✔︎ 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 [𝐆𝐓𝐀𝐕]

𝐶𝐻𝐴𝑃𝑇𝐸𝑅 𝑆𝐼𝑋 - 𝑆𝐴𝑉𝐼𝑂𝑈𝑅

TW// MENTIONS OF RAPE AND ABUSE

Midwestern trailer park, January of 1991

Just before Michael and Amanda's wedding, the girl decided to head back to the trailer park to pick up the last of her things. She had decided to take Michael with her, and with her dad being the only one home, she didn't know which way it was gonna go.

She knew how her parents viewed Michael: The man who stole their money making machine. Amanda was pimped out at such a young age for her parents gain, so when Michael gave her the opportunity to leave, she took it. Of course, she felt bad for leaving her brother, Steven, behind with those monsters, but he didn't receive nearly half the abuse Amanda got over the years.

One time, she was raped by her father and her mother just stood and watched. Steven was just meters away, watching one of those Vinewood movies, clueless as to what was happening in his sisters room. She always wondered why her parents treated her like this, used her to make their money and for their own pleasure and left her to bleed when they were finished.

Michael saved her in ways he would never know.

Of course, she could never bring herself to tell him. As she watched her husband sleep peacefully, his head nestled in her chest, she thought about how much it would break his heart to learn of the horrors Amanda went through. No, she thought, he didn't deserve to carry that burden with her, and she would never force it upon him.

"Hey, you ready to go in? You look upset." Michael said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She hummed in response and got out of the car, the same one Michael took her away in that night. They walked silently towards the trailer, but just before she knocked, she hesitated. Michael watched the stone cold expression she usually wore on her face turn fearful, and it was then he questioned just what made her hate her parents so much.

It was one of the things they related to each other with. Michael's father hated him because he viewed him as a disappointment - he would even sometimes hit him if he was drunk enough - whilst his mother just took an unspeakable amount of drugs and pretended it never happened. He confided in Amanda with this information one night whilst they were high, and she told him that her parents were similar with her, but never explained any further. Now, he thought as he watched her eyes glisten with tears, he wished her would've pushed her on it.

Any trouble of hers were a trouble of his.

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to." He whispered softly, reaching for her hand. She grasped it tightly and nodded her head, taking one last look at the trailer before turning to Michael.

"No, I don't want to."

They turned away from the trailer without another word, and yet Michael felt Amanda flinch every time she heard the loud voice of a clearly drunken man coming from behind them, making him wish she would just say something.

They got in the car and Amanda put her seatbelt on, still gripping Michael's hand tightly. He tried to shake it off so he could drive, but she refused to let go.

It was at the point he noticed she was crying.

"What's wrong?" He asked softly.

"I don't wanna talk about it," she shook her head, "can we go before he comes out?"

"Yeah, sure."

He kissed her hand gently, something she smiled at, before letting his hand go so he could drive.

They never looked back.

Vinewood, Los Santos, February of 2015

"Shit, what time is it?" Michael asked as he stirred.

"You went to sleep like an hour ago, it's 2am." Amanda said softly.

Amanda was never quiet unless she was upset, Michael thought as he lifted his head off her chest to look at her.

He was right. She looked heartbroken.

Michael fully sat up and crawled over to the side of his wife, lifting an arm up so she could cozy up to him. She did, burying her face in his shoulder as a series of quiet sobs racked her body. Michael said nothing, just rubbed her arm soothingly and whispered sweet nothings in her ear until she finally calmed down.

"You gonna tell me what's upset you so much or am I gonna have to pin it down to a mood swing?" Michael asked with a light chuckle.

"I don't wanna talk about it." She said.

I don't wanna talk about it.

The words echoed in Michael's head like a chorus. The only thing Amanda never wanted to talk to him about was her father.

"Is this about your dad?"

"I guess you do know me too well," she mumbled, "I have to tell you something."

"You could tell me you started an apocalypse and I would still follow you blindly. Seriously, Amanda, you can tell me anything."

"You might not look at me the same afterwards."

"How much are ya willin' to bet on that?"

Amanda decided not to waste any more time as she delved into the horrors of her childhood, from being forced into the job as a stripper, right up until the day Michael saved her. Her husband just listened, his facial expression a mixture of sympathy and anger, until she finally finished with the story of how she was raped and her mother watched.

"You don't have to say anything," she said as a tear fell from her eye, "I know it's a lot to take in."

"Hey," Michael said as he turned to her, rubbing her cheek with his thumb, "what'd I always tell ya? You're too beautiful to cry."

"I love you." She blurted.

"I know," he said as he pulled Amanda's head back onto his shoulder, "I hope I never meet him."

"Why? You wanna add him to the ever-growing pile of bodies?" She grinned, quirking her brows at him.

"Fuckin' A." He smiled back.

Michael was gonna kill Amanda's dad if it was the last thing he did, and hell, if he was lucky, she might even help.

Now that's a sight he'd love to see.

A/N

Bit of a short chapter today but I feel like Amanda's backstory was needed for what's to come. Trust me, it will make a lot more sense later on.

And don't worry, the action will be back next chapter, just wait and see. :)

Thanks for reading,

-Phoenix.