The limo ride definitely served as a means to amp everyone up. Everyone, except Blaze, drank the champagne that was provided by the limo and it got everyone buzzed. Of course some were more buzzed than others.

Tails was still reserved but laughed a lot more freely. His girlfriend, Cream, was right along with him.

Blaze, naturally, was the same and possibly even worse because she was the sober one while her friends acted out like teenagers.

It was always hard to tell the difference between sober Silver and drunk Silver so nobody knew how well or bad he held his liquor.

Shadow was the exact same while Tessa played with him, poked him, tickled him, and did everything in her power to see him crack a smile.

That, alone, made up for a large part of the limo laughter.

Sonic was essentially the same. Amy personally knew it would take a lot more for him to start acting different anyway.

And Amy was giggling like a fool at everything.

Through the laughter and jokes, the gang had somehow coerced the whole story of how Tessa and Shadow got together.

Apparently they had both been going to the same gym for two years. While Tessa knew this, Shadow only realized it a couple of months ago when they actually crossed paths.

Tessa, bolder than everything thought, added how attractive she thought Shadow was and how she had always wanted to go up and say something to him.

The guys, especially Sonic and Silver, started cracking up and earned a nasty glare from the red and black hedgehog.

Tessa also explained that she had used the same treadmill in the gym until a few months ago when she found Shadow using it.

~*Flashback*~

"Umm excuse me."

Shadow couldn't hear anything over his headphones, especially a quiet voice. He kept on running.

Tessa felt even more discouraged at being ignored. Part of her just wanted to walk away and let him have the stinking treadmill.

However, she reflected on why she always chose that treadmill and came up with some darn good reasons.

It was right under a cool vent, it was closest to the water fountain, it never malfunctioned, AND it was closest to the bathroom.

It really was the best treadmill in the gym and she was the first one to start using it regularly. Even the other gym regulars left the treadmill alone because they knew she used it. It was simply the proper, unspoken etiquette.

That thought, alone, fueled Tessa's fire.

For a moment she forgot it was the attractive hedgehog she had been admiring for two years that was using HER treadmill.

"EXCUSE ME SIR!"

Tessa's heart reminded her that it was indeed the attractive hedgehog that she had been admiring for two years when he took out his headphones and looked at her. He slowed his pace to a brisk walk. He didn't even have the decency to give her his full attention.

"Yes?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

Shadow watched as the girl looked at the floor. She looked familiar and soon he realized that he had definitely seen her around the gym. Every time he saw her she was always by the water fountain. He recalled a time when he waited in line behind her at the water fountain and she bent over with her athletic tights on. The gym was doing her GOOD.

"Well if you're not gonna say anything-"

"THAT'SMYTREADMILL!"

Shadow cut the treadmill off immediately.

That's when Tessa seemed to register that she just had an out of body experience.

Shadow slowly strolled over to the female. His height was definitely intimidating but he was intimidating on his own anyway.

Tessa absolutely hated the vibes that the hedgehog was giving off so she felt obligated to speak.

"Well…I always use that treadmill so-"

"Does it have your name on it?"

"No but-"

"So it doesn't matter. Get on another one."

"But I-"

"I was here first so get lost."

Tessa's mouth opened in shock as Shadow turned his back on her.

She had never anticipated that he would be so RUDE! Not only was he not listening to the fact that she had used that same treadmill every week day for two years but he also probably never even noticed her.

Feeling another impulse coming on, Tessa stormed up to the treadmill and turned it off.

She crossed her arms and gave Shadow the dirtiest look she could muster but it wasn't doing much good. Shadow silently noted that she looked cuter with the expression she was giving. It took a significant amount of effort for him not to crack a smile.

"Is that how we're gonna do this?"

"If you gave me the chance to talk, you would know that I have been using that treadmill for two years straight."

"So what? Do you want a trophy?"

"You're really rude do you know that?"

"I'd like to call it honest but I guess honesty isn't the best policy for a lot of people."

"You're very arrogant too!"

Shadow shrugged.

"So what are we gonna do about this?"

"I'd like to use MY treadmill."

"And I was using THE GYM'S treadmill FIRST."

Tessa felt herself getting even angrier. The guy was so stubborn. She was certain he didn't have a girlfriend with an attitude like that.

She walked up close to him and tip toed so she could at stand some sort of chance in the major height difference. Her hands were at her hips and she wore her "angry" look.

"Move before I MAKE you. I'm trained in martial arts."

Shadow smirked.

"You're actually interesting. One minute you can't even look at me and the next you're threatening me."

"I'm serious."

"I'm sure you are."

"Sarcasm is for idiots LIKE YOU."

"I don't see you making me move."

Tessa was red in the face. Whether it was from her workout, her close proximity with the red and black hedgehog, or her anger, Shadow still smirked.

"It's been entertaining rambling but trust me, I can make YOU move."

As Shadow's deep voice hit her ears, Tessa felt it spike straight to her loins.

She was weak once again and didn't care about the treadmill anymore.

Shadow on the other hand had gained some confidence ever since he had a particularly intense conversation with Sonic about dating.

He placed his large hands on her hips and pulled her close to him.

~*End*~

In not so many words, it was expressed that Tessa and Shadow had begun their relationship by hooking up.

Shadow had fucked up. He had used her to confirm his readiness to move on but he didn't anticipate that he would become attached to the white vixen.

That wasn't the first time he had a one-time romp with a girl but it was the first time he was bothered by the silent agreement to keep it as one.

The next time he saw Tessa at the gym, she wouldn't look his way and she was always at the opposite end of where he was.

For a week she had successfully avoided him. Even though she could admit to herself that she wanted to have some fun after her own breakup, she still felt like dirt and trash. Sure it was an excellent night in his bed and everything she imagined from him but she should've had enough sense to know that he wouldn't want anything serious after she knew what his attitude was like.

Although this was her first one-time thing, she was great at holding her head up and moving forward. She even realized that not seeing him or interacting with him made it much easier to move on from the one night stand.

Shadow couldn't say the same. He actually noticed her more than ever and his eyes were tuned to recognize any signs of snow white and a perfect ass.

She was interesting and he had a feeling there was a lot more to her than just her bipolar ways. Unlike his witch Amy, she actually had a sweet and shy side to her. She was confident in a nonverbal way and if she could so easily avoid him and move on with her life after their activities then she was strong minded as well.

They didn't just have sex that night either. They actually conversed, got drunk, and made dinner together. She even met Mephiles and befriended him which was an amazing feat since he never liked any of Shadow's hook ups.

He hadn't had that much fun in a while.

He also hadn't been so intrigued by someone since Amy and THAT was a sign.

He talked to Sonic about it and was told to be the one to talk to her first. Shadow's pride told him no but then Sonic had opened his eyes to the fact that she may have been satisfied with just the one night thing while he was the one still stuck on her. While that aggravated him to no end, he knew right then what he wanted to do. He wanted to get to know her as a person.

And over the course of a few weeks, he did just that.

It was hard to keep her attention at first but then he started doing things that surprised her like getting her favorite smoothie from the juice café next door and bringing Mephiles to the gym so they could all hang out.

Unlike his hag Amy, she wasn't extremely stubborn and it didn't take long for her to eventually give in to the charm that Shadow was dishing out.

From then on, they had hit it off more than they both had anticipated.

Shadow had grown attached to her presence in and out of the gym.

Tessa had also become attached. She knew Shadow had a rough attitude but she also got the chance know how sweet he could be.

Unlike everyone else, Sonic already knew the whole story and had silently applauded himself for his skills.

His asshole student had actually done a good job and found someone special.

The gang had arrived quite late. They had missed the introductions and speeches from staff and administration but majority of them silently praised that fact.

They walked in when the lights were dimmed, music was playing, and guests were eating appetizers.

"You see the things we miss because two particular people love the flirt?"

Amy's hand immediately found its way to the back of Silver's nicely groomed head.

"It's not even my fault! If a PARTICULAR group of BOYS arrived on time, we would have been here earlier."

"Oh whatever guys! We're here, so let's get seated."

Cream grabbed Tails' hand and looked for their seating cards on a table near the dj booth. Naturally, the rest of the group followed behind them.

They were all relieved to know that they were seated at the same table as they arranged.

"WELL HELLO FAMILY!"

Everyone was mildly surprised to see their voluptuous friend and her echidna mate.

As usual, she was wearing something outrageously raunchy but she obviously thought it was appropriate.

She wore a long, satin, royal blue dress. It was very simple except the neckline plunged way below to the top of her belly button and exposed a lot of her cleavage.

"ROUGE!"

Of course Cream was the first one to greet the white bat. They were always the closest ones to each other so it was no surprise, though no one could understand how and why they got so close.

"How are you my love? How's my god daughter?"

"Me and Sugar are great actually, and yourself?"

"Can't complain hun."

Meanwhile, the guys went over to Knuckles, who was calmly sitting at their table. As usual, he looked like he had the world of troubles on his shoulders.

"So are you guys still together or…"

"Yes we're still together and you're still a bastard Sonic."

Said hedgehog laughed heartily.

"Good to know you're still a knucklehead too."

"So are YOU guys still together or…"

"Well-"

"DON'T ACT LIKE WE DON'T HAVE HISTORY KNUCKLES!"

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles all sighed at the same time.

"Silver...exactly the same."

X

The group had already gotten their appetizers and salads. During that time, they had the chance to talk and catch up with one another. There was a lot to learn about one another after all.

Everyone was equally shocked to find out that Rouge and Knuckles were STILL married. They all knew that Rouge and Knuckles were great people but they just weren't the most compatible couple around.

However, it made sense when Rouge talked about all the times when they had the divorce papers ready to sign.

Knuckles didn't have much to say, although his body language spoke volumes of his frustrations.

But at the end of the day, neither of them would sign the papers and they continued the cycle. Though it was hard to tell at times, the two really did love each other. Rouge would never do anything to intentionally hurt Knuckles and Knuckles would kill for Rouge.

Half of the time, Tessa didn't understand what everyone was reminiscing about and she was left out on some of the jokes, but there was a point in conversation when the spotlight was on her.

That was when she finally let her guard down and realized why the group of friends were so tightly bonded.

Rouge constantly complimented her on how beautiful and fit she was and even insisted on going to the gym with her and Shadow. Of course she had to mention how great specific areas looked and that embarrassed Tessa to no end.

Knuckles seemed to look back and forth between her and Shadow. If someone, like Sonic, looked a bit closer they would see a silent conversation going on between the two males.

Amy, Cream, and Blaze made sure Tessa didn't stay quiet for too long because they knew her boy toy would stay quiet regardless and make the situation worse. For that, she was grateful.

Of course couples were brought up into the conversation. Amy wanted to avoid it because even she knew that her and Sonic's relationship was quite the spectacle back in the days.

She mentally thanked Sonic when he skillfully dodged a full-fledged discussion about their current love life.

He simply relayed that they were doing well as a family.

Just as the conversation was dying down, the DJ started to play livelier music and waiters came over to collect the dishes.

"COME ON DOWN MOBIUS COLLEGE, THE DANCE FLOOR IS OFFICIALLY OPEN!"

The song wasn't enough to get anyone at the table up to the dance floor but a few people went.

While Rouge sipped on her champagne she finally noticed that Blaze wasn't having any of hers.

"Blaze, hun, why don't you drink up? I mean it's not every day that we go to our college reunion."

Amy and Cream exchanged looks and quickly distracted themselves. If they both jumped in, it would look suspicious more than anything.

Silver and Sonic exchanged the same looks and then did exactly what the girls did because they had the same reasoning.

Tails, Shadow, Tessa, and Knuckles were all oblivious or confused.

"I'm just getting over a stomach virus so I want to take it easy."

"Ugh you poor thing! It's great that you made it here but don't let your servings go to waste. Pass them over here girl!"

Just like that, everyone was laughing again and the awkwardness was gone.

"OHHHHHHH I ACTUALLY LIKE THIS SONG!"

Rouge put down her flute of champagne and grabbed Cream by the hand. By the time she realized what was happening she was already on the dance floor with Rouge.

"She's a fun one isn't she?", Tessa asked.

"Rouge? She tends to be the life of the party so it never gets boring with her around."

"Amy tell her how you guys met."

Amy laughed.

"It's an immature story actually. So she was my roommate but when I first came to the room she was doing a little somethin somethin with the echidna over there. So she got mad at me and I got mad at her and we kinda fought-"

"More like pulled each other's hair."

"Thank you Knuckles, really."

Amy playfully rolled her eyes.

"So yeah. After that she apologized and she actually wasn't as bad as I thought but we were only roommates that semester."

"Was it like that for the rest of you?", Tessa asked.

"Well for me, I usually kept a distance but that year when Amy and Cream came we all got closer. It was like a web connections.", Blaze added.

"Oh please! She kept a distance because she was too busy with Silver. She was pretty much sprung and she thought me and Cream didn't know about it but when he came around she got quieter and when he left she always asked where he was. Oh and don't even get me started on the parties! Those two would disappear from right under our noses. Then they would be missing the entire time and then at the end of it all they would walk up nonchalant as ever."

Tessa looked over at Blaze and saw her silently fuming yet her cheeks were tinted pink. Then she looked at Silver and while he was gulping down his glass of champagne, his cheeks were also tinted pink.

Amy started laughing with Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails while Tessa just smiled.

"AMY! Don't even start!"

"No! No! I'm sorry!"

"TOO LATE! The champagne won't save you now!"

Now Silver was laughing along with the rest of the table.

"Tessa let me tell you a story about Amy Rose. The first night she worked with Sonic for the college's work study program she swore she hated him but I and probably even Cream knew that she was putting on a front. She was so dedicated to acting like she hated him yet when we went to the freshman dance she was all over him like white on rice. AND she got upset when he was with other girls but she wouldn't let you forget that she hated him mind you. But actually I knew Sonic was having eyes for just Amy ever since he came over to bother her just so she could say hi to him. Immature right? And then her drunk ass met Shadow after she got upset at Sonic again. But it wasn't all arguments with them. Anyone could see that-"

"THAT'S QUITE ENOUGH! LET'S DANCE TESSA!"

Amy quickly grabbed Tessa and brought her on the dance floor with Rouge and Cream, leaving Blaze, Silver, Shadow, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles at the table.

"Cute stories you guys have there."

Everyone looked at Knuckles who finally spoke after a long time.

"But I have to say, neither of them is surprising. No one could ever find Silver or Blaze at the parties and Amy fighting or getting angry at Sonic is hardly anything new. Now what I WOULD like to know is about my good friend Tails."

Blaze rolled her eyes while Sonic shook his head and Shadow sighed.

"Why don't I just tell that cute story? I'll try to follow the same format as my lovely wife and her devil friend.

So basically it's the most cliché thing. Boy notices girl, boy likes girl, boy approaches girl, girl is smitten, all is good and great. EXCEPT, there was this one time when-"

"Shut up Silver."

"But Sugar Daddy!"

"Let's go dance."

Silver gasped.

"My Sugar Daddy is asking me to dance? This is a day to savor!"

Sonic rolled his eyes and pulled Silver towards the girls on the dance floor.

Meanwhile, Tails mentally thanked his bro Sonic. What Silver was about to share was something he considered personal and he was still sensitive about it. Sonic knew that and quickly took care of the issue. That was one of the reasons why Tails considered Sonic to be an older brother. From the first time they met, he was watching out for him.

"I take it Silver was going too far as usual."

Neither Tails, Blaze, or Shadow said anything.

"Well it sucks to be sitting with all the guys so I'm gonna head to the dance floor."

Blaze left the table and then Tails left shortly after her. After that, it didn't take long for Tessa and Rouge to go grab their lazy dates and make them dance too.

After about an hour of nonstop dancing and grinding, the dance floor was closed. The entrees were being served so everyone had to take their seats.

Everyone was enjoying their dinner and conversation. A few raffle tickets were drawn during the dinner and one of the winners was Shadow.

The girls were giggling up a storm when Shadow refused to get up and go to the stage for a gift basket of bath items and candles. So when the MC kept calling out for the winning ticket number and Shadow wouldn't budge, rounds of laughter sounded from the table.

His stubbornness was always award winning so the MC ended up calling another ticket number.

After a few more glasses of champagne it was clear who was tipsy and who needed more in their system to get to that point.

In first place was Amy who kept giggling and talking very freely. In second place was Cream who was a part of Amy's giggling party and very eager to get back on the dance floor. Third place wasn't easy to determine since the guys weren't acting much different and Rouge was crazy all on her own. So that place went to Tessa who completed the giggling trio.

Just as everyone finished up their meals and the DJ declared the dance floor open again, someone came over to their table.

"Sonic? I thought that was you!"

Amy registered the girly voice and already her mind told her that this was a slut that probably hung all over him back in the day.

Once she looked around at the girl she couldn't have been more right.

"Lexy…how are you?"

"I'm doing good, how about you? I see you finally settled down and with…what's her name? Andy?"

"It's AMY and I see SOME things never change."

Sonic exhaled a heavy breath, already sensing the direction of conversation. He took Amy's hand under the table and gave it a squeeze to tell her to stop and trust him.

However before either of them could say anything, they were cut off by their popular friend.

"Lexy hun! I haven't seen you in forever girl! Did you quit whoring and find yourself a real man?"

Cream snorted a laugh and Tails lightly shoved her with his elbow because though he also found it funny that Rouge was easily handling the girl, laughing would cause more trouble than it was worth.

"Rouge…how could I ever forget someone as…FLAMBOYANT as you? I see you still have Knuckles. What a surprise! Who would have guessed a guy would still stick around after he got to hit it so easily AND after so many others did."

Rouge let out a laugh.

"Haters will hate. And judging by the way you're over here trying to make a move on Sonic years later even when you see he's with someone, says you have no date and you're a poor, lonely, pathetic soul while he's happy and successful with a family . Sucks to be you huh?

Anyway, I hear a slow song coming on. Why don't we choose other partners to dance with for this one?"

Just like that the conversation was shut down.

Rouge purposely ignored the fact that Lexy was still standing there with her arms crossed and quickly gathered the rest.

She chose Tails as her partner and pulled him into position on the dance floor. Anyone could see how nervous he was to even hold Rouge. He tried his best not to look down at her exposed chest that was up against him.

Silver quickly grabbed Cream who immediately protested but she stood no chance against his grip.

Amy watched as Blaze chose Sonic to dance with. It didn't bother her until she saw the way Blaze was whispering into Sonic's ear.

That was when she turned into a hawk and tried her best to read lips but she was stopped when Shadow asked her to dance.

Amy looked over to Tessa. She felt awkward if she had to dance with Shadow while he had her. She had to know their history. Was she ok with this?

"You're worrying."

Amy looked up at Shadow. He wasn't asking her, he was telling her. At times it scared her how well he could read her.

"Yeah…is this ok with her?"

"She's already on the dance floor with Knuckles and I don't have a problem."

"But…we-"

"I know. She doesn't care Amy. When will you get that through your head?"

Amy sighed.

"To the dance floor we go then!"

"So Tessa, how did you come to be attracted to a bastard like Shadow?"

"Well he certainly wasn't the nicest person I've ever met and his stubbornness is amazing but…he's sweeter than you know."

"I always knew he had a softer side. Those dark types usually do. And I swear one time I saw him listening to an Adele song on his phone."

Tessa giggled.

"So Tailsey, are you being good to my love? And I mean in bed too! Selfishness gets you nowhere in the sheets!"

Tails' comfort level dropped exponentially.

X

"SILVER WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"We're waltzing so just follow my lead."

"BUT THIS ISN'T A WALTZ SONG!"

"So when are you going to make your move?"

Sonic twirled Blaze and brought her back to him.

"Soon…when the time is right."

"You're wasting precious time. The desserts are rolling out already."

"I know…I'm just a little...Look, I'm not invincible ok!"

"Oh Sonic…"

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

"Am I always supposed to be a chatter box?"

"No but something is bothering you and if I had to guess it's between you and me but you don't want to bring it up because of Tessa."

Amy looked up at Shadow's eyes.

"You know I hate that you can do that."

He smirked.

"So it's true."

"It's just that…I don't want our friendship to change. I know it's selfish but I was here first and you can't just drop me like that. Soon I can't come to your house and I can't crash with Hope and you won't trust me anymore. Then I won't even see Mephiles anymore and tease him. Then you won't come over anymore because you'll have better things to do and we'll all drift apart and I'll lose my honest, proud best friend."

It wasn't hard to get it out of her especially since she was being so honest whenever she spoke after all the champagne.

"Listen Amy, you've even met Tessa and she's not holding our history against any of us. It's in the past and you've gotten over it and so have I. You're my best friend and as much as I wouldn't want to lose Tessa, I wouldn't want to lose you because you're right. You were the first person I could open up to and trust. I take that very seriously and I wouldn't ever just drop you just because another girl is in my life. Sure I'll have better things to do sometimes but that doesn't mean that I'll completely stop hanging out with you. And I'm gonna need you to stop premeditating the future. Just take it easy and watch what unfolds."

Just like that, Amy felt a weight lifted from her shoulders. Just from that, she trusted that she and Shadow would still be ok. She knew she was underestimating Tessa but she just needed to hear it truthfully from her best friend.

The dancing continued for about an hour and a half before it was announced that the dessert buffet was ready.

Cream was more than eager to pull away from her partner and go on the line for sweets while her dancing partner grabbed his wife away from his sugar daddy.

Tessa somehow convinced Shadow to get on the line with her even though he insisted that he didn't want any desserts.

Rouge easily left Knuckles who moped over to their table. Tails then found his way over to Cream who skillfully let him skip her without any protest from the others on the line.

Then Blaze decided to leave the dance floor with Silver who happily exclaimed that he was going to get her strawberries dipped in the chocolate fondue fountain and feed her because it would show everyone his passion for her.

That left Amy and Sonic on the dance floor.

"Having fun?"

"Umm YEAH! It's been ages since we've had fun together like this."

Amy lazily held on to Sonic's arms and giggled against his neck.

Sonic quickly looked around to see where all of their friends had went.

"You wanna go for a walk?"

Amy looked up at him to see a mischievous smirk on his face. It brought out her own mischievous look and before they knew it, they were out the door.

X

"Oh my gosh doesn't this feel like sneaking out or something? This is more thrilling than sex right now!"

Sonic actually laughed before he came up to Amy from behind and held her as they walked.

"You wanna bet? Cause I can show you just which one is really the most thrilling.", he whispered into her ear.

She busted out laughing and could hardly hold herself up with how hard she was giggling.

First a smile broke out on Sonic's face but soon he found himself laughing because she was laughing so hard. Her laugh was always contagious and lovely to hear so he couldn't resist tickling her as he still held her. That only made the pair laugh harder.

"Be *laugh* quiet *laugh* before we draw attention."

"*laugh* But *laugh* you're *laugh* tickling me *laugh* SONIC!"

Sonic continued to laugh especially at the way she yelled his name at the end. It was like she didn't know if she was frustrated or extremely happy.

The next thing Amy knew, she was scooped up into strong arms and felt a gust of wind blow her curls out of proportion. When she opened her eyes, she was at the campus library.

"You haven't done that since-"

"A very long time, I know. I don't do it too often 'cause it would lose its WOW effect."

All Amy did was stare at him with wide eyes.

"See just look at you! Perfect reaction!"

"Hmph, it wasn't THAT great."

"What was that?"

"I said it's not that-"

Amy squealed as Sonic started to tickle her again but this time she had enough strength to pull away.

"Cease your activity or else I'll bust out my trump card!"

This time it was Sonic who started laughing.

"What the FUCK are you talking about Amy? You spend too much time watching shows with Hope."

Amy snorted and then started laughing again.

"Ok at this rate we'll get discovered before we've even done any exploring so I'll stop…for now that is."

Amy had time to catch her breath before she gasped rather theatrically.

"WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET A KEY?"

Sonic was on her in a flash and covered her big mouth with his hand.

"You wanna yell it louder so we can get caught?", he whispered at her.

She shook her head and when Sonic was sure she wouldn't yell anymore, he let her go.

"Can you tell me where you got the key?", she asked quietly.

"Nope."

Amy scowled at Sonic's handsome smirk with his stupid white teeth.

"Come on."

Sonic pulled Amy into the dimmed library. It wasn't completely dark but only a few lights were kept on.

"Looks like they didn't change a thing."

"Well the library was always praised for how historical it was so I'd doubt it would be renovated in a major way."

Suddenly Amy laid eyes on one of the tables.

"Stay right there Sonic!"

She jogged up to the table and sat down at one of the seats.

"Does this scene look familiar?", she asked.

Of course it did. It was the first time he laid eyes on her.

At the time he had simply noted that she was attractive and that he wanted to mess around with her but by the end of that night, he knew it wouldn't go down that way because she was different.

"You were such a bastard Sonic, my gosh. I remember the exact thing you said to me."

"Sonic T. Hedgehog, your boss and at your service…whenever you want me to be."

Amy was shocked when Sonic said the line with her.

"Ah, so you remember your corny lines?"

"Something like that.", Sonic blushed.

Amy squinted her eyes and stared at Sonic warily. Then she seemed to look surprised. And, finally, she started to laugh.

"Oooooh are you blushing Sonic?"

Sonic smacked Amy's accusing finger away, earning another laugh from her.

"Why are you blushing Sonic? Hmm?"

Amy kept on going, making herself laugh. Sonic only sighed and rolled his eyes. However, after hearing Amy laugh to herself like a deranged person, he started to smile.

He decided he would turn the tables.

He walked over to where she was sitting and stood behind her. He swept some of her unruly quills to the side where she had originally placed them, silencing her.

He smirked at his success.

His fingertips were skillful as they lightly caressed her neck and shoulders.

Then he just as lightly kissed her on the neck. She definitely wasn't laughing now.

Instead, she was focused on what he was doing and the way his exhaled breaths ghosted over her skin.

His nose left a fiery trail up to her jaw and before she embarrassed herself by vocalizing how much she anticipated more, she spoke out.

"Uhh, I-I was so mad that you were late that night, you had no idea."

It was Sonic's turn to laugh. As usual, he knew exactly what he was doing and he did it well.

She turned her head around at him so fast that he only continued to laugh.

"It's not funny."

"Actually, I was late that night with a good reason. There was a mix up in the office about who I would have to supervise. They chose you last minute so they made some changes and gave me your folder."

"Mhmm I see. And why couldn't you explain that then?"

Sonic laughed.

"It was WAY more entertaining to mess with you. Your reactions were gold. It didn't take much to get a rise out of you."

Amy rolled her eyes.

"Well it wasn't every day that a guy hit on me ALL night and I couldn't escape."

"Yeah…good times!"

"For you…you're still quite the rapist actually."

"Oh God please don't tell me you still remember that. I practically hear you screaming MOLESTATION next. Those were your two favorite words."

Amy slammed her hands on the table and started laughing hysterically again.

"Ok we're gonna have to keep it moving before we're caught here."

He grabbed Amy's hand, locked up the library, and led her down another path.

He opened another door to another building and led Amy inside.

Just like the library, the cafeteria was dimly lit. The chairs were neatly placed on top of the tables.

"Ah the cafeteria, aka the red carpet for Sonic T. Hedgehog."

"What are you yapping about?"

"Oh like you don't know? Girls used to flock around waiting for you to come through the door except you'd already have two girls on your arms and another two trailing you."

Sonic sighed and then watched as Amy walked out pf the cafeteria doors.

Next thing he knew, she forcefully pushed them open and then strutted in.

From her stance and way of walking, he could tell that she was trying to impersonate him.

She made a muscle and then kissed it. Then she held her arms as if she were escorting two girls.

"I'm Sonic T. Hedgehog baby, so faint."

Sonic laughed at how she deepened her voice and tried her best to look like him.

"OMG IT'S SONIC! MAYBE HE'LL LOOK AT ME TODAY!"

Sonic laughed harder as Amy completely changed and impersonated, what would have been, one of the girls that flocked after him.

"Oh come on, it wasn't THAT bad.

"No but it was just as painful to watch and hear."

"Oh! So you watched me a lot huh?"

Sonic raised a playful eyebrow at her and it immediately made her feel uncomfortable so she did what she did best in those situations.

She hit him square in his chest.

"You know, hitting me just tells me more than if you actually responded 'cause when you start hitting me, it means I'm right."

"NO YOU'RE NOT!"

"Then how do you know all of that information babe?"

"Don't 'babe' me now!"

"Ok, later then."

Amy couldn't help but smile. Sonic could still be just as corny as he was when she first met him.

The laughs quieted down and soon enough the room was oddly silent.

Sonic leaned against the buffet counter while Amy sat on one of the window sills.

"You know…I remember that night we worked here when we came back for the spring semester."

Sonic looked up from being deep in thought and met her eyes. They were thinking about the same thing.

"Yeah…me too."

Sonic knew he wouldn't be the one to decide where the conversation would go next. He was very open to speaking about it but he would be the one following leads.

So he watched intently as Amy looked over her shoulder and out the window. It was silent for a couple of minutes more before she spoke again.

"Well! Where to next?"

Sonic was a little taken back at her reaction. He was almost sure she would mention something that would prompt him to explain himself the way he wanted to but there was no rush.

He jingled his ring of keys and signaled for Amy to go through the door first before he locked up.

"Where's lover boy and hot mama?", Rouge asked the table.

"Seems like he's putting the plan in motion.", Tails spoke to himself.

"What plan?"

"So then when do we do our part?", Cream asked him.

"What part?"

"He'll give us a signal I'm sure.", Blaze added.

"What signal?"

"Rouge I want more grapes."

Rouge was immediately and successfully distracted with the sudden request.

"Knuckles, who the fuck are you talking to? You have two feet!"

"I mean I want you to feed them to me."

"Oh!"

Rouge batted her eyelashes and gave Knuckles such a look that he actually started to feel hot.

"I'm surprised you want this…here…and now.", she whispered to him.

It didn't help that she rested her hand dangerously close to an area that set Knuckles off the most.

He hissed and exhaled heavily to cover it up.

"Are you gonna go get them now?"

"Impatient aren't you? I'll be back."

As Rouge got up to stand on the buffet line, all remaining eyes were on Knuckles.

"I think now we all have a good idea of what kinds of freaky ass foreplay you two indulge in. My brain is scarred."

"Always the blunt one Shadow. Anyway, I just wanted her off the subject before she blabs it to the whole hall. That's why nobody told her in the first place."

"So when she comes back, is she gonna think that you really want to-"

"Silver, I swear you didn't change a bit."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you never did join the football team with me and Sonic."

Silver groaned

"Are you guys seriously still mad about that?"

The whole table started laughing.

Amy ran a decent way across the field and steadied herself for the throw that Sonic was about to make. Her heels were off and she pulled the length of her dress up to her thighs so that she could run. Her quills were out of their secured style and they all fell in curls down her back. Her makeup was still intact but the running around had made her sweat a bit.

At this point, she couldn't care less whether her time into her appearance was wasted. She was having more fun than she ever had in a long time.

She watched as Sonic, now only wearing his pants and white button down with his sleeves rolled up, reeled his arm back and then propelled it forward letting the football fly through the air.

She realized that she wasn't far enough to catch it so she pumped her legs as fast as they would go in her tight dress.

Sonic on the other hand, couldn't deny that the sight before him turned him on.

There she was running in her, now, hiked up dress and he had a great view of her legs and ass in motion. He also watched as her quills flowed behind her and bounced with her fast movements. All of the extra movement had also brought the top of her dress down a bit, exposing more cleavage.

Oh how sexy it was to watch the girl attempt to catch the ball the way she looked and there was a very good reason why they weren't playing a tackle game. If Sonic got her on the ground in a tackle beneath him, the game would be over and by over it would REALLY be over. Another activity would begin.

He was warring with himself. He wanted to touch her. No, he wanted to RAVISH her but he also wanted to go through with his plans.

His mind ached along with his nether region.

He was finally distracted from his thoughts when she went tumbling to the ground with the ball.

When she didn't immediately get back up, he started jogging over to her.

That was when he saw her trembling but when he actually saw her face, she was laughing with the ball in her hands.

He smiled at the sight. She had been laughing all night, thanks to too much champagne, but it was still one of the best things that he had ever seen. He had a hunch that she was honestly having fun and the alcohol had nothing to do with her current happiness.

"I think I threw it too hard this time."

"YA THINK?", she yelled.

Sonic pulled her up and noticed that she looked a mess with all of the turf on her and in her hair.

He started to brush the fake grass off of her. While she shook most of it out of her hair, Sonic's hands brushed it off from her dress.

However, she could sense that he was brushing off one area more than the rest.

"Ehmm!", she cleared her throat.

Sonic stopped what he was doing and looked at Amy.

"What?"

"Don't you think that area is done now?"

"What area? This one?"

Sonic purposely grabbed her butt.

She was so shocked that she didn't say a word. Her mouth was open wide in shock.

Next thing Sonic knew, she swung around to slap him but he dodged with skills that rivaled a ninja.

He decided he would start another game so while she was busy trying to get a hit on him, he waited for the right moment and slapped her ass before he went off sprinting down the track field.

"SONIC!"

Amy couldn't help but laugh and it was slowing down her pursuit of the offender.

On the other hand, Sonic knew Amy didn't stand a chance so he slowed his running to a normal speed or else he would end up lapping her several times.

He finally ran off of the track and back into the field to throw her off. He could see that she was getting tired while he was just getting started so he stopped and prepared himself for whatever she would do. He secretly wanted her to rough him up a bit…it was another one of his turn ons.

What he didn't expect was her throwing her whole weight on him and pushing them both on the ground.

"I *pant* win."

Amy was on top of him. Sonic registered that quite well.

Then she sat up and straddled him. Sonic registered that too.

She crossed her arms in victory and wore a proud smirk as if Sonic didn't blatantly allow her to do what she did.

However, that was the least of Sonic's concern. There was only so much he could take before he lost his resolve.

"So what will be my prize loser?"

She bent over to whisper in Sonic's ear. Sonic was frustrated in so many damn ways.

His body suddenly tensed as Amy un-tucked his shirt and started to unbutton it.

"What are you-"

Amy softly placed her lips on his and that was all it took.

At first Sonic only kissed her back but when she spoke against his lips and said,

"You're my prize."

he lost control. His large hands found their way down her spine, to her waist where they rested for a few seconds, to her hips, and then all the way to her thighs. He pulled both of them closer to himself and encouraged her to adjust her position so that she would be able to feel his arousal through her own.

She was dazed. Perhaps she would take back what she said and agree that something like this was more thrilling than sneaking around the campus.

They were in the middle of the football field making out heavily. The chances of being caught were high and the repercussions were even higher but that only aroused them further.

Sonic switched their positions after a few minutes and guided Amy's legs so that they hooked around his waist.

He knew he was going a bit far but he trusted himself that they wouldn't do anything past what they were currently doing.

Besides, even if he wanted to quit, Amy was hooking him tightly to her. It never ceased to surprise him when she took control. It was she who sucked wildly on his neck and pulled on his bottom lip. She was definitely in the mood and he mentally cursed that it was the wrong place and time.

Before it got anymore heavy, Sonic pulled himself up. Amy stopped but she still locked him to her.

"Come on, I wanna take you to one more place before the night is over."

She didn't say anything but she did pull him back down to kiss him. These kisses were sweeter.

Their breaths were heavily mingling with each other when they pulled away but stayed close.

"Sonic…you're a bastard."

He definitely wasn't expected that out of her.

Amy felt him laugh against her lips.

"It's not funny…"

He loved the way she blushed and though he knew she was frustrated in just about the same ways he was, he still had a mission.

He quickly kissed her on the lips before he slowly stood up and reached for her hand so he could pull her up with him.

"Let's hope these hickies don't start showing by the time we make it back to the reunion."

"Blaze, was it supposed to take this long?"

"No…but I already knew that hedgehog would mess something up. Just play it cool, we still have time."

"The idiot better speed it up before they get caught."

"If worse comes to worse then we do plan B."

"And what's that?"

"Shadow you'll go outside and smoke. Knuckles and Tails will come with you and make sure that the authorities don't wander too far around campus."

"And how the hell are we supposed to prevent that?"

"Shadow, you're intimidating enough. Knuckles can back you up and Tails is too sweet to suspect any deceit."

Shadow exhaled.

"And just why are we doing all of this again?"

"Because we've all been waiting for this moment for years."

"Why here?"

"Thought it'd be a nice place to cool off."

"We're not getting in…right?"

"Well I thought about it but it's too much work AND too much to explain."

"Exactly."

"But we can duck our feet in."

"Yeah…"

Amy looked around. The smell was certainly the same and just as she remembered. The chlorine always overpowered any other scent in the room…any other scent except his of course.

She had to admit that the pool always looked nice at night. The windows in the room allowed the natural light to come through, although the pool lighting was enough.

The pool practically glowed and that's what made it so wonderful to look at.

The sight was beautiful but painful at the same time.

Amy started to strip some of her clothing off. First, she took off her hat and coat. Then she took off her sneakers and socks. Then she took off her sweatshirt, revealing a tight, white t-shirt covering her pink bikini top.

"You gotta put more chlorine in the pool, change the lights, and sift the surface."

Meanwhile, Sonic sat down in a chair by the edge of the pool. He took off all of his clothing except a white wife beater and some black and white swimming trunks.

"What the fuck is your problem Amy! This is all you do 24/7!", he yelled standing up out of his chair.

"I FUCKING HATE YOU SONIC!"

"So why don't you run off to mommy and tell her that then! Damn!"

"Amy?"

Amy blinked a few times and then smiled.

"Sorry, I'm coming."

Amy unstrapped her heels, hiked up her dress again, and then sat at the edge of the pool with Sonic who already had his legs in the pool.

He put his arm around her and pulled her closer into him.

"LET ME GO!"

"Please Amy, I'm sorry…"

"I HATE YOU SONIC!"

"Amy…I don't have my mother either…"

Amy sighed and with the silence it was easy for Sonic to hear it.

He wasn't dumb. He knew what bringing her to the pool would entail. Strangely enough, it was what he wanted.

He knew being here in the silence was overwhelming. Hell, it was even bothering him. He remembered the moments just as vividly.

"Listen Amy, I'll be here for you whenever you need to talk."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise…"

Sonic leaned down and softly kissed her lips.

Amy's legs splashing took Sonic out of his thoughts. No doubt, it was a distraction for herself.

"Do you want to stop?"

"No…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes…"

Sonic focused on her splashing feet. He, too, was slowly getting lost in thought. Out of all the places, this pool room brought back the most vivid memories and was pretty much an important symbol of their relationship. It was a negative symbol and Sonic knew that.

"Amy, I think I know how to explain. Look at the time when that happened. We had the stress of finals, you guys had a progression of heated arguments, and he mentioned something very emotionally tender to you. Of course you would be emotionally distraught and not know what you're doing. Me and Cream were just teasing, but I'm sure you'll come back to your senses after the vacation and realize who he really is."

"Sonic…You know we can't ignore what happened…"

"Amy… I just want to be your friend."

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK I'VE BEEN THROUGH OFFICER! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW DEAN THE HEDGEHOG MADE ME FEEL! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE LIED TO AND CHEATED ON! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOSE YOUR MOTHER AND NEVER SEE YOUR BASTARD FATHER AGAIN! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO STOP YOURSELF FROM LIKING SOMEONE YOU SHOULDN'T. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO GIVE IN AND BE PLAYED FOR THE FOOL THAT YOU ALWAYS WERE! YOU DON'T KNOW OFFICER!"

"Ames? You ok?"

She looked up at him.

"Yeah, yeah."

She smiled to add to her act but he saw right through it. He patiently waited until she would give it up.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

"Uh nothing…just relaxing."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. She was good at this. Over the years she got better and better at calming her impulsiveness but eventually she did crack.

"Amy we need to talk…"

"No we don't…"

"Yes we do Amy, are we really gonna go back to square one?"

"I guess so…"

"…What if I don't want to?"

Amy continued to splash the water with her feet.

"I tried to find her true offender on my own but of course I never did…whoever did it, did it so well and I will forever hate them for that but even more so…I hated myself…I did it to her…if I never tried to sneak her out…she would have been ok…"

"…I just really started to like you Amy but...I'm not ready for commitment now."

Sonic continued to hold her.

The cat's eyes seemed to sparkle at the thought and she pulled Sonic to the living room where everyone was already packed together dancing. The cat immediately started to grind on Sonic way more seductively than acquaintances should dance with each other.

Amy heard some footsteps and then saw the white hedgehog engulfed in tan arms. She saw her tippy toe and knew what was happening immediately. The noises only confirmed it.

"DAMMIT AMY! I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE YOU WANT ME TO DO! I SAID SORRY AND I REALLY MEAN IT! YES, I ONLY REALIZED HOW WRONG IT WAS WHEN YOU FOUND OUT BUT FUCK! I'M TRYING TO FIX IT AND YOU WON'T LET ME!"

Amy started fidgeting and of course Sonic noticed. He let go and was actually surprised when she picked herself up from leaning on him.

"This semester seems to be coming to a close huh? You're last assignment is in the pool honey so go pack a swimsuit. Don't forget to get your paper signed and deliver it to this office."

"I'll tell you what…if you play and you complete all of your truths and dares, I'll give you my paycheck."

"I dare you to come over here and hug me."

"Ames…you ever think of that night…"

"Sonic...do you remember those nights?"

Of course he did. He remembered them like they were yesterday but for now he wouldn't let her know that much.

"Yeah."

"Sonic…I haven't felt these types of feelings for a while and I wanted to deny it all this time…but I feel like they're real…and…I think you know what I'm trying to say…"

"I do…", Sonic replied, lightly pecking Amy on the lips.

"I do share the same type of feeling that you do Sonic..."

In response, Sonic kissed Amy even more passionately as opposed to lustfully.

"So…does this mean…we're gonna try to be together?", Amy asked quietly after breaking the kiss.

Sonic was instantly brought back to life by the question. He created distance between himself and Amy but still held on to her waist.

"Amy…I'm still not ready for that…"

"AND YOU THINK I AM? BUT I WAS READY TO TRY WITH YOU SONIC! YOU WERE SPECIAL SONIC! I NEVER PUT UP WITH SO MUCH SHIT FROM SOMEONE IN MY LIFE SINCE DEAN AND YET I STILL DEVELOPED FEELINGS FOR YOU! I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT! I SHOULD HAVE NEVER TRIED TO UNDERSTAND IT! I KNEW FROM THE START HOW YOU WOULD HAVE TURNED OUT AND I STILL DIDN'T LISTEN! GOODBYE SONIC LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Amy could practically hear the yelling echoing through the room like it was happening all over again.

Sonic could see that Amy wanted to say something but she was holding back.

"Why did you bring me here?", she asked again.

He stayed silent, looking out the windows.

She watched him as he focused his attention outside.

It was quiet for a few moments before he decided to speak again.

"What do you remember from here Amy?"

She was confused and it showed all over her face.

"What do YOU remember Sonic?"

He smiled and that confused her even more.

"I remember everything that you do Amy."

Amy couldn't exactly pinpoint why but she was getting angry. Why was he being so cryptic? And most of all, why did he bring her here of all places?

"I think we've seen enough of here, how bout we-"

"I remember when I first found out that you were just like me. As sad as it was, I wasn't the only one anymore. Someone else knew the pain."

"I won't Amy…I know what it's like…"

"YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT!"

"Amy…I don't have my mother either…"

She sharply turned her head to look at him. He wasn't looking at her though. He was still looking out the window.

He had told her that he didn't talk much about it and he still didn't. Sometimes she forgot so much had happened to him because he never showed anything about the situation. He kept on living life the happiest that he could. And here she was always crying, always moping about a situation that she couldn't change.

She looked at the guy whom she admired more than she would ever let him know even though he had done so much to her.

He finally looked back at her but she could see that he looked surprised when he did.

"You're crying.", he whispered.

"Why would you bring us here? Don't you know nothing good ever came from this place?", she whispered.

"I know…"

"Why would you want to go back to this?"

"Because…it's necessary."

"Why? Wasn't it you who told me it wasn't good to live in the past?"

They were whispering closely now. The silence around them intimidated them into speaking in lower tones.

"I did…but…I want us to talk about this."

Amy searched his eyes for signs of emotions. He was being honest and he wanted to be open. Why now?

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I hurt you."

He wasn't asking her, he was telling her.

"Yeah, so?"

Amy was surprising her own damn self. Why was she being so lenient? Of course he hurt her! He really fucking hurt her!

What happened to her? Sonic was sure that she wasn't that tipsy anymore so why was she behaving like that? She usually had so much fight in her.

"Don't treat it so lightly Amy."

She paused. It was a sign that she was thinking before she said anything.

"What do you want me to do then Sonic? Do you want me to start shouting? Do you want me to insult you? I've done all that already. Is that gonna change the fact that now we live together and have a child?"

Inwardly, Sonic smiled. She sure did mature over these years.

"No but it will put you at ease if we finally put these demons to rest."

She remained silent. She wouldn't deny that being in this situation brought back memories that made her upset.

"I may not have loved you then the way I love you now but I felt something for you that I never felt for anyone."

"So then why?"

He knew she couldn't resist.

"Why couldn't you be with me? WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?"

The shout had echoed marvelously through the quiet room.

"I was graduating Amy. I would be gone and you would still spend 3 more years on campus. You were afraid of dating and so was I. Do you think it would have been right for us to do a long distance thing considering all that?"

She looked at him with fire in her eyes.

"No Sonic. You still wanted to do what you did best and still have me on a string. That was your comfort zone until you found out one day that messing around would get you nowhere."

"You're right."

She wasn't expecting that. She was speechless for a moment.

"One day I did realize that messing around wasn't for me anymore because I thought of YOU all the time. It took me a while but I realized that I couldn't lose you to someone else, not when you were the only one who could finally understand me and encourage me to be a better person. And if that meant that I would have to move quickly then so be it.

Speechless again.

"I left you when you conceived because…it was TOO fast. And yes that was my fault too. You were pushing me away but I pushed forward. Believe it or not, I'm a guy of plans Amy and that wasn't how I planned it. I just needed time to think about how to move on from that. I'm sure I would have never completely left you."

"…I know."

"You're crying."

"Yes Sonic, I'm crying."

"Why?"

"It's just a lot to take in. I don't know if I'm angry, sad, or happy."

"I understand that but I just wanted to let you know once and for all.

"When….When did you realize that you loved me?"

Silence

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

"I know that verse.", she whispered.

"Then when did you realize you loved me Amy?"

Silence

'I…I don't know. I just did."

"Then can you understand if I say the same thing. I don't exactly know at which specific point that it happened but all I know is that it did and it was a feeling that I never felt before and a feeling I never wanted to lose.

"Same here.", she whispered.

"Amy I brought you here because I wanted you to remember and I also wanted to clear things up."

Amy felt her throat dry and her heart beat faster.

"The past is something we should never forget but yet never use to guide our present because we all make mistakes in the past. That doesn't mean we can't change in the present and decide our future.

With that being said, I don't expect you to forget everything that I've done to you Amy. In fact, I want you to keep it in mind when I profess things to you. I want you to correct me if I'm wrong when I say that I've changed and grown from being with you. I'm not a young boy anymore and I know what I want; that's you and Hope. And more than anything I know that I love you and her more than you can imagine."

She couldn't stop him because he was right. She knew he changed and she knew he wasn't the same person he was when she first met him. He had truly grown and compensated for his un trustworthy acts over the years. She had forgiven him, which made this conversation much easier than it would have been years ago. She had trusted him and knew in her heart that he would protect his family. And most of all she loved him. Oh how she loved him through it all. And that dictated just about everything.

She collapsed in his arms and started crying. He couldn't control the rising heat to his cheeks as he held her in his arms in silence.

He knew it was the right time and he would act.

He held her around her waist as they crept back into the party. Her face was flushed and dry from crying. Her eye makeup ran down her face and her lipstick was smudged.

"I'm gonna just go to the bathroom to freshen up a bit. I'm sure I look like a train wreck."

"Alright. I'll go make up the story. When you get back, just play along."

"Gotcha."

She quickly went into the bathroom and that was when the final phase of the plan was in motion.

He went jogging into the room. He had to act fast. It didn't take long for her to use the bathroom and re-do her makeup.

"Oh look who it is? Sonic where the hell were you?"

"Look I don't have the time to explain Knuckles. Cream and Blaze I need you to go to the musicians with the sheet of music. Silver, I'll take the box now. Tails, I need you to talk to the security guards about the lights. Shadow you can go with him in case they don't want to listen."

"Why is it that everyone uses me for the 'if worse comes to worse' factor."

"WHOA WHAT'S GOING ON!"

"Just watch on Rouge."

"WHY AM I BEING LEFT IN THE DARK?"

The group seemed to split up as Sonic rushed off towards the DJ booth.

"Excuse me fellow peers."

A few cheers, mostly female, erupted from the crowd at the sight of the blue hedgehog.

"YEAH SONIC!"

"HOW YA BEEN SONIC!"

He laughed a little into the mic.

"I've been great and I hope you've all been the same. I'm up here because I need to ask a favor of all of you.

Amy put the finishing touches around her eyes with her powder. She decided to just wipe all of her eye makeup off and put fresh powder all over her face.

Then she took her left over bobby pins and pinned her now loosely curled quills so they were away from her face.

She finally put on some lip gloss and declared herself decent.

She heard some cheering so she figured she should hurry up before she missed something important. After all, she already missed a good half of the night. Though, she had a lot of fun during that time. She would remember it forever.

She walked out the door and down the path to the party.

As soon as she stepped onto the hardwood floor, the lights dimmed and she realized that a soft tune began to play.

(Look up Richard Clayderman- Unchained Melody on Youtube =) )

She knew something was out of the ordinary because ALL eyes were on her. Was she in trouble? Was someone else behind her?

Before she could even say anything, she saw Sonic walk out into the middle of the dance floor. A spotlight shined on him and then another shined on her.

He held his hand out to her, signaling that she come over. However, she stood there in shock and her nerves were getting the best of her.

Clearly seeing this, Sonic walked over to her and took her hand. He softly caressed her knuckles with his thumb to soothe her and get her to ignore everything else around her.

He gave her a twirl and then held her in perfect position, one hand on her waist and the other hand holding hers.

He started to sway with her and lead her.

"Sonic…what's going on?"

He didn't say anything to her.

"W-Why is everyone just watching us?"

He kissed her on the lips and then twirled her another time.

"Listen.", said.

At first, she didn't know what he meant by that.

She decided that she would go along with whatever this was. She would just embarrass herself further by dancing awkwardly.

She closed her eyes so she could feel the moment. Soon enough, she started feeling like it was just her and Sonic. It was silent except for the tune being played and as she focused on following Sonic's lead and the beat of the song…it finally hit her.

Her eyes snapped open and she looked Sonic in the eye.

"This is the song.", she whispered.

He smiled so warmly that she thought her heart would melt.

"You sang this song to me that night."

Tears were filling her eyes to the brim.

"Unchained Melody…it was my mom's favorite song…"

"She never seemed bothered by him even when I would see them argue and see him being violent with her. She always had a smile on her face and she always sang that song…maybe that song made her happier…so when you were crying and couldn't stop…I thought maybe…it would help you too…"

"Unchained Melody…"

Sonic nodded his head.

Sonic swayed with her a little more before suddenly twirling her and then getting down on one knee.

He could almost laugh at her reaction. She stumbled and then gasped ever so loudly. Her hands trembled as they went to cover her loud mouth. And then tears ran down her eyes.

Looking around, one would notice their friends.

Cream was a mere shadow of the pink hedgehog. She too had her hand over her mouth and tears running down her face.

Blaze's eyes were glassy and certainly had potential to overflow.

Silver had a camera out, recording the whole thing.

Rouge was in shock herself as she squeezed Knuckles' hand and looked like she was a second away from jumping up and down.

Shadow had a smile on his face, not a smirk or not an evil expression. It was an honest smile and his girlfriend sported the same smile.

Sonic reached into his pants pocket for the jewelry box that he got from Silver minutes ago. His hand was shaking he noticed but the rest of his body was confident.

He opened it to reveal to her a beautiful diamond ring. The band of the ring was skinny and encrusted with diamonds all around. The center of the ring had a large, smooth diamond with small diamonds surrounding it. It was simple yet it looked so expensive.

The music slowly faded out and that was his cue to start speaking. He took the ring out of the box, took Amy's trembling and clammy hand, and held the ring close to it.

"Amy it goes without saying that I love you. This night alone was confirmation enough that I can never stop loving you. From day one you were special to me and I only fell deeper for you as time went on. I appreciate everything about you. I'm proud of your accomplishments and I'm thankful every day that you chose to stay with me despite everything that we went through. You're the only one who can lower my defenses. You get inside my head and creep into my heart every time. You're the only one who pushes me to be better than I was yesterday 'cause lord knows you'll call me out on anything wrong in a heartbeat."

That earned a laugh from her and the audience around.

"You're the only one who healed my grieving heart. You've given me a gift, a miracle. Hope was a perfect name for her. I can go on and on Amy.

I love you in so many ways…as my friend, as my partner in crime, as my other half, as the mother of our child. And now I want to love you as my wife."

More tears fell from her face. He only regretted that she just applied makeup.

"Amy, would you do me that honor and marry me?"

Amy started shaking her head and that confused everyone but then like a burst of energy she dropped to her own knees and threw her arms around Sonic.

She squeezed him and cried hysterically. He could feel her whole body tremble against him.

"Stupid! You're so stupid Sonic!"

He was honestly so confused. How exactly was she feeling?

"Of course! I'll marry you! I'll really marry you. Who else but you? I wanted this for so long!"

She was crying heavily as she yelled out in excitement.

Several guests had tears in their own eyes. A loud round of applause sounded throughout the room. It was thunderous and contagious.

Sonic took this time to slip the ring onto her finger and Amy wasted no time in getting on top of him and kissing the life out of him.

"Happy…you've made me so happy Sonic. This whole night was a dream. It was a fairytale I never thought I'd have. Thank you! Thank you so much! Is this even real? This doesn't happen to me!"

She cried and Sonic had tried to wipe her eyes but it was useless.

He kissed her softly and then pinched her on her arm.

"OUCH! What was that for?"

"To show you that it's real Ames."

The competitive nature in her couldn't let the simple action go so she pinched him back.

"Well damn I didn't pinch you THAT hard. I get you a ring and you give me a bruise. That's just about fair right?"

Amy couldn't help the laughter. He laughed with her, just as they had been doing all night.

It didn't matter that they were in the middle of the fishbowl with everyone watching them. It didn't matter that they were on the floor pinching each other and laughing.

That would always be them. It was so uniquely them.

They didn't have to understand how they worked, they just did…they ALWAYS did.

That night just before they put Hope to bed, they told her the news.

Neither of them would forget her response to it.

"I thought you guys were already married."

I was trembling all over. It was a warm spring day but I still had goose bumps.

I heard the music and that was my cue. Mentally I knew I had to move but physically I just wouldn't. My uncle had to rub my arm to get me to pay attention.

I watched in a daze as my bridesmaids and groomsmen walked down the aisle in their suits and aqua chiffon dresses.

There was Tessa and Shadow first, then my co-worker Arielle and Sonic's previous co-worker Nick , then it was Rouge and Knuckles, Angelina and Leonardo, and then my maid of honors came down the aisle. I couldn't choose so both Cream and a very pregnant Blaze were my maid of honors. Of course they walked down with Silver and Tails who happened to be Sonic's best men.

Then Sugar and my baby girl graced the aisle with their flowers. I can't begin to express how excited Hope was to be a flower girl again, especially for her mommy and daddy.

Sadly, Blaze's baby boy wasn't born yet so there was no youngster for ring bearer. So, my twin cousins did the job.

After them, I knew it was my turn to walk up and I swear if it weren't for my Uncle, I would have hyperventilated and stayed right where I was.

The piano sounded a different tune and my feet started moving. I realized it was very hard to be graceful in a ball gown style dress.

Yes, I had picked it, and it was gorgeous don't get me wrong. Blaze and Cream tied the strapless bodice pretty tight, I found it hard to breathe almost. It was adorned with jewels and lace while the bottom half of the dress reached the width of about a yard.

When Hope saw me she was convinced I was an undercover princess and I kept the secret from her. She was mad for a little while but then she couldn't resist sitting with me and asking questions as the stylists did me up with bronze makeup and pulled my quills into a long, elegant ponytail.

He was going to see me. He was FINALLY going to see me. And I couldn't wait to see how well he cleaned up.

I was going to see her. I don't know how I stood so still but inside I was jogging all over the place.

Everyone looked so good coming down the aisle.

Tessa was as pretty as always and Shadow actually had a smile on that cranky face. He gave me a nod as he passed my way.

Rouge…well she was covered up so I couldn't ask for more. Knuckles also had a smile on his face which surprised me.

Angie! My girl Angie, still shy as ever as she came down the aisle. She was shocked to know that Amy wanted her to be a part of the wedding. It was as if she expected us to just forget that part of our lives when we practically lived in that fancy apartment and got her to do crazy things. Of course stick in the ass Leon walked with her and I had to hold back a laugh when he connected looks with me and playfully rolled his eyes.

Cream and Tails came down the aisle looking like they belonged on the cover of one of those wedding magazines. Tails stood by my side while Cream went to stand where Amy would stand when she came out.

Blaze looked huge as she practically waddled down the aisle. She wasn't wearing heels either because she was complaining about swollen feet. However, despite her previous tantrums she came down the aisle with a bright smile. Silver, on the other hand, was cheesing extra hard at the camera that was videotaping all of this. He discreetly shoved me with his elbow before taking his place next to Tails. Of course he thought it was an outrage that Tails got to stand next to me and not him. Blaze went over to Cream and held her hand as they waited for the star of the show.

The piano started playing "Wagner's Bridal Chorus" and that was when I straightened up in anticipation.

I wanted to cry. As soon as I saw the church and the wonderful floral decorations I could have stumbled to my knees. I was stiff as a statue but my eyes were moving wildly. I took in the amount of guests that showed up. My aunt was right at the edge of her seat taking pictures and mouthing funny things to me so I could smile. I could make out Doctor Whall and her family in the crowd. There were many more people but I couldn't focus on them all.

My eyes quickly scanned my bridal party, or rather I noticed the bright colors but throughout all that and the flashes in my face…I locked eyes with him.

I might have wanted to cry. The moment was just too surreal. My heart hammered and I mean HAMMERED in my chest when I saw that white dress. It was pretty damn hard to miss it anyway since it took up so much space.

When she turned the corner, I'm sure my mouth was open and my eyes were bulged.

In such an Amy-like fashion she masked her nervousness. She didn't look at me and her eyes were dancing everywhere else. However, I could do nothing but stare at her. Saying she looked beautiful was not enough.

And just when I thought I was in awe before…I locked eyes with her.

I was crying.

She was crying.

I couldn't control it. The look in his eyes, him standing there, and just the atmosphere of it all touched my tender heart.

He looked so handsome. He opted for an all-black suit with all white on the inside. He always looked good in a suit. And with the suit always came that smell. I could practically smell it already.

Then he flashed a smile at me and not just a small smile. He was practically cheesing and it brought the tears down faster.

I couldn't help but smile the same way back at him.

We were happy.

Her uncle kissed her on the cheeks before letting her go to me. Immediately I was given a handkerchief, it was probably slipped to me from Tails, and I patted her eyes.

The ceremony didn't take as long as I had anticipated. The passages were meaningful and the songs sung by the choir were beautiful.

But then the ceremony was coming to a close and it was time for vows. We decided that we would write our own and I couldn't help but wonder what she came up with.

At first I tried to write down what I would say but that wasn't working out so I decided last minute that I would just say what was on my mind.

So I started off like this…

"Sonic, when I first met you I honestly thought you were the biggest jerk I could have ever met."

The audience laughed at that and it eased my tension.

"But oddly enough, it was that one night that attracted me to you. Maybe it was physical attraction at first and the fact that you paid me so much attention but that changed the more we got to work with one another.

For those of you who don't know, he was my boss in our work study program at Mobius College.

There were little things that he would do that secretly made me want to smile. Like when he came over to our cafeteria table just to get me to say hi to him. Or when he would go out of his way to tug my quills or my shirt when no one was looking.

Sonic, I can go on and on about the times we've had but I'd have to say that a big turning point in our relationship was when I found out you grew up without your parents just like me.

There was another side to you that I wanted to get to know and soon enough I did.

You weren't just the person I initially met. You were intelligent, motivated, persistent, and one of the strongest people I know.

You helped me through my own troubles. You shouldered my burdens when you didn't have to. When I needed someone the most, you didn't leave me alone.

You think I don't know how dedicated you were to me? You were like a moth to a flame. I would keep burning you and burning you but you still fluttered close.

That's one of the big reasons why I grew to love you so much. No one else would stick by me the way you did. You took a lot of crap from me and rarely retaliated. You knew just what to do sometimes and it was hard not to fall in love with that.

We've had our ups and even more downs but those downs are what made us.

If you ever asked me if I would change all that I would say no. I wouldn't change us for the world. I'd do it all over again as long as I knew I would be standing right here with the same man.

I'd like to say that we were destined to be together but that sounds too cliché. But the honest truth is that once I fell in love with you, I knew there could be no one else.

There couldn't be anyone else that would understand me the way you do. There couldn't be anyone else who I could be so comfortable around. There couldn't be anyone else who would put a smile of my face the way you do.

And I want to thank you Sonic. I want to thank you so much for being there for me. Thank you for loving me like no one else ever did. Thank you for helping me grow. Thank you for being an excellent father. I know what love is because of you.

And that's why I can say so many times that I love you Sonic the Hedgehog and being your wife is the happily ever after for me."

She was crying again but I knew she would. She tended to get really emotional when she spoke about these things because she didn't do it often.

But more shocking was that I had to blink a couple of times to keep myself under control. It was BECAUSE I knew she didn't speak like this often that she touched my heart. More like she gave it a rough tug.

Damn this woman. Was it legal to love someone so much?

It was my turn and I wanted to make it short so she didn't mess up her makeup that I'm sure cost quite a lot.

"Amy Rose…a rose indeed.

Beautiful, most sought after, delicate, but treasured until the last petal.

Look at where we ended up. This is where we're supposed to be. This is where our love took us.

It took us all over the place didn't it? But we ended up here.

You and I both know the journey and that's a story that only we know so well. And because only we know it and felt it, only we know what it means to stand here in front of each other."

Silence

"You look beautiful Ames."

Well so much for not making her cry.

"I love you. I love you from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. You're smart, you're confident, you're perseverance is amazing, you're strong, you're funny, you're so many things.

It doesn't matter how much you yell at me or how angry you get at me. We always make it back to square one don't we? No matter what happens, the result is always the same and that's love.

You said there could be no one else and you took the words right out of my mouth.

There was never anyone else after you Amy, just blank sheets of paper.

There's no one else out there who I'd rather spend the rest of my life with than you.

I love you but you already know that.

Husband and Wife?

All I can say is, FINALLY!"

The rest of the ceremony was a blur. I remember the rings and I remember saying "I do". I remember that kiss. Oh how I remember that kiss. He held nothing back. Poor Hope.

I was so happy, so incredibly happy. My cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. The limo ride was a ball of fun but it felt no different from what we were used to. It felt so natural and comfortable, just like how it was supposed to be.

The hall was just as beautiful as the church and naturally our first dance was to the only song we could have ever chosen.

I had my father daughter dance with my uncle while Sonic had his mother son dance with my aunt.

Then we went outside to take pictures with the bridal party. It was cloudier than when we left the church.

We took a couple of camera shots with the whole party and then separate shots of couples. The girls took shots with Amy while I took some shots with the guys.

Suddenly we saw lightening through the sky. All eyes shot up at once and watched as lighting split through the sky again.

Then following, of course, was thunder.

It's not like we made a move to go inside either. So we were practically looking for what was coming to us.

It didn't take longer for the rain to start falling and yet nobody moved.

I looked over to Amy who I expected to high tail it out of there. After the amount of fuss she put into her dress, quills, and makeup I was sure she wasn't going to have any of this.

However, a smile spread across my face when I saw her bend over to unstrap her shoes. She grabbed Hope who looked confused and spun her around.

Immediately I saw the cameras flashing and heard them clicking wildly.

Silver, always one to follow up, grabbed Blaze and strained to pick her up.

Cream hiked her dress up and jumped onto Tails' back.

Rouge saw and did the same to Knuckles.

Tessa grabbed Shadow's hand and got him to twirl him around.

Angeline stood next to Leonardo and welcomed his embrace.

Arielle and Nick were playing tag.

The cameras went wild at all of that too.

Soon enough, the drizzling turned into actual rain and the rain turned into a storm.

And what were we doing?

We were all playing around in it and soaked to the bone.

Amy's dress lost a great amount of its width and her quills were all out of its neatness.

We all did piggy back races from one end to the other, save for Blaze and Silver. Silver decided to take Hope with him instead.

When we weren't doing that, we were dancing to no music at all and just enjoying each other's company.

No one cared how messed up everything was. The dresses were ruined, hair was ruined, makeup was ruined, suits were ruined but spirit prevailed.

I couldn't help but kiss my wife when she looked at me.

She looked just as beautiful as she did before all the rain.

She looked natural and real. I couldn't take my hands off of her.

I couldn't forget my girl either. I was sure we would have to visit the doctor with her but it was all worth it.

I was in the rain, playing around with the people I love most.

We continued to dance the night away inside after we dried off a bit. It was so carefree and the happiest night of my life. I laughed until I cried. I cried until I laughed. I danced until I fell. I lived my night.

At the end of it all, me and Sonic decided to skip the whole hotel thing. We already been there and done that.

All we really wanted to do was go home with Hope, have a warm shower, and sleep like we always did.

I stayed in his arms that night and he held me like he always did. There was no difference. The day didn't change a thing.

His natural scent lulled me to sleep as always and just before I gave in to the sleepiness, I felt his soft lips on my forehead.

We didn't need to say anything.

About a month later, Blaze had her baby hedgehog boy whom she named Chase. Apparently Silver's genes were the dominant ones.

We also got our pictures and video.

We called everyone over so we could look at them together. The video had both, me and Amy, blushing. Other times everyone was laughing, especially when we saw that the video crew had caught us out in the rain.

The pictures were even more delightful to look at . Some were wonderfully set up, specifically the ones before the rain.

However, my favorites were the ones in the rain where we weren't paying attention anymore.

There was one of Silver straining as he tried to pick up Blaze who was in the middle of yelling at him it seemed.

There was one of Cream on Tails' back as he ran. They were both laughing and dripping wet.

There was one of Rouge TRYING to get on Knuckles' back. From the looks of their faces, it wasn't working out too well.

They caught the asshole smiling as he twirled Tessa around. I had a good laugh at that one. It never helps that he looks at us with the angriest face.

I practically cooed at the picture of Angelina and Leonardo. He had his arm around her shoulder as she held onto his waist.

Even Nick got in on the fun with Amy's friend Arielle. He was chasing her but he looked out of breath as she laughed.

Then there was one of me, Sonic, and Hope. I was holding one of her hands while Sonic held the other and we swung her up into the air.

That picture was the best family picture yet. Amy looked like she was about to fall over in her dress while I looked as if I was struggling to see, and Hope was having a ball. But on each of our faces was a smile. We were caught in mid-laughter.

It almost brought tears to my eyes until I picked up the next picture and actual tears fell.

The camera caught us up close. I was holding her to me while she lazily had her arms around my neck. We had just pulled away from a kiss and the smiles on our faces were huge.

I remember what was so funny. He kissed me and then he shivered at the raindrop that slid down his nose. We pulled away and I started laughing. He was laughing with me.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words but this one was only worth one.

I framed that picture and kept it in our room because it would always remind me of what me and Sonic will always have

…and that's love.

Time goes by so slowly.

Time can do so much.

Perhaps their love was one long unchained melody

Flowing freely,

Knowing no bounds,

and

Going on forever.

Wow, it was emotional to finally finish this story. And by this story, I mean the whole tale starting from "How to Love". I actually almost cried lol.

I'd like to thank each and every person who has read, followed, reviewed, favorited, or had anything to do with this story.

I want to thank my best friend who gave me the inspiration to even start this. It's crazy that it was two years ago.

Now that I'm well into my education, I'm not sure if I'll have to time to write much more. However, my whole experience writing this story on fanfiction is one that I'm glad I got to have. I never thought that I would be received so well by everyone and I can't thank you all enough. You've all helped me in a way that makes me very grateful to all of you.

It truly was pleasant to write this and finish.

I hope you all enjoyed the story and now all that's left to do is edit and hope it lives on.