A/N: Well I really hope everyone enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope now I'll be able to get back on track with my other stories. I'll being working hard you guys so keep up the great reviews. :)
R&R :D
Chapter 23
Knuckles and Tails were sitting on the front steps watching the sun go down. Tails shifted his sunglasses. "Um..." He looked up as he sniffed. "Knuckles, do you smell that?"
"But it can't be..." Knuckles shook his head.
"Look," Tails stood up. There was a figure standing in the gateway to the house. Knuckles and Tails could just make out the silhouette as they began to approach.
"Amy," Tails went to her first. "I knew you'd come back."
"What are you doing here?" Knuckles asked as he approached as well.
"Nice Knuckles." She smiled. "I know I don't remember much about you guys, but I'm sure I was use to these kinds of receptions." She took Tails hand as he pulled her forward.
"Now that you've returned everything can go back to normal." Tails smiled.
"I don't know..." Amy admitted. "I want that too, but I have to talk to Shadow first..."
Knuckles put his hand on Tails shoulder as a sign that he should stay. "He's upstairs first room on the left."
"Thanks." Amy nodded and walked into the house.
Shadow stood looking out his window over the dying garden. All the petals were shriveled and soon would fall to the ground. "Shadow..."
He closed his eyes as he heard the voice. "I thought I was only imagining the scent...but I see you have returned." He didn't face her. "You should leave this place."
"Shadow I want to talk to you..." She closed the door.
"There's nothing left to talk about. You don't know what's at stake here." He couldn't risk exposing himself again and causing Amy to lose her human life again.
"I know that I'm suppose to remember you." Amy stepped forward. "But for some reason I can't."
"Perhaps that's because you were never meant too." He said opening his eyes slightly.
"Shadow please..."
"Get out." He said still with his back to her.
"No." Amy's voice tightened. "I'm not leaving."
"This is my house and I told you to leave." He tensed.
"I won't. Not until I find out what is missing." She said clinching her fists.
"Don't you understand?" He finally turned to her his eyes glowing. "You don't belong here! You're life is not here!"
"Yes it is!" She moved so she was face to face with him. "I know I'm supposed to be here! You're supposed to be with me always aren't you?" She didn't know it, but she'd said that because her subconscious remembered how he had promised to watch over her, her whole life.
"Things aren't like that, don't you understand you're free now?" He pushed her aside gently to go past her as he yelled.
"Don't you understand what I'm trying to say at all?" She yelled at him, but didn't move. He continued to the door and opened it. Amy shook her head and closed her eyes. "Can't you tell that I'm in love with you?" Shadow stopped in the doorway and didn't move. Amy slowly approached him and laid her head against his back.
Shadow sighed turning and looking down at her face as a tear streaked down her cheek. "How am I suppose to reject you when you say such a thing and make that kind of face?" He took her into his arms and sighed. "To think how far I've fallen...letting a little human girl capture my heart."
"Shadow..." She b blushed. She knew that Shadow was special to her, but it was only in the heat of their argument that she was able to realize exactly what they shared. Now more than ever she wanted to remember what they had had before. "I want to remember."
Shadow lifted and looked down at her face. "Is this truly the life you wish to pick for yourself?" He asked.
"Yes, any other would not we worth living." She smiled.
"Alright." He let his hands rest on either side of her face. "You've always resisted my influence over you. You're a fighter. For once you must let down all your guard. You must let me have full influence over your thoughts." He said gently.
"You can do that?" She blinked and somehow found she wasn't surprised at all.
"Yes, but you have to give me full access." He said letting his forehead rest against hers. "Otherwise this might not work."
"Okay...do your worst." She smiled and closed her eyes.
"Think of me..." He said as his eyes began to glow and he whispered in her ear. His voice became so charming to her she wanted to believe every word that he would say. "Think of when we first met...think of me..."
"Shadow..." She blushed as he moved closer.
"Remember your promise." He pressed his lips against hers.
Amy felt the hot kiss and as the warmth flowed into her so did all her memories. She saw a flash of everything that she had been through all the good and the bad. She never thought she'd be so happy to remember such things. "Shadow..." She blushed when they finally parted. "I remember...I remember it all." She hugged him. "No one is ever going to make me forget again."
~~One Month Later~~
Tails was walking into the kitchen with some fresh cut roses from the garden. "Ah gross you guys." Tails put a hand over his eyes. "Why do you have to do that in the kitchen?"
Shadow broke away from his kiss with Amy. "You act like we're doing it on the kitchen table." Shadow rolled his eyes.
"Still!" Tails blushed.
"I can't wait for you to grow up." Shadow had him in a choke hold.
"Hey break it up." Knuckles said from the doorway. "We have company you know." He blushed as Rouge took his arm playfully.
"Ah don't fuss at them on my account." She batted her lashes.
"Yeah Knuckles," Amy had her hands on her hips. "She's over here so often that she can't be considered company anymore." Knuckles just blushed looking upward as Rouge nuzzled his shoulder. Amy smiled as she picked up a plate of cookies she'd made.
"And who are those for anyway?" Shadow asked with his arms folded after he had released Tails.
"The new neighbor silly. They're moving in today." For as long as Amy could remember there had been no neighbors for the three brothers. "I'm surprised we actually have one now."
"I say it's nothing but trouble." Shadow shook his head. "Just another person to keep in the dark."
"Oh stop," Amy bumped him with her hip. "The least you can do is try to be nice." She shook her head. "I'm going to take these over and I'll be right back."
"Yeah Shadow you should learn to be nicer!" Tails said rubbing his neck.
"What was that?" Shadow growled as he took Tails into another hold.
Amy walked out of the front door and was coming down the stairs when she saw someone moving next door. They were right by the fence. "Hi," Amy walked toward the fence. "I'm A-" She lost her words when she saw the face. "Silver what are you doing here?"
He smiled looking from her too the cookies. "Those meant for me?"
"Well...yes..." She blinked as he jumped the fence and took one.
"Wow these are really good." he smiled and chewed.
"Silver what are you doing here?" She asked gently.
"Well I liked this girl you see," He looked up at her. "But she fell in love with a vampire. I hope that one day she'll see sense and come back with me." He smiled. "But until then, I want to be her friend, and I want to keep my promise. To always protect her."
"But Silver what about being a Hunter?"
"I finished my apprenticeship. I'm a full fledge hunter. There was nothing left for me in the league." He looked at her with a smile. "I'll be staying here now and living a somewhat normal life."
"Silver..." She smiled not knowing what else to do or say.
"Besides if you ever need any help it will be handy having an ex-hunter living right next door."
"Shouldn't you be on the other side of the fence." Shadow was suddenly standing behind Amy and his sudden appearance made her jump slightly.
"Shadow!" She yelled pushing him slightly. "Uh you startled me." She took a breath.
"What's he doing here?" Shadow demanded.
"Oh lighten up." Silver rolled his eyes. "You got the girl already, but that doesn't mean I can't be her friend." He looked at Amy.
"He's right." Amy nodded. "I promised to be his friend." She was thinking back to their first encounter at school. She turned to Shadow looking him directly in the eye. "And I always keep my promises."
Shadow sighed. "Fine, I can't argue with that."
"Thanks neighbor." Silver smiled triumphantly as he and Amy at down on the front porch of their house.
"Hey who said you could come on our side?" Shadow demanded as he watched Amy offer his once arch enemy a cookie.
"Oh Shadow let it go." Knuckles was sitting on the porch swing with Rouge. "He is no threat to us now."
"Yeah," Tails added walking out. "If he did anything to us he would hurt Amy, and friends don't hurt friends." Silver nodded in agreement.
"Oh fine." Shadow sat next to Amy.
"So Amy," Rouge blinked as she bit into a cookie. "If vampires are real does that mean ghost, goblins, and werewolves are real too?"
All of them looked at Amy as she shared a sly smile with Shadow. "I think that's a story for next Halloween."
END