Chapter 38: New Beginnings

Amy's POV:

Sinking below the bath water, my ears vibrate to the odd sound of the faucet filling the tub. The water stings my eyes and the sensation of water beginning to fill my ears is discomforting, but being unaware of the world above the water is a bliss... If only the sound of the running water was loud enough to drown out my own thoughts.

Resurfacing as I reach for the bath salts, I freeze when I hear the chime of my door bell sound from downstairs. Staring down at the bath water and my very obviously naked body, I wait for it to stop so I can resume my daily routine of playing music unnecessarily loud while I begin to prune in my scented bath water.

Annoyingly, the ringing not only doesn't stop but becomes even more obnoxious.

Angrily getting out of the cozy bath water and snatching my robe from the door, I stomp down the stairs sopping wet as the ringing continues.

Fumbling with the lock in a fit of rage, I fling the door open to see Sonic smiling one of the guiltiest smiles I've ever seen. And not very far behind him, is Shadow.

"...Nope."

...

Sonic's POV:

Catching the door as she aggressively tries to slam it, I laugh nervously as I see I've not only interrupted her sacred bath time, but I've also brought the hedgehog at the very top of her most wanted list to her doorstep.

"I can explain. Please don't hit me."

...

"So he did everything for Maria?"

I nod as she stares at Shadow.

"Cool. Now get out of my house."

"Ames I know you're understandably angry but--"

Abruptly shutting my mouth as she cuts her eyes in my direction, Shadow seems unfazed by her glare.

"We're trying to explain something much bigger than our quarrel, Amelia."

Standing to her feet from the couch, her jaw is tightly clenched. "I never said I wasn't listening. I've been a hero long enough to understand how big of a threat Calix is and he will be dealt with by our team. And as far as I'm concerned, you're no longer a part of it."

Pursing his lips, Shadow continues to look at Amy. "When did you grow so cold?"

Freezing, I can feel my fur stand on end as Amy clenches her jaw. The last time I felt this sort of electricity in the air, Amy nearly killed all of us.

"I welcomed you into my life when you were full of so much hate that it was eating you alive. I even offered you friendship, and when it felt like that friendship was morphing into something more I shoved it so far down until I could barely feel anything! Because I knew that this would happen. It always does. And even after being fooled so many times, you think I would have learned by now."

Glancing at Shadow, I can see it in his eyes that he knows she's right. We're all guilty of hurting her, yet we've all had the nerve to wonder why she's not the same loving Amy that she was 5 years ago.

She adapted to make sure she would never be hurt again, and Shadow broke the very little amount of trust that she gave to him.

"Get out of my house."

"Rose just please listen--"

Silently, she walks to her door. Opening it, she motions for him to leave. Her jaw is tightly clenched, the air still dangerously staticky.

Shadow may be stubborn, but he's not stupid. Getting to his feet, I begin to get comfortable on Amy's couch knowing the batch of whatever she has in the oven will be ready soon.

Rolling her eyes, she points to me. "You too."

"Me?? But--"

"Out, Sonic."

Standing up as my ears droop, she sighs as she crosses her arms. "I'll drop some cookies off later." Smiling as I jump to hug her, she puts her arm out to stop me.

"I'm still mad at you."

...

Shadow's POV:

Watching Sonic dash away in a blur of blue fur, I grit my teeth and run to catch the door before Amelia can shut it. I can't leave it like this.

Her eyebrows scrunch together, and a part of me cringes as she looks as me with such a hateful glare.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Forcing the door open, I kick it shut behind me as she backs away from me.

"I'm not going to leave it like this Rose, I can't. I fully understand why you're upset because you have every right to be, but you're so stubborn you're not going to accept any explanation or apology that I give you."

Not realizing how close she is the couch, she backs straight into it and stumbles onto the cushions. Leaning over her, I place my arm on the upper part of the couch beside her head.

Glancing from my arm to my face, even with such a scornful look in her eyes she's still as radiant as ever.

"I asked you to leave."

"I said no."

Clenching her jaw, her eyes meet mine.

And when they do, they're full of hurt and anguish.

"I trusted you. If you would've just come to me and told me the truth instead of letting me find out from our enemy none of this would've happened. I want to be able to trust you again Shadow but I just..."

Hearing the end of her sentence quiver, she bites back her tears and breaks our gaze.

Hesitantly, I reach forwards and place my hand on the side of her face. Gently turning her head to look at me, I slide my thumb over the gentle curve of her cheek bone.

"I should have been honest with you. I was afraid that even after coming to you that you would still lose trust in me for befriending Calix. But instead you found out in an even more hurtful way that I could have prevented. I broke the trust that you so graciously gifted me when I am the last person to deserve it. I'm sorry, my rose."

As she looks up at me I'm close enough to see the beautiful rings of forest green within her eyes, the alluring scent of roses and vanilla that she must have put in her bathwater lingering around us.

"... I don't... I don't know if I can trust you again."

Brushing my thumb over her cheek once more, her features soften ever so slightly as I speak in a low whisper.

"I'd like to try, if you'll allow it."

Listening to hear her heart beating rapidly as she stares up at me, I can't help but gaze over her delicate facial features. From her flushed cheeks down to the curve of her lips, and back up to her forest green eyes.

Leaning even closer, I notice small things that I've never noticed before. A small nick in the form of a scar above her right eyebrow, most likely from one of the hundreds of battles she's fought in. A rough spot on her otherwise perfect lips from the nervous habit of biting and chewing.

Her gentle breath grazing my face, barely light enough for me to feel but warm enough to let the sensation linger.

And despite her pensive gaze, she makes no effort to stop me from closing the distance between us.

Her lips are both soft and calloused at the same time, tasting of a sweetness that I can't quite decipher. As she tilts her head, the curve of her mouth fits perfectly against mine as our lips lightly brush together.

Every ounce of my being is trembling with the restraint of wanting to taste her tongue, to hear what kind of noises she'll make as my hand slides from her cheek to the back of her neck. The feeling of her head dropping back into my hand as I climb further on top of her, the sensation of her lips parting for me to explore the inside of her mouth with my tongue.

But all the same, the tenderness in which her lips are brushing against mine is a type of intimacy that I never knew I craved. The gentleness of my other hand resting against the small of her back while hers lay resting on my chest. It's a type of soft and fragile kind of love that I've never had. The kind that I never knew I needed.

The moment couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds, though it feels like an eternity before our lips part. Left centimeters away from her sparkling eyes, I lean my forehead to rest against hers as I watch a loving smile spread across her face.

"I will do right by you Rose. I swear it."