Author's Note: This is my first multi-chaptered story. Please keep in mind I'm still very new to the world of fanfiction so it might not be the best first chapter. Before I start the story I want to get a few things out of the way. I know this is under Sonic and Shadow, but this is mostly centered on Amy. The point of view only changes once. Don't worry, it's still Sonadow. Basically my story is about her going through all the stages of grieving when she finds out about their relationship. I'll try not to be too cruel to her, but if you are a die hard Sonamy fan this is definitely not the place for you. All the Sonamy in here is onesided.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic or any of its characters. If I did, there's no telling what I'd do with that power (though there would definitely be more yaoi.)

Enjoy!

Steps to Acceptance

Step 1: Realization

It was one of those days. One of those days where even the people who claimed to hate nature with a passion felt the inexplicable need to go outside and breathe fresh air. The sun was shining, there was a warm breeze in the air, and the only clouds in the sapphire sky were white fluffy ones that could easily take on any shape with enough imagination. Perfect for chaos emerald hunting. This time Tails' little detector had led them to a heavily wooded forest. Sadly, it had proven to be a false alarm. It took about two hours of going around in circles for the group to figure out that the stupid thing was low on power and malfunctioning because of it.

However, Amy refused to let the gorgeous weather and scenery go to waste. She insisted that they go home, gather supplies, and have a picnic in the forest. It was an appealing idea, so she hadn't received much opposition.

Cream and Cheese had been thrilled by the numerous wildflowers growing nearby, and Tails honestly didn't care where he was as long as he could fix his emerald detector. Knuckles, naturally had wanted to return to his island, but Rouge managed to use her incredible powers of persuasion and talked him into staying. As for the bat, she had joined their hunt recently. No one was exactly sure of her motives (Amy personally suspected that she was trying to get close to Knuckles), but she was a valuable asset none the less. Though she wasn't trusted enough to actually be allowed alone with the emeralds. Once a thief, always a thief after all (though there wasn't a lot one could really do once Rouge decided she wanted something).

And then there was Shadow. He had started living with Sonic and Tails about six months ago. Tails was trying to use his superior brain power to help Shadow regain the rest of his memories, and it was easier if the hedgehog was nearby.

When Amy brought up her picnic idea he had scoffed and very nearly Chaos Controlled out. The only thing that had stopped him was when Sonic had winked at him and suggested a race. Living together actually seemed to have brought the twin hedgehogs closer. They were constantly racing, sparring, and all in all spending surprising amounts of time in each others company. If Shadow wasn't brooding on his own, you could usually find him hanging out with Sonic. You could almost call them friends. Almost.

Now that she thought about it, the two had been gone for more than an hour. They had both wolfed down their food and took off into the forest as soon as they were able (which Amy expected from Sonic, though she would've thought Shadow had a little more dignity). They're race had to be over by now. What could they possibly be doing?

"I'm going to go look for Sonic," Amy decided aloud. No one commented as she got up and headed in the direction she had seen the speed demons go.

It wasn't hard to follow their tracks. They had both left deep impressions in the grass they had trod on. They were also easy to tell apart. Sonic's footprints had the definite shape of a pair of sneakers, while Shadow had left long streaks because of the skating motion his gliding shoes always made when he ran.

Unfortunately, because of their incredible speed, they had covered a lot of ground, and the steps seemed to go on forever. Amy wouldn't give up though. She would find her hero eventually, and when she did, maybe she could coerce him into ditching Shadow and taking a romantic walk with her.

It was as if the heavens had heard her wishes when the imprints led her to a small, sunlit clearing. And she was fairly certain she could see the silhouette of a certain hedgehog.

The girl was about to call out to the hazy figure, but thought better of it. If Amy made herself known so soon, Sonic, shy as he was, would undoubtedly run off. She would never get her walk if she had to chase him down. So instead she approached quietly, and as both hedgehogs came into view, Amy came face-to-face with her worst nightmare.

It was Shadow's outline she had seen before. He had his cerulean double pinned up against a tree. Normally, that in itself wouldn't have been unusual. They often ended up in strange positions when they sparred together. But they weren't fighting. Not this time. They were kissing. Sonic even had his eyes closed with his arms flung around the ebony hedgehog's neck. The pink quilled girl was appalled, yet she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away.

There was really no telling how long Amy might've stood there watching them in silent horror, if Sonic hadn't opened his eyes and spotted her.

"Amy," Sonic whispered, looking both shocked and a little embarrassed. He at least gave her the courtesy of blushing faintly. Shadow, who had also taken note of her, merely looked slightly irritated at being interrupted, one arm still casually slung around Sonic's waist.

"Oops, I guess you caught us," he remarked with a shrug, causing Sonic to shoot him a you-are-not-helping glare.

"Amy, I…" the blue hedgehog tried again, as if mere words could ease the hurt she was feeling right now.

"How could you?" the girl whimpered, jade eyes filling up with the beginnings of tears. "How could you do this to me?" she repeated, receiving no answer. Amy's gaze darted from one face to the other, taking in Sonic's sad eyes and Shadow's somewhat smug smile. Slowly she started to walk away, getting steadily faster and faster until she was at a breakneck pace; as if she thought she could leave the pain in her heart behind her in the clearing.

"I told you so."

"Shut up," Sonic muttered to his black companion, eyes still on Amy's retreating form. He was contemplating whether he should follow her or not. She seemed pretty upset and he should probably talk to her about what she saw. But on the other hand, he could also be the last person the pink girl wanted to see.

"Well I did, didn't I? I always said hiding our relationship was a bad idea!"

"I know." Sonic admitted quietly.

"Why did you want to keep it a secret in the first place?" Shadow demanded, eyes narrowing into ruby slits, "Are you so afraid of how your friends will react?" There was a moment's silence, and Shadow added in a much softer voice, "Are you ashamed of me Sonic? Of us?"

Sonic looked up quickly, momentarily forgetting his little pink problem, and grabbed his dark doppelgangers hands. "It's not like that Shads," he replied reassuringly. "I'll admit, I'm a little scared of how they'll react, but I'd never be ashamed of you."

He pulled Shadow into a hug, which was promptly pushed away, as the dark one didn't particularly like to be touched (though he was a lot better about it than he used to be. Sonic was farely certain that he was wearing him down.) Undeterred by the rejection, the blue hedgehog smirked. "You have to admit it was kind of fun, sneaking around, always running the risk of getting caught. Plus there was the added rush of knowing something no one else knew."

"Except for Tails," Shadow reminded him.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Well I had to tell Tails! He's my best friend, not to mention he lives with us!"

Shadow chuckled, but his normal serious expression soon returned to his face. "I agree, it was exciting for a while, but I don't want to hide anymore."

"Just let me talk to Amy first, and then we can tell the whole world if you want to. Besides, if my friends can't accept the fact we're together, their not the friends I thought they were."

"Fine faker," Shadow agreed, using the insult that had somehow morphed into a term of endearment, "go talk to your little girlfriend. But you better set her straight. You're mine and I don't believe in sharing."

It didn't take long for Amy to get herself totally and completely lost. The forest was like a maze, filled with giant trees that all looked the same. The truth was, Amy hadn't really bothered to notice where she was going, nor had she cared. She just wanted to get as far away as she possibly could.

But the distraught pink girl couldn't run forever. Eventually she started to get tired, and she had no choice but to stop when a previously unnoticed root reached out and tripped her.

It wasn't fair! Amy thought woefully, sitting on the ground. She had been in love with Sonic since the first time she had laid eyes on him, and after all the time and effort she had put into trying to make him hers, she had caught the azure hedgehog making out with someone else!

And not just anyone else, Amy added bitterly, Sonic was kissing Shadow. Who happened to be a guy no less. That little fact just added salt to the wound. Since when was Sonic interested in guys?

If Amy hadn't been so caught up in her own unhappy contemplations, she probably would have noticed the hero's soft quick footsteps coming toward her. But as it was, she didn't realize his presence until he was standing beside her.

Cautiously, Sonic took a seat. Together they sat for a few awkward minutes, before Sonic finally attempted to break the ice. "I'm sorry Amy. Sorry that you had to find out that way."

"How long?" Amy inquired quietly without looking at him.

"A few months," Sonic confessed reluctantly.

"A few months!" she exclaimed, her head whipping around to glare at him, "You mean this was going on for months and you never said anything!" Sonic nodded miserably.

Now Amy understood all the time the identical hedgehogs spent together, and why Shadow was always so hostile towards her whenever she got close to Sonic. At the time she had just thought that it was her imagination or some kind of personal vendetta against her, but now she was sure it was just the hedgehog's jealousy.

"H-how did this happen?"

At this question, Sonic suddenly seemed to become fascinated with the the blades of grass under his feet. "Well, you know how Tails and I have been helping Shadow with his memory? We began to get really close. Shadow actually started opening up to me. At first we were just friends, but the more we got to know each other, the more time we wanted to spend with one another. Ultimately, one thing led to another and it just kind of…happened."

"B-but what about me?" Amy asked, looking on the verge of tears again. "Don't you love me?"

"I do love you," Sonic insisted. "You're like a sister to me."

He might as well have plunged a dagger into Amy's heart and twisted it around her insides. A sister! Was that really all she meant to him? "NO!" she screamed, "I don't believe it! I won't believe it!"

"But Amy..." Sonic protested, slightly shocked by her outburst.

"Go away!" Amy sobbed, her head cradled in her hands. She didn't want to hear anything more he had to say.

Wow! Amy had a break down! And trust me, the worst is yet to come. Now tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is always welcome! See you next chapter!