The heat burned Amy's face and the smoke filled her lungs. She stared at the massive fire covering the entire floor of the room in front of her. She could barely breathe for reasons other than the smoke saturating the air. The flames flared and danced wildly, and she felt it singe her fur. Tears burned in her eyes but the heat quickly forced them to evaporate. Sonic turned to look at her suddenly, taking her hand fiercely in his own. "We're going to make it, Amy," Sonic said, his voice hoarse for the smoke. "I promise we'll make it through this."

But are we going to make it out alive? Amy wondered in silence.

She never imagined her first date would end in her death. The whole Eggman interference was nothing new; she could never be bothered by something so common. But maybe she and Sonic were never meant to be. Fate seemed to be determined to keep them apart, even if it had to kill them both to do it.

"Amy, look at me," Sonic said in a low voice.

Amy pulled her eyes away from the flames and back to Sonic's face. He looked her directly in the eye. "Amy, I will save you," he promised. "I'm the hero, right?"

Amy nodded slowly. Sonic pulled Amy into his arms, lifting her off of the ground bridal style. Amy instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled down at her, and Amy felt the corners of her lips lifting. Her heart lightened. As usual, Sonic made her feel like she was flying.

Sonic backed up so his back pressed up against the wall and he faced the flames. He took a deep breath, though Amy couldn't imagine that helped much. Her shallow breaths hurt her lungs and throat. She looked up at Sonic's face. What did he plan on doing? But Amy realized she wasn't afraid. This was Sonic. No matter how stupid or reckless he could be, there was a reason Amy liked him. And it wasn't only because he was a hero. He was smart, he was determined, and if he said he could do something, he would do it. So now, Amy watched Sonic's face instead of the flames and forced herself to breathe slowly. Sonic would get them out of there, just like he said.

Sonic took a few steps toward the flames and turned his back to them. Amy felt the flames licking and singeing her fur. She tensed her muscles and pressed her face into Sonic's chest. Sonic took two running steps forward before leaping into the air. Amy's eyes flew open in surprise. They hurtled toward the wall Sonic had pressed them against during the robot's explosion. Sonic tilted his body so that his feet hit the wall. He bent his knees and pushed himself off the wall so that the next thing Amy knew, they soared above the flames.

Amy's jaw dropped, and she tightened her grip around Sonic's neck. She stared in awe at the ravenous flames beneath them. Though smoke clogged the air, Amy gasped. Despite the danger beneath them, Amy couldn't help but see the beauty in that moment. The bright lights, the sensation of flying, Sonic's body pressed against hers. Maybe this really was the date she had always imagined.

Until she realized their only exit was hidden behind a wall of flame.

"SONIC!" she screamed.

"Close your eyes," he said.

She squeezed her eyes shut, not knowing what that would help. "And hold on as tight as you can," he said.

Sonic's hand left her back so that the only thing keeping Amy from falling to the hungry flames was her grip on his neck. They slammed into a wall and a sharp pain pierced Amy's body. But they didn't fall. Slowly, nervously, Amy opened her eyes. The arm Sonic had removed from Amy's back held on a bar attached horizontally to the wall. He kicked the wall a few times until a hole opened up in the metal. He swung them through the hole and into the hall outside.

Sonic set Amy down on the ground. Her legs shook beneath her. "We're alive," she said, almost surprised.

Sonic grinned. "Told you so." He offered her his hand. "Still got to get out of here, though. Ready to run?"

Amy smiled and accepted his gesture. "Always am. I have to be with you around."

Sonic dashed down the hall, Amy in tow, running slow enough that Amy could keep up. Amy knew that couldn't be easy for him. Her entire body warmed with the pure happiness that seemed to be flowing through her veins.

Eggman's robots piled in the hallways, and Sonic glanced back at Amy. She grinned, holding out her hammer for him to see. His eyes brightened. He released her hand, and they went to work. Amy swung her hammer, whipping through the robots like they were nothing. Sonic sliced through them like a saw without so much as breaking stride. When the robots cleared, Sonic took Amy's hand again and continued pulling her along down the hall.

Eggman seemed to have nothing to say as the speakers stayed quiet. Either that, or the massive explosion had done some damage to them. "Shouldn't we do something about Eggman?" she asked.

Sonic shrugged. "Nah, I think we can leave him to rebuild his damage today. We've got better things to do."

They ran out the doors of the facility without further obstructions. The icy air of nighttime hit Amy's face like the spray of ocean water. She drank it in greedily after the smoke filled room. The dark night was bathed in red lights from the facility, but all the sirens had fallen silent. Sonic slowed to a stop and pulled Amy into his arms again. She looked up at his face in confusion. He grinned at her. "I told you about the tree running, and you said you'd like to try it. How about now?"

Amy eyes widened, and she tightened her grip on Sonic's neck. "Okay," she said nervously, almost giddy. Sonic was really going to do this for her?

Sonic ran forward into the trees. Amy held her breath as Sonic weaved through the trees, dodging them with only milliseconds to spare. The darkness only quickened her heartbeat. Eventually, she closed her eyes tightly. She was too scared to watch anymore. She pressed her face into Sonic's fur and she heard him chuckle. Though her face was hidden, Amy smiled as well. This date couldn't have gone better.

Then Amy remembered the date was made on a bet. A cold chill slipped into her bloodstream. She tried to banish it away and savor the moment she did have with Sonic, regardless of the circumstances. But it was hard. It hurt to think that Sonic would only go out with her because he had to, not because he wanted to.

Sonic slowed, and Amy opened her eyes to see they had left the trees. Amy looked up at Sonic. "We need to talk," she said seriously.

Sonic sighed, nodding slowly. "I know."

Sonic slowed to a stop and placed Amy on the ground. They sat down beneath a tree at the edge of the forest. Amy took a deep breath. "You only went on a date with me because you lost a bet?"

"Yeah," Sonic muttered.

Amy looked away, her eyes burning with unshed tears. Then she turned back to him and snapped, "You know, you can really be stupid, Sonic the Hedgehog."

Sonic shrugged and actually allowed himself a smile. "You won't catch me denying that. But then again—" Sonic's smile widened. "—you won't catch me at all."

Amy rolled her eyes and hit his arm with the back of her hand. "That's not the point! Sonic, that was really stupid. Why would you do that?"

"Hey, Knuckles attacked my pride, that's reason enough."

Amy narrowed her eyes. "Really?" Sonic smirked, and Amy hit him again. "Sonic!"

"But you've got to admit," Sonic said quickly, "I did give you a first date you would never forget, right?"

Amy stared at Sonic a long time before answering. She remembered his eyes staring into hers as flames danced around her. She remembered his voice, promising her that she would be rescued. And she remembered his smile, every smile. Sonic could be stupid, really stupid, but she would always be her hero. He would always be the one that made her feel like she was flying. No matter what he did, she would always love him. "Fine," she said eventually, "I guess I can agree that it was…unforgettable. But that doesn't mean you're forgiven just yet."

Sonic shook his head, a resigned smile on his face. "Never thought I would be."

xXx

Sonic walked into the house, slamming the door behind him. "Made it back alive!" he called.

Tails ran down the stairs, stopping halfway down and leaning over the railing. "How'd it go? Knuckles told me about Eggman's attack. Is Amy okay?"

"She's fine; she's Amy. And she found out about the whole bet thing."

Tails's eyes widened. "You weren't supposed to tell her that! How'd she take it?" he asked, leaning father over so that Sonic feared he would take a head-first dive.

Sonic shrugged. "I'm not forgiven yet, but I'm still Sonic so it's only a matter of time. But I think the main reason she found out was because she saw Knuckles laughing from a tree in the park." Sonic shot a look down the hallway where the living room waited with the TV blaring.

"She saw him?" Tails's face brightened.

Sonic narrowed his eyes in confusion. "And why is that a good thing? If Eggman hadn't shown up and took the edge of her anger, I would be in pieces now."

Tails grinned mischievously, and it slowly dawned on Sonic. "What did you do?"

"Well, a couple of things. I kind of provoked Eggman a little. I thought that might make your date fun for more than just Amy."

"Really?" Sonic grinned at his little brother in disbelief and pride.

"But that's not all," Tails added. "I made a bet with Knuckles, that Amy would see him. And I guess he lost then."

"So…what did you bet on?"

Tails laughed. "Let's just say that when Knuckles asks Amy out, she'll get the payback she deserves."

xXx

Amy lay awake in bed that night, staring at the night sky through her window. She left it wide open so the cold air could pass over her. She loved the reminder of the tree-run, wrapped safely in Sonic's arms. Though some of her rose-colored fur had been blackened by the flames, she adored the reminder of the night.

She closed her eyes slowly, the image of the look in Sonic's burned on her eyelids. A smile grew on her face. Danger, some scars, laughs, and a whole lot of running. Amy could never have asked for more in her first date. As she drifted off to sleep, Sonic's words ran through her head. "But you've got to admit, I did give you a first date you will never forget, right?"

But it wasn't because of the danger Eggman caused or the beautiful walk in the park at sunset. It was because of Sonic; with him, she soared above the flames.

And with that, we reach the end of the story. Thank you so much for reading! And a special thanks to mszapata13, hot pink123, and TheBlueAlienRobotZombie for sticking with this story throughout its being uploaded. Another special thanks to DanceDream for your wonderful character analysis back in chapter one. All of you are so kind!

If you'd like to see more stories like this, please tell me! This has been a joy to write, and I hoped you all enjoyed it as much as me.