✔︎ 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 [𝐆𝐓𝐀𝐕]

𝐶𝐻𝐴𝑃𝑇𝐸𝑅 𝐹𝑂𝑈𝑅𝑇𝐸𝐸𝑁 - 𝐵𝐴𝐶𝐾 𝑇𝑂 𝐵𝐿𝐴𝐶𝐾

Vinewood, Los Santos, December of 2015

Two months later, and life for the Townley's were back to normal. Well, as normal as it could get. Michael was juggling life between home and being a movie producer, and after a long discussion with Dave, Amanda had decided to throw in the towel with the FIB.

It wasn't because she spent every day fearing for her life, or because Michael didn't want her working there, it was because she feared she would end up like her brother: a corrupt agent who should really be on the other end of the gun.

After she killed Steve, the darkness she had felt creeping in before was beginning to leave a permanent mark on her brain. All she wanted to do all day every day was kill someone, to feel their warm blood pour down her arms as she strangled the rest of their blood from their slit throat, to hear them beg for their life as they-

"Hey! Are you okay?" Michael asked, clicking his finger in front of Amanda's face.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine." She replied.

She brushed past him and up the stairs to settle her now 2 month old son down for a nap, and thankfully he seemed to sleep much easier than Tracey and Jimmy ever had. Her other children would kick up an unnecessary amount of fuss over going to sleep, especially if they could feel Amanda's stress over Michael being out on a job, but now they didn't have that stress? They had a happy baby.

Michael noticed that Amanda seemed to be avoiding him these days. Avoiding even casual conversation with him, avoiding going out on a date with him, avoiding any sexual advances, but he just couldn't understand why. She seemed happy enough, content with looking after her son all day and taking Tracey shopping with money that she'd actually earned, but never seemed to want to speak with him about it.

Just as Amanda was about to go out to the pool, Michael grabbed her wrist.

"Can we talk."

"Not right now," Amanda brushed him off, "I'm going outside."

"No, we need to talk." Michael demanded as he followed her out to the lounging chairs by the pool.

25 years later and he still demanded instead of asked.

"What?" Amanda hissed, "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"What is happening with you lately? Ever since you left the FIB you've been so distant and touchy."

"I don't have to explain everything to you."

"You do when it's making me worried." Michael said quietly, sitting on the lounge chair beside her.

Amanda sighed and placed the book she was just about to read back on the table beside her chair, swinging her legs around so they brushed against her husbands.

"Fine, I'll tell you what's happening."

She sucked in a breath. Michael's fingers grazed hers.

"When the mercenaries came to our house, and I felt that gun press to my head, I felt weak. I couldn't do anything to defend myself. The FIB, especially the training, made me feel like I had some sort of control over my life. People bent at my will, I learned how to fight, and most importantly..."

There was a silence before she spoke again, and when she did, Michael felt his heart crumble.

"I didn't feel bad about killing people."

Michael nodded, unsure of what to say, and let Amanda lean her head on his shoulder. She didn't full out cry, but Michael could feel the few stray tears that did come from her eyes trail from his shoulder and down his arm.

"I have to..." she said between heavy breaths, "I have to stop myself from being reckless every day I wake up, right up until I go to sleep."

"Even with me?"

"You are...different." Amanda said sheepishly as she sat up, giving him a sly grin.

"Oh?"

"It's like, some days I feel like I need to be clinging to you all the time and some days I wanna beat the shit out of you for everything that's happened to me because of you."

"Amanda," Michael chuckled, "I don't know how many times I have to tell you-"

"And then there's the sex."

"Oh god," Michael rubbed his face with his palms, "what have I done wrong now?"

"Don't say that!" Amanda scolded, "the sex is good. Better than good, actually."

"So what's you're problem?"

"I want more."

"More?" Michael gawked.

"You know what?" Amanda smiled, "This is a discussion that we can have later, preferably in bed. I'm gonna go and check on Roman."

"I'm coming!"

Like a pair of school children, they giggled all the way up the stairs to go and check on their sleeping son. Just like she left him, Roman was sound asleep in his crib, his shallow breaths seeming to rebound off of every wall in the room.

Just like with Tracey and Jimmy, the couple's favourite thing to do with their children was to watch them sleep. Amanda and Michael could've easily spent hours staring at Roman, pondering how they could've made such a beautiful baby, but Roman had places to be this afternoon with everyone's favourite uncle: Trevor.

As if on cue, Amanda's phone began to ring in her pocket, disturbing the silence of the room and along with it, Roman's sleep. The wailing started the moment he opened his eyes, but a few gentle sways in Michael's arm soothed him right into relaxation whilst Amanda spoke to Trevor on the phone.

"Trevor, could you have picked worse timing?" Amanda hissed as she put the phone on speaker so Michael could hear.

"Well I'm sorry, Lady Macbeth, but I'm on my way now."

"Lady Macbeth," Amanda mumbled, "that's a new one."

"Well it seems pretty fitting, don't ya think? Power hungry psychopath with a snake husband, and yet you look like an image of beauty and calmness." Trevor sneered.

Michael chuckled lowly as he bounced Roman on his hip.

"Don't make me regret my decision." Amanda huffed.

"Alright, geez, what d'ya have to be so touchy for? I'm pulling up."

Michael handed the baby to Amanda to meet Trevor outside, seen as though the former best friends still weren't on good terms, as he went to the tennis court to set up for a game he and Amanda were playing later.

None of them could've seen all the shadows seeping out of the cracks if they tried. The list of people after Amanda's head was growing a lot longer than they could've ever expected.

Who was on top of that list?

Amanda's father, Peter.

A/N

Ahh and that's the second book finished! Next chapter will be a epilogue followed by a preface for the next and final book in the series. Thankyou to the bottom of my heart to any of you reading, it means more than you think.

Thanks for reading,

-Phoenix.