Red Longlining

Merigold moved to place a laptop in front of Rouge and Amy quickly bagged her own.

“Fucking hell.” Rouge sighed, leaning back to give the wolf room to lean over. “Just want I need. More bullshit to sort through. I could level a god damn apartment complex with all this phosphorus and nitrogen.”

“You said he was just distributing a release, not holding a whole presser.” Espio frowned, crowding closer to sandwich Amy between him and Rouge. The photographer instinctually pushed back to avoid the crush.

“Look, you know as much as I do.” Rouge shrugged. “Maybe Amy inspired him.”

The wolf hit a few keys, and Amy startled at hearing Geoffrey’s voice through the speakers. She frowned and shivered, remembering the way he’d smiled at her while saying the worst things. The supports holding up the weight of her situation creaked ominously, coming just a little bit closer to smashing her to death.

“Hang in there, kid.” Espio said quietly without looking at her. He did turn to Merigold, “We’re recording this, right? Can you get the team on monitoring the live reactions on socials?” Merigold nodded and left the room.

“Oh, fuck me.” Rouge grumbled. She rotated the screen so that Espio could see. A morbid curiosity tricked Amy into moving closer to see better. Oh boy, did she wish she hadn’t.

Geoffrey St. John stood before a podium talking animatedly in well-tailored suit. Behind him stood- Amy’s breath hitched, fear ringing every alarm in her brain. It’s a video stream. She reminded herself. He’s not here*.* Standing to his right behind Geoffrey was his wife, hair and face done to perfection in an expensive and elegant dress, and to his left was Tumble St. John.

The large cream-colored Alpha loomed large, still every bit the massive linebacker he was in high school, shoulders threatening to break free of the suit he wore. The skunk’s expression was downcast, as if he didn’t want to be present for what his brother was about to say.

“That’s him.” She whispered. Rouge gripped Amy’s shoulder, giving her a light squeeze, but it was everything Amy could do not to flinch away or scream out. Thank god, Rouge’s hand retreated quickly, the woman not much for comforting.

“-this injustice cannot continue.” Geoffrey orated. “Not just as your Mayor, but personally, I value honesty and transparency above nearly every virtue-“

“I fucking bet he does.” Rouge commented.

“-lead with these guiding stars firmly affixed in my sight. I mean to back this promise with action.” Geoffrey paused briefly, letting his words settle. “And so,” He begun again, “it is with a heavy heart that today I come before you humbled and contrite. I have a confession to make. I have failed you all by withholding from the public a shameful family secret. For this, I can only beg for your forgiveness.”

“Sword falling incoming.” Espio snorted.

“Sword swallowing, more like.” Rouge retorted with a wry grin and Espio snickered. Amy had the feeling she was playing third wheel to Rouge and Espio’s version of Amy and Sonic’s movie night.

Geoffrey continued, oblivious to the commentary, “-younger brother, Tumble,” He gestured to his left, “is a proud and out Alpha. A pillar of his community, he embodies the ideals of the Alpha and Omega dynamic with a traditional Pack family.” Amy frowned, her stomach tightening. The thought of more than one person agreeing to be life partner to Tumble made her sick. “But in his youth, his biology drove him to perform actions for which he will carry immense shame to the very last day of his life.”

“What?” Amy breathed. No. No, this couldn’t be happening. What was Geoffrey doing?

Rouge grimaced. “Wow. I did not see this coming.”

“He’s sprinting in front of this, god damn it.” Espio grumbled.

“-but it is the system we live in that allowed my brother’s mistakes to go uncorrected then and continues to deny Alphas the direction they need to this day. The current structures and policies simply failed my brother, failed those his involuntary actions affected-“

Amy was gobsmacked. She simply had no words. Geoffrey knew what happened. Everyone at their school had known. Everyone in their town had known. Yes, the brothers hadn’t been held responsible by the law, but the stigma still forced the St. John family to move across the country to a new parish. Amy hadn’t heard anything more about the St. John family until she saw Geoffrey was running for Mayor.

“My opponent supports an overturning of the landmark Drago Wolfe decision that has shaped how the courts handle Alpha on Omega altercations. Like her, I desire to see more justice meted out on guilty parties, but her plan to recklessly dismantle our justice system will have grave consequences, not just those obviously foreseeable, but untold unintended ones as well.”

“And Her plan does nothing to address the larger issues affecting Omegas such as increasing pregnancy rates by the Unclaimed and the continuing Heat crisis. Her plan does nothing to address the systematic structures in place that allow, no, encourages such tragedies to occur. Every preventable assault or involuntary Claim would be directly the fault of her administration’s shortsightedness.”

“Remind me what a dog whistle sounds like?” Rouge huffed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Espio said sarcastically. “He hasn’t mentioned god once.” The pair chuckled.

“-society has an obligation to protect its most vulnerable citizens. Our society, our system failed my brother. Poor policy decisions placed him in an impossible position where his instinctual compulsions could not be resisted. Tragedies like his happen every day. Young men and women with so much potential brought low by forces they had no chance to control.”

“Here it comes.” Rouge steepled her fingers in front of her on the table.

St. John took an exaggerated breath, creating a long pause. “And so, I have come to announce my plan for addressing both the current Omega Heat crisis and all others that have been too small for public notice. I propose for the creation of a Special Economic Zone within the City specifically for Unclaimed Omegas from which all Alphas will be prohibited.”

“Holy shit!” Espio and Rouge cried at once.

“What?” Amy asked, startled at their reactions.

“Turn of the century Petrovia, much?” Rouge sneered. “Motherfucker!”

Espio ripped one of his cellphones from his pocket and began typing furiously. “How did we not see this coming? None of the think tanks he’s been taking money from are into extreme shit like this.”

“Zip it. I need to hear this.” Rouge growled. Amy’s eyes watered at she smelled Rouge’s displeasure scenting the air.

“This Economic Zone will provide something that the City has heretofore failed to in its long-storied history. A safe space. A place where Unclaimed Omega’s can live and go to school without the fear of encountering a rutting Alpha or have a Claim forced upon them. A place where Omega’s can develop in peace until there are ready to start families.”

“It is no wonder our city has been degrading when we have allowed Omegas to be treated so poorly. Too long have they lived in fear. Too long have they been mistreated by cold and ineffective transport and medical systems. Too long have we turned a blind eye to the withering and atrophying of the traditional Pack family, a crucial building block of a just and healthy society!”

Bare-footed and pregnant in the kitchen. Silent and unseen in public life. Placed on a pedestal and left to rot in the body politic.

“I say no more! History will judge this City by how it treats the least of its citizens and I am determined, if you elect me as your Mayor, to lead this City into a glorious future. A future where all Omegas are given the chance to lead fulfilling lives and start families. Free of fear. Free of recrimination. Free of unjust responsibilities.”

“Free of choices!” Amy found herself blurting. Oh god! Geoffrey’s words came flooding back to her. When I am Mayor, I’ll make sure that no Omega has to worry about holding down a job ever again. She felt like she had a noose around her neck, choking her.

“Now some have questions about where the money for this endeavor will come and that is a fair and proper question. The government serves the people, not the other way around! Part of that service is making sure the taxes extracted from hard-working citizens of this fine City are put to the best use. I stand by my vow to operate this City with a balanced budget, and this proposal is no different.”

“Calling it now. It’s privatization all the way down.” Rouge said.

Espio shook his head, not looking up from his phone. “I’m not taking that bet.”

“Currently there is a massive, expensive, grotesquely inefficient network of Omega specific social services. Special buses, special clinics, special schools, special housing vouchers-“

“It’s always the housing vouchers.” Rouge gestured at the screen incredulously.

“He just picked up the rent-seeking vote.” Espio remarked.

“It’s fine.” Rouge cross her arms over her chest. “We can get them back with some zoning reform nonsense.”

“-special network of support is incredibly expensive. Hardly effective and exclusively addresses the needs of a tiny portion of the population. Frankly, this nasty tangle of services is a disrespectful mess. Disrespectful to taxpayers and disrespectful to the Omegas it claims to service.”

Amy was disgusted that she agreed with him on this point. All the Omega services were overtaxed and crumbling, but that was from lack of funding and attention from the state.

“I propose to consolidate these services into the Special Economic Zone. This will not only allow the City to provide better care to Omegas, but the action will be cost positive, saving money for our hard-working taxpayers. Schools just for Omegas. Medical centers just for Omegas. Housing just for Omegas.”

But not transport, Amy thought ruefully. Got to keep them all pinned in.

“And even should you choose my opponent to lead this wonderful city, I will still support this plan. I openly ask Miss Baton to join with me-“

“Go fuck yourself.” Rouge hissed.

“-making this City a shining example for the world of how to support our Omega populations.”

Geoffrey paused. “Thank you all for coming today. At this time, I ask that you respect my brother’s privacy. And in that vein, I will not be taking questions. Thank you and may god bless this City and all of its honest, upstanding citizens.” Geoffrey took his wife’s hand and left the podium, Tumble in tow.

Rouge slammed the laptop closed. “Well, fuck me gently with a chainsaw.” She massaged her temples.

“I fucking told you this would happen.” Espio stabbed a finger at Rouge. “I fucking told you! You had to open your god-damned mouth about Drago, a non-fucking-issue, and now the whole campaign is about Omegas. Only three fucking percent! Three fucking percent of the population and they all vote like their Alphas anyway!” Espio seethed.

Rouge didn’t respond as she chewed on her lip, her focus on the middle of the table. Espio sighed, deflating. “Well, now we know why he wants Amy scared silent.” He grimaced. “Can’t have the other side of the story fucking up his narrative.”

Amy felt like she was hearing their voices through water. Geoffrey was using Amy’s story to segregate all Omegas…for their safety. Twisting the worst moment of her life into a reason to place limitations on all Omegas. Her heart raced. This had to be a nightmare.

“Get me in front of a camera.” Rouge demanded, suddenly.

Espio frowned. “What are you going to say?” He asked cautiously, clearly a little apprehensive.

“I’ll figure it out between now and when you get me in front of a fucking camera!” Rouge snapped.

Espio snorted and left to arrange a press conference.

Rouge took a deep breath and massaged the bridge of her snout with her eyes pinched shut. Her wings shuffled behind her, tensing and relaxing over and over.

Amy had to know. “You’re not going to support this, right?” She asked.

Rouge frowned, but kept her eyes closed. “I’m insulted, Amy. I had thought you would know me better by now.”

A classic Rouge deflection. But Amy had to know. She needed Rouge’s promise on this. Rouge could swear up and down about all sorts of topics, but this? Amy had to know. “I need you to say it.” She pressed. Rouge opened her eyes and took a proper long look at Amy. “You said you’d do anything to be elected. Did you mean it?”

“A spine looks good on you, Amy.” The bat chuckled.

“Answer me, Rouge!” Amy’s face grew heated. Parts of her flinched at her talking to an Alpha like this. She felt herself giving off a fresh waft of distress scent.

“No, Amy.” The mayoral candidate looked directly into Amy’s eyes. “I do not support state enforced apartheid.” She said it like it was obvious. Like Amy was silly for even asking. Amy’s face burned in embarrassment and she hated the feeling. Stupid little Omega.

Blinking back tears, Amy searched Rouge’s face for deception, but the candidate’s countenance was well schooled. Rouge was rude, vulgar, and downright mean on the daily, but she did seem to really care almost despite herself. “Thank you.” Amy exhaled, her gaze falling to her hands in her lap. She was very tired.

“Congratulations, by the way.” Rouge said, waving off the previous topic like a cloud of cigarette smoke.

Amy looked up numbly. She couldn’t possibly have heard Rouge correctly. “Excuse me?”

Rouge examined her own reflection on her phone. “You’re promoted.” She used her pinkie to adjust her lipstick.

Amy hadn’t been expecting that. “W-what?”

“You’re full-time starting Monday, Amy. Comes with a nice pay raise.”

Amy frowned. “I don’t understand. You just said I was going to work for free.”

“What is there to not understand?” Rouge huffed. “You’re fucking my megadonor and my opponent just plastered your dirty laundry all over the City. I’m not letting you out of my god-damned sight, missy, and I’m sure as hell not going to catch shit from Shadow by treating you poorly. That being said, I’m also going to work you like a rented mule, so work on your stage smile.” Rouge gave Amy one of her brilliant smiles that crinkled her eyes perfectly.

Amy blinked slowly. Her head buzzed with static. Too much, it seemed to say. She felt like taking a nap, one that lasted a hundred years. “I don’t know how I feel about that.”

“I don’t give a shit.” Rouge shrugged as she dabbed away some smudged mascara. “Toughen up, buttercup. You’re in the big leagues now. You have no idea what’s in store for you.” She looked at Amy and winked. ”Get ready for the attention.”

“W-what?” What fresh hell was Rouge talking about?

“You’re about to have a lot of people digging through your garbage for your used panties, my dear.” Oh. Eww.

Amy grimaced. Did Rouge really have to be so vulgar all the time? “But Geoffrey didn’t even mention me. How will they know it was me he was talking about? Why would anyone do that?”

“He doesn’t need to mention you, deary. Hell, he should have told everyone to respect your privacy, too! It would have sounded noble and not changed the fact that there’s probably a hundred journalists of varying levels of scrupulousness digging into the incident right now. It’s just a matter of time until your involvement becomes public knowledge.”

Amy froze. If anyone linked her to the assault, she’d be outted as an Omega for all the world to see. Over twenty-one and Unclaimed. Illegally entering restricted areas like the Beta Bus. Lying on her and Sonic’s rental agreement. She swallowed thickly.

“Was there a police report?” Rouge asked.

“Yes…but I’m not in it.” Amy’s mouth went dry.

Rouge squinted. “Elaborate.”

“Sonic…my blue friend…he was arrested for assaulting Rough and Tumble. He was protecting me from them when they tried to...” She trailed off. “The charges were dropped, though.”

Rouge searched Amy’s face and then took a deep breath. “No good deed goes unpunished and all that. Your friend is about to be very popular. If you’re name wasn’t on the report, you might have a little time as they sift through all the Omega’s at your school.”

Amy shook her head. “There weren’t any other Omegas. It was just me.”

“What itty bitty bumfuck nowhere high school did you go to?” Rouge grimaced. “Shit. What a mess. Your boy should look into acquiring some legal counsel and, hell, so should you.”

“What?” Amy frowned. “Why?”

“People are stupid, Amy.” Rouge stated firmly. “And a stupid person looking to garner favor from St. Beats-His-Wife might think roughing up the guy who laid out said potential Mayor’s brothers is a good idea. Whether they succeed or not is irrelevant. Time to lawyer up before someone cuts their hand on the window they broke trying to trespass into your apartment and suing you.”

Amy’s ears drooped. She wasn’t sure Sonic could afford something like that. He probably hadn’t even seen the press conference. He’d be completely blindsided.

“Look.” Rouge’s countenance grew serious. “Between Shadow and I, you’re well covered, Amy. If you bat your eyelashes and wag your tail well enough, he’ll probably spring for your boy blue, but you should prepare to move residences. And get a new cellphone number.”

Amy’s heart was racing. She thought back to that private message on her Prompta with her address. And that came before the press conference.

She hadn’t even had her first date with Shadow and now she was going to ask him to…do what exactly? A nasty thought formed in her mind. What if he rejected her once he learned about all the problems she came with? “Please don’t tell Shadow.”

“That you’d feel the need to ask me that really murders my feelings, Amy. Unlike that flaccid dick of a skunk, I don’t tell other people’s stories without consent. That being said,” She pointed at Amy, “you need to tell Shadow. He can protect you from this in ways I simply can’t afford. You want to pull the rip cord and fuck off across the Drink or down to the south islands? Well, I know for a fact that his jet can be gassed and prepped with thirty minutes notice.”

The prospect of running from her problems was appealing, Amy had to admit. But that’s what Geoffrey wanted. For her to run and stay silent. “I don’t want to tell him…not yet, at least.” She frowned.

Rouge shrugged. “You can lead a horse to water but, some people just seem emotionally dependent on their dehydration.”

“You’re right, though.”

“I often, am.” The former Assistant District Attorney boasted.

Amy ignored Rouge’s comment. “I have to tell Shadow. Geoffrey’s gone and made some of the worst moments of my life free game for the world. Shadow’ll find out eventually and it’s better if it comes from me.”

“That is some solid logic there. It gets the Rouge seal of approval. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was eager to bend over backwards for you.”

“That’s not- I don’t-“ Amy stammered. “Yes, he’s been nice, but I don’t want to exploit that…”

“Look. I care about you, you know. Despite my better judgement, I might add.” Rouge continued to be Rouge. “And I care about him. I don’t want either of you to suffer unless I’m the one doing the tormenting. I try to maintain an exclusive monopoly over Shadow’s emotional turmoil and I take offense at you trying to muscle in on my territory.”

Amy didn’t like the sound of that. “I…give Shadow emotional turmoil?”

“Honey,” Rouge snorted, waving a hand flippantly, her painted nails flashing in the harsh lighting, “he’s been a shambling wreck since the minute he met you. But you’re missing my point. Let Shadow help you and let him start soon. If he finds out later,”

Amy blushed. Shadow had mentioned something like that at the wedding. A slimy spear of regret tried to bubble up through all the turmoil in her mind. They could have been together for a month now…She shook her head. Dwelling on what could have been wasn’t going to help anything, especially when all of her anxiety was focused on what terrible things could happen in the future.

“But you’re missing my point. Tell Shadow sooner rather than later, because if you wait, he will eat himself alive with guilt for not having known or not having done something impossible. Try not to give him too many reasons to fall on his sword, please.”

Amy didn’t have a reply as she mulled over Rouge’s words. Every time she’d been with Shadow, he’d been overeager to please her, and Amy had found the attention…well, she certainly wasn’t used to it. She hadn’t thought about Shadow’s side of the equation, that he might be fulfilling a need of his own when he took care of Amy. With that in mind, maybe she could be more open to his gifts.

“I’ll see you bright and early on Monday.” Rouge roused Amy from her thoughts. “Now get lost until then and for god’s sake stay out of trouble for five fucking minutes.” Rouge punctuated the sentence with an aggressive tilt of her ears. Then she waved her hand at Amy dismissively as the door to the conference room opened and a flood of staffers entered to set up Rouge’s impromptu press conference.

Amy found herself out on the street. She wrapped her scarf high to cover her face and pulled her hat down tightly. A sharp wind cut down the street, the bracing cold moderating her racing thoughts marginally. She really needed to head home and start working on the pictures from Blaze’s wedding, but instead she was walking down the sparsely populated sidewalk without a destination in mind.

A full-time job…but the circumstances that brought it about were just…horrible. Amy sighed. What a day. What a week. What a month. Amy wished she could stop time and sort through all of her thoughts. Or that she could sleep for a week, just roll up with Shadow and shut out the world. Her chest warmed at the thought.

That’s what she needed to do. Well, not exactly. She needed to reach out to the people in her life that made her feel safe, warm, and protected.

Amy took out her phone and texted Sonic. Will you be home at the normal time? The reply came back quickly. yup yup!

She didn’t feel comfortable typing out the situation. It was more an in-person conversation. There wasn’t going to be a good way to break this sort of news, but she had an idea about at least pairing it with something fun.

Want to do a movie night?

Totally! u make popcorn?

Sure, if you choose the movie. I’m feeling in the mood for something flashy and mindless.

Ames girl have i got you covered!!!

Amy smiled warmly, but then her lips collapsed into a grimace. Rouge was right. Someone was going to find out about Sonic’s fight with the St. John Brothers. His past was about to get dredged up too.

Her chest constricted. Why was this happening? What had she done to deserve this? Amy bit back a bitter sob. Forcing herself to take a slow breath, she wrestled the self-pity back into the recesses of her heart. She’d had plenty of practice over the years at resisting the urge to bemoan the nature of her existence. This was no different. Maybe the fear and potential danger were higher than normal, but she needed to focus on the positives.

Like how she wasn’t alone.

She’d never been truly alone because Sonic had always been by her side, but recently she found herself surrounded by friendly faces even willing to put themselves between her and Geoffrey. That was what she had to focus on. Sonic, Mrs. Vanilla, Vector, Liam, Rouge, and…Shadow.

Amy felt almost warm again, but then a new thought emerged. Should she call her parents? Amy stopped and her hand tightened on the straps of her bags. It had been a few weeks since she last talked to her mother. It wasn’t that her parents were unpleasant to talk to. The opposite in fact. Amy found herself loving the stories about the goings-on of her small hometown.

But every conversation would inevitably turn to how Zephyr was doing and Amy would have to lie. Again.

A text couldn’t hurt, though. Especially since she had at least some good news to share. I have a full-time job! She typed out to her family’s text chain. Her oldest sister sent an excited emoji almost immediately. She silenced notifications on the conversation. She’d save the slew of congratulations for the next time she was feeling down.

Full-time.

Right.

Amy needed to tell Vector that she wouldn’t be able to take jobs from him anymore. And that meant she wouldn’t be able to see Liam any longer either…Liam who was still in the middle of his terrible rut. She thought about all those messages he’d sent. He was expecting to see her once he got back to his job and now…Amy found herself wither a little at the thought. They’d become proper friends over the weeks. Perhaps they could remain friends even if she wasn’t paid to stalk him?

Amy went to text Vector and found she had a fresh message from him. He wanted to talk to her in person and when could she come by Vanilla’s? Amy found the idea of sitting in Mrs. Vanilla’s kitchen with a cup of tea extremely enticing right about now. She checked the bus routes before replying that she’d be by in the afternoon.

Her face heated when she realized she’d effectively invited herself over without asking Mrs. Vanilla if that was okay. She quickly dialed the older rabbit’s number.

“Of course, dear! My door is always open for you, Amy.” Mrs. Vanilla told her. “Do you have your camera with you? Once Cream gets home, how about you take the pictures for our Solstice cards?”

“That’s a great idea!” She’d brought the camera she’d used at the wedding along just in case Rouge wanted it for some reason. Lugging her laptop and camera was a bit much, but she’d rather the burden than risk not having it when she needed it.

“Wonderful! I’ll put the kettle on and see you soon.”

Tea with Mrs. Vanilla. Movie with Sonic. Coupled with the nice morning with Shadow, the last horrible hour seemed to get blotted out.

Amy was starting to feel like she wouldn’t shatter into a million pieces. She wasn’t alone in this. And speaking about not being alone-

Shadow picked up on the first ring. “Amy!” He sounded breathless. “Are you okay?”

“No.” She said, “but I will be.”

“I’m sorry. Rouge can be…intense.”

Rouge? O-oh. Right, he didn’t know. “Did, by any chance, you watch Geoffrey St. John’s press conference?”

“Press conference? No, I didn’t. I’ve been a bit busy this morning, I’m afraid.”

“Geoffrey St. John gave a press conference just now and-“ Where was she going with this? “Do you think you could watch it? Not right this second, but at least soon?”

“Certainly…” He sounded confused. “Is there some context that I am not aware of?”

“I’m not ready to talk about it right now.” The words came out in a desperate rush and Amy immediately cringed. “Just please watch it. I’m sure there are recordings online already.”

There was a long pause, until Shadow finally said, in a resigned voice. “As you wish.”

Amy’s chest tightened at his tone. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t accept.” Came Shadow’s quick reply.

Amy frowned. “What?”

“You have nothing to apologize for, and I do not accept unsubstantial apologies.”

Amy found herself grinning. “Rouge is right. You are an asshole.”

Her smile widened when she heard him chuckle. “If that was the worst thing she said about me, I shall have to inquire about her health. Only on her deathbed would she be so nice as to call me just an asshole.”

Amy laughed and she could hear Shadow join her through the receiver. “She’s quite the character.”

“My dear, you have no idea. If you can imagine it, Rouge has cowed herself since she started running for office. She’s almost a proper lady now.”

“You’re right, I can’t imagine it.”

Amy frowned. She couldn’t just sit and let the world run her over. If she was going to get trampled, at least let it be on her own terms. “Look, the reason I called was that I need to talk to you…but I’d like to do so in person.”

“And this is about…the press conference?”

“Y-yes…I was…hoping you would be free Saturday?”

“I’m always available for you, Amy.” Amy’s face flushed, his deep voice doing a number on her. A comfortable warmth permeating her chest.

“Maybe we could have our date then.” She offered.

“There is nothing I would love to do more. Where would you like to go?”

Amy bit her lip. She didn’t really get out much without Sonic. The risk of being clocked as an Omega had made her a solid homebody, but the prospect of changing that thrilled her. “You pick.”

“As you wish. I’m looking forward to it already.”

After the call ended, Amy’s lips lifted in a soft smile. Her life was a tempest, problems and threats swirling chaotically around her, but she had a spark of excitement to keep her warm and grounded.

For the longest time, her rock in the storm had been Sonic. Now she had a second safe harbor, new and exciting and overflowing with endless possibilities. Darkness tried to seep up from the bilge of her heart, whispering that she was in the honeymoon period and she hadn’t met the real Shadow yet, but she bailed the dirty mixture back into the sea.

Sonic and Shadow. Her boys.

Amy cringed. Was it right to think of them like that? Shame bubbled up. They were men, not boys. And they certainly weren’t hers. But they’d both promised to be there for her and that had to count for something.

Still, she found herself praying Sonic and Shadow would never meet again. And her prayers were rarely answered.