromosome. Atleast Eggman had decided to stay back home, so they were spared from his hideously brilliant comments. But oddly enough, among the 10 very different passengers aboard the Cyclone, there was one thing in agreement: everyone could not wait to get back home and to their separate lives.

Ah, the things we heroes put up with, Sonic thought to himself as he slinked out of the main room to the back hallway, pausing to lean against the wall right outside the engine room which held the Master Emerald. It would be nice to rest up, though, now that he'd done a serious number on Ix.

Plus, he just had an odd urge to think. If Sonic couldn't run on this dimension-hopping ship, then he would have to do something while he waited.

And there was something that was gnawing at the back of his mind, that he'd pushed away as a matter of necessity over the past day. Lately, he just hadn't had time for any distractions: 4000 year old echidnas and the Twilight Cage were bad enough. But now that all that was over, and he couldn't run around Mobius yet... there was nothing else to do but face what had been bothering him.

Amy. With someone else.

Now, hold up, hold up, Sonic mentally protested as he raised his left sneaker to rest it against the wall and closed his eyes in agitation. Some rest this would be, if his mind refused to cooperate. Heck, who am I kidding? She hasn't moved on from me. Like that would ever happen. Ha. I mean, honestly... nothing is going to make that girl quit loving me. Nothing. She still does, Dexter's just a fake, to get me jealous. Ha. Good plan, Amy, but...

Nope. Didn't work.

It wasn't surprising that Amy would try something like this. It really wasn't. What was surprising was how much he thought about it during the trip. In the back of his mind, when they'd had a few minutes break while Tails or Eggman was fixing up something... Sonic couldn't stop himself from looking over at Amy, trying to picture her with someone else. He found that he laughed at the idea at first - Amy had her heart set on him, didn't she? Yeah, it seemed there was nothing he could do to get the girl off of him. Sonic just couldn't wrap his brain around the idea of Amy being with anybody but... himself.

No no, bad word choice. Sonic couldn't even picture her with him. But still... it was a bit unsettling to think that Amy had... given up on him. He'd always assumed that Amy would always be there for him and now... was she really giving all those looks, hugs, and attention to another guy?

Absurd.

Unthinkable.

It just wasn't possible.

Dexter was a fake. He had to be.

Amy would never, ever give up on him.

No, Sonic wasn't jealous. He was just... intrigued. But also a little hurt. It was a big blow to his pride to lose such a... dedicated fan. He'd kinda... missed her. A little.

Of course, there'd be others, right? A girl... for him. Someday, right? He had mixed feelings on the subject. Sonic certainly didn't want to "settle down" now at the ripe age of 15, when there were bad guys to fight and worlds to be explored. But... maybe someday.

And, when the topic had rarely surfaced in his brain, he'd always assumed that Amy would be there, waiting.

Had the girl truly moved on? It was absurd, really. Yet at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder.

Why was that prospect so troubling? Amy had never been one to give up, at anything. She was as persistent and determined as they came. And sure, she'd still been her typical fiery self on this trip, but the way she'd acted around him recently: embarrassed, apologetic, shy almost... it was very unlike her. The whole thing just reeked of deception.

And Sonic didn't like being lied to.

Yeah, that was it. That was what was bothering him. Not that Amy might possibly leave him, or that she wasn't stroking his ego with her attention... it was that Amy wasn't being Amy.

You keep telling yourself that.

He shook his head and let out a sigh, reminding himself why he didn't allow himself to think too much. Some of the crazy things he thought about if given the chance would drive anyone bananas. If Amy really had moved on, so should he. So, another topic...

"Sonic?"

He almost jumped out of his fur at her voice, sending him forward on his two feet as he tensed up. So much for another topic... but while part of him groaned internally at her presence, part of him was reminded that she had wanted to talk to him before they'd left for Nocturne (which he'd denied based on the bad timing)... and he did kinda sorta owe her that, right?

"Sonic, what are you doing back here by yourself?" Amy asked him as she approached, wearing a simple, guarded smile and shiny dark green eyes that contrasted yet complimented the pink quills that brushed her face.

"Just... needed to get away from everyone," he admitted coolly and allowed himself to lean backwards again.

She let out an adorable giggle. "I know what you mean. Rouge is driving me crazy. She thinks she's all that. And she flirts with everyone. Ugh.." Amy pouted and paused about a few feet in front of Sonic, letting her eyes quickly drift over his body. She had to resist a serious urge to wrap the hedgie in a hug.

"Yeah, even me," Sonic said and cringed.

"You don't like her do you?" Amy asked, trying her best to act innocent, though her eyes betrayed her.

"She's like twice my age, Amy. And I'm not Knux, he's into older girls. But anyway, did ya need something?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Oh..." Amy hesitated, looking down at her golden bracelets for a second. "I just wanted to tell you... you were really great back there, against Ix."

"I know," Sonic said and couldn't resist his cocky grin and a pose. It was nice to have Amy complimenting him again. "Ix sure put up a fight but... we won like always. Piece of cake" A sudden idea formed in his mind, and he ran with it. "You weren't too bad yourself, swinging that hammer like nobody's business."

Her eyes lit up, and Sonic smiled wider in victory. Too easy.

Amy blushed deeply but grinned. "Oh thanks, Sonic, it was nothing!" She couldn't help but give him a nice, friendly hug, relishing his soft fur brushing her cheek.

"Yeah, and I'm sure Dexter will be proud of you when you tell him all about it," Sonic said, trying not to sound too smug.

Busted.

Amy's mouth formed an O and she pulled away, turning an even darker shade of crimson. "Y-yeah, I'm sure he will," she muttered sheepishly, not quite meeting Sonic's jade gaze as she rubbed her chin.

A smirk carved up Sonic's muzzle. Score. "Sooo... when we get back home, will ya finally let me meet 'im?" Sonic readjusted his head to meet Amy's eyes.

She glanced into his lime eyes. "Why do you want to meet him so bad? You're not jealous, are you?" Too fast, too fast, Amy...

"Well... not really. Just wondering... what made ya change yer mind."

Amy was trying so hard to read his expression, but Sonic had stuck a finger under his nose, his gloved hand hiding half of his face. While she could detect a softness in his gaze, Sonic was such a goshdarn puzzle that she couldn't make heads or tails of what he was feeling. Typical.

She spoke.

"I..." I didn't change my mind, Sonic. "I... he was just really nice to me, Sonic. One day he asked me out and I thought why not give him a chance? And I didn't regret it, I mean, he's just been really nice to me, and he does stuff for me all the time, like buying me flowers and candy...he's just really sweet."

"I see," Sonic said in a monotone. "So... what does he look like then?"

"Oh," Amy forced a smile, her mind going into overtime trying to come up with a description. "He's gorgeous Sonic."

The blue hedgehog wrinkled his nose at the feminine adjective, but Amy continued, "He has the most wonderful shade of fur, deep green eyes that make me want to melt-"

Sonic raised a brow, just now getting the jealousy symbolism. "Green eyes, huh?"

Amy nodded and studied Sonic's own dazzling pair. "Yep. And long, smooth, quills-"

"A hedgehog?"

"Of course!"

"What color did you say his fur was?"

Amy stumbled. "Uh... why do you care so much, anyway?"

Sonic shrugged. "Just in case I run into him, I'll ask what's up. Anyway... I'm glad you're happy, Amy, but..." he hesitated for just a moment. "You know... you don't have to lie to me."

"I'm not lying to you, I really do have a boyfriend!" she snapped, though her face had turned bright red at the accusation, and the lead weight of guilt tugged at her heart.

She watched his jade eyes search hers. Crap. It simply wasn't fair. Why could he read her like a book, and Amy couldn't even crack the cover open on Sonic's? He was a mystery... yet a flash of annoyance in his eyes made Amy realize she'd made a huge mistake. Sonic had always been big on honesty. And she'd lied to him big time.

"Okay, Amy if you say so," Sonic continued and rolled his eyes a little. "But what was it that you wanted to talk about earlier?"

Her perpetual blush returned in remembrance of that time, and she glanced back down at her shoe. "Oh... that. I-it's nothing Sonic... I just..." she hesitated, realizing that at this point, if she shared what she was going to say, her feelings... it would most certainly condemn her. She'd just insisted Dexter was real, and now if she told Sonic differently, that her heart had never left him...there was no way he'd hold her now.

This is so not the way to win his heart. Man... why did I have to go and do this? I've ruined my chance... maybe when we get back, I'll have to make up some story about how Dexter dumped me or cheated on me while I was away, and then Sonic will comfort me, hug me, and...

Tears pricked at her eyes, but she blinked them away, ashamed.

"What is it?" Sonic asked gently, unsettled at her distress. Never would he have thought he'd have to prompt Amy Rose to share her feelings.

She looked back up at him and let out a sigh. "Oh... it's just... back there, I was thinking, you know, we were going into serious danger and I... thought it might really be the end, Sonic. And I... wanted to tell you, even though I have a boy-... well, just in case anything happened to you, I wanted you to know that... I cared for you..." her voice was a mere whisper now, though she was shaking with emotion. Though she'd finally told the truth, Amy couldn't meet Sonic's eyes.

"Buut, it doesn't matter now," she said quickly, still staring at the floor and missing Sonic's reaction. "Because we're all safe, thanks to you, and.. never mind, Sonic... just... take care." She said and turned away from him, putting one boot forward to walk away.

Sonic just blinked and stared after her, wondering why his heart still hadn't recovered from "I care for you." The muscle was still pounding in his chest, almost painfully. So... she still cared for him. She hadn't given up on him.

I knew it.

Still... as he watched her walk farther and farther away, his heart twinged. This conversation wasn't over... it couldn't be. His softer side was exposed, touched... and as annoying as Amy could be, she was still a good friend. His morals and his heart wouldn't let her walk away sad.

It wouldn't take all that much to get her to stop walking. He knew that. All it would take was a simple, 'wait' from him or running in her path...

Don't let her get away, Sonic.

What does it matter if she does? What she wants and what I want, they're too different. It wouldn't work out.

Then why is my heart beating so fast? And why was I so unsettled at losing her? And why am I thinking so much...

"Amy."

The word was spoken spoken softly and the only reason the pink hedgehog heard it was because she always had her ears trained for his voice. She stopped and risked a peek at him over her shoulder, wondering how the cocky expression had evaporated so quickly. A gust of wind blew past her, and she turned back around to see Sonic standing right in front of her. He wore just a gentle smile, but it was twinged with a hint of his attitude.

"You never give up, do ya? Even with a boyfriend you still care about me."

The last syllable came out slightly higher, making the statement seem like a question.

It was Amy's turn to smile. "Sonic, you know I'll always care about you, but the real question is... do you care about me?"

Aw man, he so should have seen that one coming. But it hit him like a ton of bricks and his eyes flew open.

Part of him wanted to blurt out, "well jeez, Amy, of course I do. You're a friend, right? I care about all my friends."

But the words got caught in his throat as soon as he looked into her eyes. Maybe Amy was a bad actor, but he was just as bad, wasn't he? Sonic had always made a point to tell the truth. He knew exactly what she wanted him to say - that he did indeed care for her. She was silently begging him to say it.

And... he did, didn't he? Care for her. Maybe it wasn't a lot, or nowhere near what she felt for him... but it was something. She'd been in his mind way too much over this trip for there to be no place in his heart for her. While part of him was glad at first that she'd stopped being so... aggressive, he'd come to miss the old Amy. But was it because her distance was a blow to his pride, or because he really did care about her?

Sonic didn't know. Or, at least, he didn't want to admit it.

But saying that he cared about her... that wouldn't cost anything, would it? And it was the truth.

"Amy...I do care about you," he said, looking right into her eyes. "A lot."

Her mouth dropped about an inch but she quickly closed it as her eyes became emerald saucers.

"Really? You... really?" she asked, trying to make sure this wasn't a daydream.

But no, there was true blue Sonic, in the flesh, every handsome inch of him - with his muzzle carrying a hue that rivaled his sneakers.

"Yeah," he said casually, chuckling and shifting his weight to release a ton of nervous energy. "But it doesn't matter does it? With you having Dexter-"

"Sonic," Amy whispered and stepped closer to him. "I-I didn't know you cared about me..."

"Aw, Amy..." His muzzle flaming, Sonic backed up, regretting for a second that he'd said anything. Amy had been so close to him he'd felt her cherry breath on his mouth. Just her presence made his heart leap and twirl and break dance. He'd always despised that nervous feeling that only Amy could give him... only Amy...

She was still close to him, blinking back a mixture of sad and happy tears. "Sonic, listen. I... didn't know you liked me. I..." she bit her lip. "Look, y-y-you were right about Dexter, okay? I made him up so you would be jealous but I... you said you cared about me and I..." she sighed. "look, I'm sorry that I lied to you, I shouldn't have... But...I"m really happy you like me at least a little bit! I didn't know and I just... wanted to make you jealous and..."

It worked.

"Amy, listen." Sonic reached forward to gingerly take her hands, making Amy's heart leap in excitement at his touch. "You don' t need to go making up boyfriends, okay? You'll get a real one soon enough."

Her eyes glimmered with hope and it made Sonic smile to see her happy again.

"And I hate ta say it, but I was right, wasn't I?" He said smugly, glad they were back on normal terms.

Amy smiled and squeezed Sonic's hands, still floating on a cloud. "Yeah... but were you right when you said you cared about me?"

" 'Course I was, Amy. I really do care about you. I-"

He froze as the next thing he knew, Amy was pressing her sweet lips against his, kissing him. Sonic stiffened up in surprise, but her lips were so soft that they left him paralyzed. Her hands found their way up to his neck and shoulders, gently grasping them as her lips continued to work their magic. Wow... her lips were so incredibly soft as they dexterously kissed his own. Man...

When Amy finally pulled away, she couldn't contain her grin as she beheld Sonic's bewildered, blushing expression. She couldn't believe Sonic had just let her kiss him. And he looked so cute. "Thanks Sonic, It's good to know that you care. I'm... really happy," she said, moving her hand up to caress his face.

"I-you-don't-yer wel-what?" he stuttered, still in awe, his muzzle flaming and his heart incredibly warm with... pleasure.

"Or should I say you're welcome?" she giggled and let go of him, spinning around in complete ecstasy to head back to the others. "I can't wait to tell Cream about my new boyfriend!" she squealed and after giving Sonic another wink, she ran off to do just that.

His mouth still agape, Sonic watched Amy turn the corner. He ran his tongue over his lips, still able to detect Amy's lingering taste. What just happened? Did she just... kiss him? And he'd let her? And it had felt way too amazing? Man... what had he been missing out on?

Still in a daze, Sonic shook his head and stayed put leaning against the wall, unable to stop a stupid grin from crawling up his face.

Who would've thought one of Amy's schemes would actually work?

...xxx...

I took some of the dialogue from the game, but modified it to make it flow a little better, I think. Eeek, hope you all liked it! Next up is the TailsxCream chapter...