Shadow had been on pins and needles through the date since he'd opened his mouth. 'Did I say something wrong?' All he understood was that Sara was broadcasting mixed signals and filled with contradictions since the theater. She was working things out in her head but looked like she wanted to say something. She was avoiding contact with him, though her posture or a glance told him she wished to be held. Nothing was clear at all, and for once Shadow couldn't see an ounce of her cocky cousin in the sky blue hedgehog.

The theater was inside the Acorn Mall, so there were plenty of opportunities after the film was over to attempt to ease things between them. Shadow recalled the kinds of things that usually made her happy, but it was Sara's turn to act on autopilot. After exchanging a couple tens for Mobian currency the ebony hedgehog began steering her toward things he knew she liked. He offered her ice cream, she ate it. He took her by Mr. Game n' Watch's emporium, she didn't want anything. He took her to Spencer's novelties and she didn't blush once, only giving a faint smile. She wasn't interested in a large meal, so they picked up some food to go, and that too was eaten in silence.

The tense atmosphere had hardly evaporated by the time they reached the doorstep to Sara's home, but at that point, Shadow felt he had to say or do something. He took a firm hold of her hand, keeping her from reaching for the knob a minute. "...Wait."

Sara turned to him, finally making eye contact. "Y-yes?"

"I don't know what I said or did, but I'm sorry, okay?"

A smile finally graced her lips. "No, you're fine, really..." She began to pull away, but he kept his grip on her hand, her eyes downcast.

"I don't believe you…." Shadow replied softly. A small growl escaped him at her continued silence. "..Talk to me, damnit..."

Sara's expression was shifty. She seemed to want something, but the door behind them opened as she was about to speak. "Sara...?" the voice of her father called. He didn't get a clear look at the two, so he couldn't tell there was friction between them.

His interference changed her demeanor, at least outwardly, "Ah...hey, Dad, I'm home." Her hand finally slipped from Shadow's, leaving behind the bracelet he'd given her.

Charles smiled as his daughter made her way inside, giving him a quick hug in front of her date. "Have fun, you two?"

There was a considerate pause before either spoke. "Yeah...lots..." Shadow droned. "...Good night."

Chuck took note of the fleeing form, sensing something was off, but he didn't say anything until the door had closed. While a hug was nothing new, her tearing away from her date so abruptly was. "...Okay, what did I miss?"

"Ahh...nothing...it's just..." Sara sighed, "the crush has worn off." She managed another fake smile while heading for the stairs. "That's all."

"Sara..." the light blue hedgehog responded in a deep, concerned tone, "I doubt it's what you think..."

"N-no..." Her ears pinned back and her expression sank. "I...it was just a stupid crush...I’m probably just too...plain to keep his interest...I dunno."

"Sweetheart..." Chuck moved over to his little girl and wrapped his arms around her. She wasn't so little anymore, but he was still her father. "I...look...I don't know what happened, and I don't know Shadow very well...but I doubt he'd invest so much time and effort if he didn't really have feelings for you."

A few days later a very content Sonic was speeding through the Great Forest at unbelievable speeds, kicking up dust and generally blazing trails as he went, in a somewhat literal sense. Yet, there was a good chunk of partly melted ice and snow clinging to his quills, and a sneeze from him shook a fine mist of it off, evaporating quickly in the warm climate. In his hands were a bouquet of Laurelai Frostblooms that only grew in caves high on the snowy mountains far to the north. Arc Tundra was the closest ice region to Knothole, and that's exactly where Sonic was returning from, so full of himself that his smile was frozen on his face as much as the ice clinging to his quills.

"Long as the voooice inside me says go I will always keep on running..." Sonic sang cheerfully, his brilliant emerald eyes glittering in the dappled light of the forest. "There is no way to keep me from goin' to the very top...!"

Very quickly, Sonic entered the outskirts of Knothole and was fast approaching Amy's house. The pink hedgehog was standing on her porch, looking down the street and away from Sonic's direction. He took advantage of this, taking a flying leap into the air and doing a spin before landing, shaking off the ice as a gentle snow. "Merry Christmas!" the blue hedgehog called cheerfully, causing Amy to look up at him startled before he landed in front of her and held out a hand containing a fist full of flowers.

"Ahahaa...Sonic!" Amy wasn't sure whether or not to berate him for startling her, but she smiled at the white blooms. She did like flowers, and the Frostblooms were gorgeous; still glistening with tiny ice crystals, they were a pure white with blue-tinged edges. "Aww...they're...gorgeous! But how did you...where did you...?"

"Ehh...same place I got the ice," Sonic said, giving a mock shiver and smiling brightly.

Amy smiled, but glanced back down the road after a moment.

Sonic's smile faulted ever so slightly. He was quite used to blowing people away, and the distracted look in Amy's eyes didn't bode favorably for him. Something was on her mind. "Somethin' eatin' ya, Ames?"

"A little..." Amy paused, then tugged at Sonic's elbow lightly. "Come on in! These flowers won't put themselves in a vase, you know!" She smiled warmly and headed inside, expecting him to follow. "And thanks!"

"Welcome. What's up?" Sonic queried again after he was in the residence. He sat himself down on the couch and kicked his feet up on the coffee table while waiting for Amy.

"Well... Sara just stopped by a minute ago," the rose color hedgehog responded, checking under the sink in her kitchenette for a suitable vase and filling it with ice cold water. She started walking back to the living room, stopping abruptly with a disapproving look etched on her face. "SONIC T. HEDGEHOG! Get your feet off the table this instant!"

"Wah...!" Sonic bolted to his feet and was suddenly berated by Amy yet again while she almost broke the vase she'd just filled in her anger. He didn't understand really, until he realized the melted ice and snow left a nice watery impression on the couch, and that he'd trailed mud into the house. "Sorry, sorry!"

"And who's going to clean this mess anyhow?!"

"Shee...ze...sorry! Amykins...come on! Throw me a bone here, will ya?" Sonic blushed, shrinking back from her. "Uhh urr...what about my cuz?" he asked, hoping to divert the topic.

Amy's assault on Sonic suddenly ceased and her brows creased together in concern. "Well.. to be honest, she says she hasn't seen Shadow in almost a week and she says he hasn't contacted her or anything..."

Sonic shrugged. "So? He doesn't have a cell phone or a regular address."

"I know." Amy headed to the kitchen while talking, so she could get some carpet cleaner from under the sink.

"Not afraid he's gotten hurt, are ya? He's tougher than nails, believe you me," Sonic assured.

"Yes, I know that too...it's just...hey! Stay put! You're making the mess worse!"

Sonic jumped back to where he was staying while she sprayed the foaming product on the carpeting. He tapped a foot impatiently. "It's juuuust...? What? Shads can take care of himself."

"Yes but...since he started dating Sara, he's been keeping in touch... He's over every day but..." Amy came to a stop at a spot just in front of Sonic and stared up at him from the ground. "Sara thinks he's dumped her..."

"W-what?" he blinked in disbelief. "No way!"

"She says they were at the movies and he said it was just a crush or something like that..." Amy sighed. "She's really upset about it, and of course, she can't find Shadow so now she's all confused and hurt and..."

"You want me to find the dolt and drag him back here?" Sonic replied, offering her a hand up. He could tell the answer just by Amy's smile. 'Ahh the things I do for love….'

Shadow was surprisingly easy to trace, since he had a job, and Sonic had a Station Square address. It wasn't like Sonic to wait, so he launched himself at the pizza boy from the fire escape of the Wild Arms apartment building. "Dude, you are so slow, man!"

Needless to say, Shadow was shocked, having expected Sonic to be on Mobius rather than Earth. Somehow he managed to save the pizzas from hitting the pavement, but countering Sonic would be a problem. "What the hell!?"

"I called for my pizza like over a half hour ago! Don't I get it free?" Sonic grinned.

Shadow skidded to a halt. He made a glance at the slip of paper the address was written on. Tony had refused to say the customer's name, only the address... His expression sank. "Here's your damned pizzas...now where's my money?"

"I got it, but...you only get it if you're a good lil’ pizza boy." Sonic smirked.

"I said here's your pizzas," Shadow returned coldly, gritting his teeth as he said so. He held out the boxes but Sonic stood his ground. Tony wouldn't be expecting him back quickly; he'd made an extra effort to tell him to take his time if he needed, so obviously this was planned. He didn't feel like playing along.

"I'll take them if you tell me why you're avoiding Sara."

Shadow's muzzle curled in a sneer. "I'm not avoiding her."

"Really? Somehow I get the impression she thinks you dumped her." Sonic took one of the pizza boxes and glanced around. He headed to a nearby bench for a seat, crossing his legs and setting the one box on his lap. Shadow had yet to be paid and moved next to him reluctantly.

"I didn't...she just started…getting distant."

Sonic arched a brow and opened the box on his lap. "Wanna slice?"

"I want my money..." he grumbled, but Sonic waved the piece of pizza around, dripping with sauce and runny cheese until he took it.

"...I don't like these 'he says, she says' sorta things, but from what Amy told me, she said that you said that it was 'all a crush'...so was it?" Sonic asked before stuffing another piece of cheesy goodness in his mouth.

"...What if I did?"

Sonic's green eyes looked at him as if he was crazy. "Sheesh...no wonder Sara's a wreck." The opposing hedgehog's attention was now focused and attentive. "Dude, you have no clue about women! Even Knuckles knows better than that!" Sonic laughed.

"...What's wrong with a crush? We both like each other, right?" Shadow queried.

Sonic smiled a little, but in a pitying way. "There's two basic outcomes to a crush...and in your situation, there's only one outcome…a bad one." Shadow pressed him with a look to continue. The blue blur inhaled deeply. "Well, like Amy and me, it's...she had a crush on me, and I wasn't crushin' on her, so I kept turning her down. Normal girls woulda given up by now, but..." Sonic laughed.

"Get on with it."

The azure hedgehog cleared his throat. "Well...you've had a crush on Sara, and she accepted ya for High One knows what reason...but now that you've gotten to know each other the crush is wearing off, so saying as much...she thinks that means you're not interested anymore."

A frown spread on Shadow's face. So that's what this was about. He actually had tried to see Sara the two days following their last date, but Chuck had intercepted him both times, indicating that she hadn't wanted company. So, did that mean he should have pressed further? "...How do I tell her it's not that?"

Sonic shrugged. "You just do." Sonic paused a minute to take another bite. "Mmm...my compliments to Tony... Anyway...you like Sara, right?"

"Of course," Shadow returned without hesitation.

"So tell her that." Sonic could see the frown hadn't quite left Shadow yet. He was thinking...if it had been him, Sonic thought, he'd already be gone. "Girls...ya know...you have to tell 'em things. I know it's stupid, but it's like you gotta actually remind them every five seconds that you love 'em." He laughed.

"...Is she mad at me?"

Sonic shrugged. "Dunno about that. I know she takes friendships really seriously, though. A girl can't just stop likin' ya even if they're bitchy sometimes. Heh...Amy was mad at me for tracking mud in the house, totally forgot about the flowers I brought her ‘cause of it...but ya know, she still cares. I'm sure Sara's the same way."

"I hope so..." Shadow sighed slightly, looking now toward the direction of the World Gate.

"So why are you still here?" Sonic held up a twenty dollar bill. "I'm sure Tony'll let ya off for this...but if you want, I do know a good place for picking flowers...great peace gifts." He grinned smugly.

It was evening, and fireflies had just begun twinkling in the failing light. Sara's eyes followed the flashes of light while she waited on Shadow. Sonic had assured her he'd be by sometime that day and told her where to meet him. While she said inwardly that she wouldn't get her hopes up...she had. Thanks to some rain they had earlier, the evening was rather balmy and the heat of the day was refusing to let go.

Shadow showed up at the ring pool, looking a bit dirty and holding something in his arms. When he got close enough that Sara could see, she noted it was a pot filled with several daffodils. Unlike her showy cousin, the dark hedgehog slowed to a graceful stop in front of her, offering the gift with a searching look in his eyes. "...I dug them up myself."

Sara smiled at the gift; they were starting to wilt a bit since he hadn't watered the misplaced plants. "They look thirsty."

"...Oh..."

"I'll get it..." Sara started, but then remembered home was a bit of a ways off...she turned instead to the ring pool. "Ahh...just come here," she said, motioning for him to join her at the water's edge.

Their time together had been accented by silence lately. It was an apprehensive silence, cut by the sounds of water sloshing into the pot. "It wasn't a crush," Shadow's voice said softly into her ear.

The clouds weren't the only things tinged pink as Sara's ears twitched lightly on hearing that. "You mean it...?" Her expression softened, feeling an arm close around her moments later. "Then why...?"

"I thought you wanted to be alone."

Sara shook her head. "No...I'm not a lonely kind," she said gently. In spite of the warm weather, she shivered slightly. "At the movies you kind of...seemed...I dunno...like things changed."

There was a thoughtful silence that passed between them before Shadow spoke again, "They have." She frowned at the firmness of his tone, but he pulled her to him more. "But not like you think...I'm...not used to a lot of things."

"So...what's bugging you?" the sky blue hedgehog asked, leaning back against him, partly so she wouldn't be so close to the water.

"It doesn't feel like it did...but it still felt good…so when you turned me down...it confused me." Shadow lay back on the damp mossy ground, able to see the stars beginning to emerge into the young night sky.

The smile returned to him was soft and genuine as Sara lay next to him near the water's edge. "Well...it's not always going to be passionate...I mean feelings, that is. But…it's still there...at least for me it is. I really do care about you..." Tenderly, the girl hedgehog traced a hand along Shadow's cheek, and he didn't flinch or turn from her.

"Sara..." He traced a hand along her face and brushed her bangs out of her soft brown eyes. He helped her up at least to a sitting position as he drew himself up a bit. He pulled a string bracelet from around his wrist, its twin still remaining on his wrist. It was black with red and sky blue flecks in it and he held it out to her in offering. "I...I love you so...I was wondering..." A pair of lips cut him off in mid-sentence and he felt the comfort of having Sara's arms around him, sitting in his lap now. 'What just happened...??'

When they pulled away from the kiss, Sara was smiling tenderly and running her fingers through his quills. "Is that a proposal?"

"...How is this different from the hotel?" Shadow wondered out loud.

Sara's fingers ran through his chest fur, "Because you didn't ask then...I...I really missed you, Shadow…. You're not going to leave me again, are you?"

"No." He cleared his throat. "But I didn't ask yet..." Sara's expression sank, but he held her firmly to him and slipped the friendship bracelet back on her wrist where it belonged. "...But...will you be mine?"

Charles had waited up late; he always did when Sara was out past dark. Nothing could change how he felt about his little girl, and he was particularly interested in seeing how she and Shadow had reconciled. He was in for a wait and wouldn't get his answer until nearly noon. Armed with only a few winks of sleep and a cup of coffee, Charles was in the middle of reading the Acorn Post when someone was playing with the doorknob. He arched a brow at that.

When it opened, Sara and Shadow were standing there, both of them somewhat muddied from where they'd spent the night. In spite of this, however, Shadow looked peaceful and his little girl looked radiant. "I take it things went well?" the older hedgehog finally asked.

"Mmmhmm..." Sara blushed a bit.

Chuck smiled a little, noting her scent had shifted, 'So it's come to this at last.' "Right. I'll have breakfast for you two when you get out...or lunch if you'd rather."

"You're not upset?" Shadow asked, curious at the old man.

"No stopping things," he responded, taking a sip of his coffee. "I suppose you have plans? Sonic tells me you never get into things recklessly..."

Shadow reddened a bit. It was true he'd had plans, but since the hotel falling through, he'd still yet to secure some things such as proper lodgings. "I think I have some details to work out...but it's all right."

Chuck nodded agreement. "Indeed."

"Coming?" Sara called to Shadow from the bathroom door. "We only have one shower, y'know!"

Charles chuckled a bit at how quickly we had slipped into Sara's vocabulary and flipped through the pages of his morning paper. 'Young love...ha.'

"Yeah." He took another wary glance at his new in-law before joining his new mate. For better or worse, he'd made a commitment, and right now he was feeling pretty good about it.

-The End.

--

Thank you for reading "First Dates", part of the "Shadow in Love" series. "Flirting Shadows" is Story ID 4059139, and the one that started it all.

If you'd like to read more, please visit my user page, ID number 208263 and check out more Shadara stories!