A/N: This chapter got written particularly quickly with thanks to conversations and encouragement from Echo Dancer! You're a star! This chapter is quite slow and very chatty, but it's highlighting where Warren and Amy want to go with their future. Enjoy!

CHAPTER TWENTY: THE FUTURE

Amy

For once in my life I felt totally content. No worries or concerns weighed on the back of my mind, and above all, I felt safe and needed. There had been so many times in my life (although most of them seemed to linger consistently around the last few years) when I hadn't felt either. Security was something I knew I needed in my life to keep me running smoothly and to help me cope. Without security I was a nervous wreck. Back a couple of years ago I had the security of living with my parents, but now I had to maintain my own security alongside Hannah. Some weeks were a struggle to make ends meet, especially if Hannah hadn't worked as many shifts as usual.

Dread began to set in as I sat snuggled against Warren on the sofa. We'd eaten dinner and were now flicking through the channels, seeing if anything seemed interesting enough to watch. The dread was starting to weigh me down as I began to think on things, and the contentment seemed to dissolve slightly. If I had time off work, that meant no pay for those days. Then it would be hard to make sure all the payments were paid in time. Hannah also had a credit card and loan to pay for which meant I paid a little more to the household things like Internet, gas and electric. Could what was left over in my savings cover it? I doubted it. Most of my San Francisco money had disappeared.

I knew I couldn't have waited so I quickly jumped up, half dragging myself out of Warren's arms. "Aim?" I heard him call as I raced down the hall back to my room. I powered up my PC, needing to see my bank balance. I could feel the nervous jittery sensation setting in somewhere in the depths of my stomach. "Aim? What's the matter?" Warren asked again, sitting down on the edge of the bed a feet or so away from me.

"I just need to check something," I told him as I navigated my way through to the Internet and then onto my bank page. "Shit!" I cursed. I looked on the numbers in my savings, knowing that it wouldn't cover the phone and Internet bill which was due out the end of the week. It was two weeks when I got paid and having days off with Warren just wouldn't be possible. I knew I worried too much, but at least I cared about my financial situation.

"What's up? Maybe I can help," he offered. I could see him from the corner of my eye watching me, but keeping his eyes averted from the PC screen.

"I don't think I can take the time off this week," I said, hanging my head. "It'll mean losing half a week pay and I can't do that...I'm sorry, I shouldn't be saying this in front of you and making you feel guilty. I should have checked before you came, but I was excited to see you..."

Then he cut me off. "Shhh. Don't stress about it," he cooed. "I can give you your money you'll lose. It's not a problem."

"What?" I asked, shocked and dazed. He would really do that for me? "I can't take your money. It's yours."

"I know it's mine so that means I can do what I want with it. How much do you get paid a day roughly?" he asked.

"Um, I don't know. I don't really work it out. I just know after tax it's about a thousand a month." How could he do this for me? It was my responsibility to make ends meet. "Warren, no, this is something which is my responsibility, not yours. Keep your money."

"I'll just grab your card later and take the numbers down off it," he said, his face having grown serious and stern. "I'm keeping you off work, so I want to do this. How about I forget days and just give you a thousand?"

"You've got to be joking!" I exclaimed. Why would he want to give me a month's money for a couple of days? I'd never enquired as to how exactly Warren had come by his money, but I assumed it was from his dad – inheritance so to speak. I couldn't just take his money and I could feel myself starting to shake. For some odd reason, tears began to spring in my eyes. There was something about this whole situation I couldn't grasp, and it was the fact that he'd travel thousands of miles to be with me and now offer me money. What was so special about me?

"No, I'm not joking," he responded. There was a hint of something extremely authoritative in his voice. He seemed to be demanding I take his money.

"How can I just take your money? What have I done to deserve it? Nothing, absolutely bloody nothing!" I half shouted.

"You've done a hell of a lot more to deserve it than you realise!" Warren growled back. "Why have you got no self regard, Aim? I can tell you you're the most wonderful person on this planet until I'm blue in the face and you still won't fucking believe me." The cursing put me on edge and I felt the shivers race down my back, and this time they were stronger. I hated seeing Warren angry as it was so unlike him and his whole face seemed to become shadowed. I watched as he got down on his knee in front of me, his eyes so saddened as he looked up at me. "Aim, you've become a major part of my life now and it's only right I share everything with you. I've shared my home and even my secret with you. Doesn't that at least show you how special you are to me? Everyone else found out purely by accident and I didn't want them to know what I am. I know I didn't tell you outright about me, but finding you was something I needed so desperately and I can't tell you how grateful I am for that." As he spoke, I could see his throat quivering as the emotion seemed to swamp him just as much as it was me. I remained still, listening intently to what he said, but it still wouldn't sink in fully. "If you can't accept all this and trust me, I don't know if we'll ever be able to overcome the problems and live together." At that he looked down and I could almost sense the sheer sadness radiating from him. I brushed my hand through his hair as his head was bowed, feeling the faintest sensation of the gel he always used against my fingers.

"I know most girls would jump up immediately at this opportunity, Warren. I've always known that, but I'm not most girls. I've been raised in a society where I know my place and I do my best to earn money and make my way. And then when I think on the times in the past when I've been over looked and rejected by people, it makes me wonder why I'm so special through your eyes. I can't help feeling that way." As I continued, explaining the extent of my worries over this, Warren got up and sat on the bed. His eyes were locked intently on me and his brow was furrowed.

"Don't you think I'd be the last person to judge you?" Warren asked, raising his eyebrow and smiling slightly. I knew he was right; deep down I knew everything he was saying was true. But this wasn't fair on him – I was almost treating him like a liar just because I was so insecure. "I always thought out the two of us, I'd be the one who'd find it harder to let go."

I pushed my chair closer to him and sat opposite. "How are things with you and your dad?" I asked, trying to change the conversation subject. I knew he was having a hard time trying to please his dad again, and it was making me angrier every day and less wanting to actually meet the man.

Warren looked away and sighed loudly. "Bad again. It seems like every time I see him we're arguing over this damn cure. The advertising and shipments are starting so it's less likely for me to back out now."

"Why?" I asked, feeling the anger starting to boil in me. This man had no right to tell his own son how he should be. "I still can't see why he's so hell bent on this cure. He's talking as though it's some kind of illness. Drugs for cancer would be a cure, yes, but not this. It's like curing me of having brown hair. It's stupid!" I was beginning to rant which I usually did when I was started on a subject I was passionate about. "Cures are for illnesses which render you actually ill and unable to do things, or even worse, they eventually kill you. Why is he even referring to it as a cure?"

"Because he sees the mutation as a fault in genes."

"Mutations happen naturally and humans wouldn't even exist without it. It just means humans are on the brink of a change."

"I came here to forget about him for now, Aim. I have enough of him getting frustrated with me over stuff..." I noticed how he stopped suddenly and looked away as if embarrassed.

"What did he say to you?" I asked, leaning over and brushing his hand with mine. I knew this bastard had said something serious to Warren and deeply had upset him. "Warren? Please." His tear filled eyes then locked with mine, and in that precise moment I could have took him into my arms and held him there next to my heart.

"Basically he thinks I have too much faith in you and our relationship and thinks I should be thinking to the future of being normal. He thinks that you're holding me back from having a normal life." I was caught completely off guard by that and had no idea how to handle what he'd just said. His dad thought that of me? Maybe he was right. I stood up and turned around, feeling my heart race faster; for some reason I felt sick and had the sensation of butterflies in my stomach, but they were flapping viciously, threatening to bring back all my dinner. "He said our children might be mutants, too."

By now I could feel the tears streaming down my cheeks, almost tickling me as they did. "I don't care about that," I said over the tears. "I've never cared about it. It's only us that would have to live with it, and if we can accept our children, then why the hell should he care?" I knew I'd always wanted children; it'd been something I'd talked about rarely with Alex in the years we were together. From memory I could only remember us mentioning it maybe twice.

"Forget what he thinks, Aim," Warren told me. But I couldn't. How could his dad think so little of us, and me? I'd be holding Warren back from a 'normal' life? But living a normal life was what Warren needed. If he continued on with me, he'd be living a lie. Day after day he'd be covering himself up, scared to let people close and I couldn't bear knowing that.

"How can I forget what he's said? Maybe he's right with me holding you back. If you stay like this, you'll be covering yourself up as soon as you leave the front door. And it'd be through me."

"If I take this cure, Aim, I'll still be with you," Warren snapped. "You're talking as though whether I have this or not will be the make or break of us."

"Well how do I know that once you've lost your wings you won't be out meeting new people? You won't want me anymore," I wept. I knew I'd probably make him angry again, but I couldn't help it. I couldn't go through being cheated on again. I just couldn't.

Warren came in closer toward me, his head almost touching mine. "Aim, make the decision for me. Do you want me to change or not?"

"How can I decide for you?" I sobbed.

"Because you're the person who's going to be impacted the most by this. Yes or no? Decide for me." Then I felt his kiss my forehead. "Please, choose for me."

"I can't," I continued. "This is your choice. Not mine. I've got no right to choose for you..." Then I heard him sigh and without even thinking the words fell out my mouth. "No. I love you just the way you are."

xxx

After our heart to heart, we sat for a while with a coffee and began discussing how we both hoped to see ourselves in the future. It was already around midnight but we both seemed highly alert and fully awake. Warren began to speak and took regular sips from his black coffee which I had to say was disgusting. I personally couldn't drink coffee without milk.

"My future has always been planned out for me," Warren said, looking down and then his gaze diverted back towards me. When talking about his family and how they treated him, Warren always seemed to find it hard to focus on me. Maybe the sadness of it all somehow made him lose concentration or he felt embarrassment over it. "I take over the company when Dad retires, simple as. Up until then I follow him around like a sheep and learn how everything works. Then there are his parties and charity events which he always expects me to attend. I just don't want it, you know? I want to live my own life and do the things I want to do, not what he expects me to do."

"I know how you feel," I began. "My dream job was to be a doctor and my dad was always encouraging me and bragging about how wonderful it'd be to have a daughter who was a doctor. Then as I learned more about the job, I realised that I didn't want to do it. I went to college for two years once I left school, and that was enough education for me. I didn't need university and just got myself a job, even though my first ever job was working at an estate agents in the office. God, I hated it. I never became the doctor my dad always encouraged me to be, but he's happy that I'm happy. My job isn't the best which I have now; I always have arsey people ranting at me down the phone, expecting me to sort their tax out immediately, but it pays the bills, and I can shut off at night. In my old job I was having so much work thrown at me and I couldn't shut off from it."

"I've never even had a proper job as such," Warren explained. I kept my coffee firmly between my hands and listened to him. I loved to hear him talk. He had a lovely, soft voice and I always liked how he explained things and was straight to the point. He didn't beat about the bush so to speak. "I did study at college and graduated in Business but I didn't enjoy it. Most of the class thought I was up my own ass and a lot of the girls were overly sweet with me which pissed me off."

"Gold diggers?" I asked, laughing. "Thankfully, I've never had enough gold to dig for."

"How do you see the future as in us?" Warren asked and I noticed now that his gaze was locked intently on me. I think he'd been waiting for this for most of the conversation and now that we'd got here, he was engrossed. I couldn't help but smile and look down, feeling heat flush across my cheeks. I knew where I wanted my future to be, but how could I say it to him? How could I tell Warren that one day I'd love to be his wife and have his children? How could I say that?

"Um, do you need to know the answer to that?" I asked, giggling nervously. I usually giggled when trying to cover my nervousness.

"Yes, I do." Warren was serious now. I could tell it in his face and voice. He wanted a straight answer and no bullshit.

"Well, you tell me first what you want and then I'll tell you." I stuck out my tongue playfully, trying so hard to bring some tease into the conversation, but his face was still straight. "Why are you being so deadly serious over this, Warren? Are you scared of what I'll say?"

"Partly," he replied. "I want to know that you feel the same."

"And how do you feel?"

He sighed and locked his hands together, staring down at his feet. "It's hard for me to say this without it sounding cheesy or weird, so I'll just say it and then it'll be up to you whether it freaks you out or not." Then he paused. I felt myself swallowing hard, wondering what the hell it was he wanted to say. How hard could it be just to tell me how he felt? "Okay...I know we haven't been together very long, and I don't really see how that should matter. A lot of people get together and things happen quickly..." Another sigh. "I...want us to get married sometime in the future and if I should take over the company...well, I want you to head it with me."

"And that was what you had such a hard time telling me?" I asked him, although I couldn't help but smile. "Warren, I thought that was where we'd head naturally anyway. If we stay together, marriage is something nearly everyone goes through and if you do take over the company, why wouldn't I support you?"

"I'm not saying we have to do it now, but I just want to know you feel the same as me. I hate the thought of going on and somewhere along the line we discover we want different things."

I knew exactly how he felt as that was something which I and Alex always battled with. Even down to something as mundane and ridiculous as wanting to see different films – we always seemed to want different things. I can see now when looking back on that relationship that he just wanted a fling and someone to come home to and attend to his every whim. I wanted a true relationship and something meaningful.

"I'm glad you told me because I can't see any problems we'll ever have with wanting different things," I told him honestly. "I know a lot of people who've been together for years and suddenly one day they realise their aspirations are completely different. My sister has always wanted children and her last boyfriend was with her for five years, but it came out one day that he didn't want children. He just wanted to have fun and not worry about a family just yet. In a lot of relationships and this is going on personal experience and observation, men just want to play the field and it's the women who want to settle down."

"People always seemed to assume that was the life I wanted, to be a playboy and sleep with someone different every night, but it's not. I want this. I want to know that I have a woman who I love and who loves me. When you live a life of being a recluse yet you're expected to sit in the limelight it somehow splits you in two, but gradually the part of you which is living a lie grows stronger."

My heart wrenched as he spoke and I couldn't help but put my arm around him and pull him in toward me. "You don't have to live a lie with me. I always used to feel like I was acting and being what everyone else wanted me to be. I never told people I want to write a novel because most people think of it as stupid and geeky. But it's what I love to do and what I'm passionate about. I know you love to fly and you shouldn't deny yourself that. While you're here, I can always take you to the park at night and you can show me how you fly."

"I wish you could come up with me," Warren said softly. His voice radiated through me, melting into me. "I have something I want to share with you."

"I'm scared I'd puke all over you," I laughed. "I've never done anything like it before, apart from going on rides at theme parks."

"I wouldn't take us up very high. You'd be fine."

"You say that now," I giggled. "I doubt you want all of my dinner in your lap."

"You worry too much!" Warren exclaimed loudly, but in jest, and with a smile on his face.