Back with another update :D This one is a bit late because it started out as a shorter fic, but I couldn't leave well enough alone (the ending may seem a bit short as a result). This is set when they were engaged and she starts to get a little apprehensive towards his lifestyle. As always, enjoy!

3:00am. The clock practically burned the time into her eyes. Amanda stared at the phone, like she'd been doing for the past few hours. He'd left just after sunset, with a final kiss and "I love you" before he'd walked out of the door and got into the van to go rob a bank on the outskirts of town.

This time, she was worrying more than usual. He was gone more often than he was home lately. She knew that she was engaged to an infamous bank robber. She knew that he often did illegal things that could easily get him killed, but she had accepted it at this point. Or, at least, she thought she had.

As she got up to go get another cup of coffee (the only thing that was getting her through this night), she twisted her engagement ring around her finger. When she'd agreed to marry him, she knew what she was signing up for. All of the late nights and worrying would be worth it if she could be with him, she reflected as she sat back down on the couch.

That didn't stop her mind from wandering to dark places. What if he had been arrested? What if he was hurt? What if he was dead? Amanda felt a shiver run up her spine at the last thought.

She took a sip of her drink but quickly set it down with shaky hands, not able to handle it between the bitter taste in her mouth and the lump in her throat. Her eyes flickered back to the phone, hoping that she would never get that call from the hospital or, god forbid, the police.

Tears freely ran down her cheeks and she didn't even realize it until the drops fell onto her hands. She wiped them away angrily before any more could form.

He's fine, she tried to reassure herself. Michael's been doing this for years. He can take care of himself. The last thing he needs is his pathetic fiancée crying over him for nothing.

But the tears kept falling and nothing she told herself could stop them. All she could do was hope that he was safe. That he was on his way home, coming to reassure her with a soft smile and his strong arms wrapped around her.

His last heist hadn't gone so well. He didn't come home for three days and when he did, he was covered in cuts and bruises, complimented by a couple bullet grazes, and looked about ready to collapse from exhaustion when he did get home. But he just grinned at her and told her that he was fine, that it was just a part of the job.

Her tears quickly turned into sobs as a startling realization came over her. What if she couldn't do this anymore? She loved Michael with all of her heart. The man was charming, caring, and handsome as hell, but he was a wanted criminal. The last thing he wanted was her to get hurt because of his lifestyle, she knew that, but they both knew that he didn't have much power over it. She was pregnant, for god's sakes, she couldn't afford to get hurt. As long as she was with him, there would always be that risk…

Amanda started to cry harder at even the thought of leaving him. Over her sobs, she didn't even hear the front door open or Michael rushing over to her. "Hey, baby. I'm so sorry I'm late-"

His apology was cut short by her wrapping her arms around him and pulling him down into a hug. She buried her face into his shoulder, still crying quietly, and trembled beneath him.

"Hey, no need to cry. I'm okay and I'm here now, with you," he said softly, wiping her tears away. "Sorry I worried you, there was just so much shit going on and I didn't have time to call you…"

"It's okay…" she whispered shakily. "I'm just so glad you're home."

Michael smiled at her reassuringly, but she couldn't help but notice the excited glint in his eyes from a successful job. "Now, let's go get some sleep. I think we both need it after today…" He grabbed her hand and gently led her into the bedroom.

"Yeah…" she said quietly, watching as he shed his jacket and carelessly put his gun holster down on the dresser. "So, how'd it go?"

"It went well. Surprisingly…" he muttered the last part under his breath. "Took a bit longer than I would've liked, but I wasn't shot or arrested, so I can't really complain."

She bit her lip hesitantly and tapped her fingers against the mattress nervously as she watched him get undressed. "Good thing you weren't…"

A frown crossed his face when he noticed her tone. "Hon, you know I'm a bit of a hot-headed idiot sometimes, but I'm not that stupid. You know I'd never take a job that I know I couldn't do, right?" he asked as he crawled into bed next to her.

"I do…" she said before gently pressing her lips against his before pulling away to say, "I just get so worried, Michael…"

"I know, darlin'..." he murmured before he kissed her back.

They quickly forgot about their exhaustion and worries as the kiss escalated into something more. He quickly rid her of her clothing, his lips and hands wandering over her body, one hand only stopping to gently linger over her stomach. "I love you…" he whispered as he leaned back down to kiss her.

Michael made love to her that night, as slowly and gently as he could. She savored every second of it. He was alive, safe, and home, and she wanted to stay in the moment she knew wouldn't last. Amanda felt her fears dissipate as he kissed her everywhere and whispered sweet nothings in her ear.

When they were finished, he wrapped his arms around her and sighed in contentment. She listened as he slowly drifted off to sleep and his soft snores began. Despite Michael's body feeling warm and comfortable against hers, her thoughts soon went back to where they were before he got home.

Yeah, he was home now...but for how long? When would he go off to rob another bank? When would be the time where he never came back?

The thought made her blood run cold and she snuggled back up to him for warmth. Restlessly, she turned over and stared at his sleeping form. She admired at how innocent and happy he looked and delicately pressed a kiss to his cheek. Michael's lips turned up in a faint smile and he mumbled something inaudible in his sleep.

Amanda could feel the tears start to form in her eyes at his response and turned back over, feeling instantly horrible for her feelings.

I can't do this anymore, she realized. I love him...so much...but this is too dangerous. He already gets into enough danger without me around…

With that horrible realization, she pressed herself closer to him and cried herself to sleep.

Michael woke up the next morning to see her side of the bed unoccupied. Not thinking anything of it, he just shrugged and got up. He got dressed and ran a hand through his messed up hair before heading into the kitchen, where he found Amanda.

She was staring down at the coffee maker, but he soon realized that it wasn't actually on. "Think you forgot something," he smirked as he reached over her shoulder and flipped the switch on. "Still a bit tired, babe?"

Amanda jumped in shock beneath him. "Oh...hey," she said distractedly, still facing away from him.

"Mornin'," he said, gently putting his arms around her waist. She immediately stiffened under his touch and he pulled away, frowning. "Are you okay?"

She turned around, eyes still staring at the ground. "Yeah...I'm fine," she muttered.

"No, you're not," he sighed. He gently tilted her face up to his. She tried to smile at him but between the redness of her eyes and the sadness filling them, he knew something was wrong. "What's up?"

"Nothing…" she hopelessly tried to keep the faux smile on her face, but soon broke down sobbing.

Michael just stood there in shock before he wrapped his arms around her. "Hey, it's okay, Mandy. Just tell me what's going on."

"Michael, I just... I can't do this anymore," she whimpered.

"Do what?" he asked in confusion. He tried to wipe away more tears before they escaped down her face, even though he knew that was a hopeless endeavor.

"I love you, Michael, so much...but right now, I just can't…" she continued.

He stroked her hair in reassurance. "It's fine. Whatever it is, you can tell me," he said soothingly.

Amanda let out a deep breath, trying to steady her emotions. "I can't do this right now. Us. Whatever this is."

"What are you talking about?" Fear started to set in him. He knew what she was going to say, but he desperately hoped that it wasn't true.

Finally, her crying stopped and she looked up at him pleadingly. "Look...just let me say all of this before you try and stop me. I thought about this all night and this morning...and this isn't easy at all...but I don't think we should be together right now."

Michael let go of her like she was a hot iron. He stumbled back in shock with a look of betrayal on his face. It took all of his strength to not fall apart right then and there, but he knew that she had a hard time telling him this so he was determined to hear her out. "What did I do wrong?" he asked softly. He'd never wanted to ruin this the way he ruined everything else in his life...

"Nothing," was her quiet response.

"Then why are you doing this?" his voice was shaky and almost begging. He'd thought that they moved past all of their issues. It had taken a while, obviously, but he thought they'd had something good going on before this.

"Please believe me when I say that you did nothing wrong," she pleaded. "It's just...this lifestyle. It's already hard enough loving someone that whenever he walks out the door, I don't know if I'll ever see him again. I thought I could handle it, I really did, but I'm pregnant, Michael and it's too dangerous to be around you. I can't do this…"

"You can't?" his voice had taken on a bitter edge. "Or you don't want to?"

"Does it really matter?" she asked tiredly. Blue eyes stared up at him, filled with tears, sadness, and exhaustion. "I'm so sorry. Goodbye, Michael…" she started walking to the door, gaze shifting down at the floor because she didn't have the courage to look back up at him.

Michael stepped in front of her and gently grabbed her hand. "I'm not gonna try and stop you," he said when she opened her mouth to protest. "I...I'm sorry for whatever I didn't do. God, I love you...I'm such a fuckin' screw up…" he said under his breath. "All I wanted to say was that I'll always be here if you ever wanna come back."

Amanda just nodded sadly. A contemplative look briefly crossed her face before she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. She gently squeezed his hand as she pulled away. "I love you," she whispered before walking out of the door.

So she left, leaving him standing there with the taste of her on his lips and those three words echoing in his head. It wasn't until he snapped out of his daze that he opened the palm of his hand and saw her engagement ring resting on it. All of the emotions he'd been hopelessly trying to keep in suddenly hit him at once. Before he knew it, his fist had slammed against the counter with one thought in his mind: Fuck. This. Place.

He started to take more jobs, no matter what the risk was. He just needed a distraction from the emptiness in his bed and the ring that was collecting dust on his dresser. He was never home anymore and even when he was, he was usually passed out on the couch after having too much to drink.

Michael started to think that tonight was one of those nights. He'd just done a job the day before and was sitting at home, still alone. His shaky hands poured another glass of whiskey as he tried to not think too hard about his life. She'd been gone for nearly a month now, and he still wasn't used to the silence. Thinking about it now, he wasn't sure if he'd ever be.

She didn't want to leave, he could tell, but it still didn't make anything easier. Still, he knew that it was probably for the best. He couldn't imagine what he'd do if she got hurt because of his stupid lifestyle. Or what she'd do if he'd gotten himself killed during a job.

Michael finished the rest of his drink, the second of the night so far, at the morbid thought. He reached for the bottle for another one before realizing that it was empty. Sighing, he got up and started heading for the kitchen before he heard knocking at his door.

He just rolled his eyes, thinking that it was probably Trevor there to convince him into taking a heist that would most likely get both of them killed. Against his better judgement, he opened the door anyway, not to his best friend, but one of the last people he expected. Amanda…

A million things he wanted to say rushed through his mind, but he didn't have time to even open his mouth before Amanda wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I'm so sorry…" was the first thing she said when she drew back.

He just pulled her closer and buried his head into her shoulder, inhaling her familiar scent. "What're you doing here?" he murmured against the fabric of her shirt.

Amanda smiled at him sadly. "I watch the news, you know. God...are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Maybe…" he said, finally pulling back and staring into her tear-filled eyes. "So, why'd you come back?" he asked quietly, voice growing serious.

"I was even more worried when I was gone. I couldn't stop thinking about you, how I could've thrown everything we had away and you could've gotten killed while I wouldn't have even known…" Tears started to run down her face and she quickly wiped them away. "I can't believe I just left when things got hard…"

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head to try and calm her down. "It's okay. I'm just glad you're back now," he mumbled against her soft hair.

"I'm sorry…" she repeated tiredly.

"I know," he sighed before an idea formed in his head. He smirked slightly before he gently untangled himself from their embrace. "Be right back."

Michael came back a second later, with a knowing grin on his face and one hand behind his back. Before she could ask him what he was doing, he slipped the engagement ring onto her finger once again. "I missed you so much, Mandy…"

She smiled softly down at the ring, then back up at him. "I missed you, too. I love you, Michael, I really do…"

He pulled her into a hug, sighing in relief against her, happy that she was finally back. "I love you, too."