This chapter is (kind of) special. As some of you may know, GTA V is now four years old as of today. So, I've been waiting to post this chapter until today, which is about the first anniversary Michael and Amanda have after the ending of the game. Enjoy :D

"Amanda? Are you ready yet?" Michael called out from the bottom of the stairs, glancing down at his watch. He anxiously tugged at the tie around his neck and waited for her response.

"Yeah, one sec!" she called out from their bedroom, earning a sigh from him.

"Come on, we're gonna be late for our reservation!" he said impatiently. He barely got the sentence out before she appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Happy anniversary, darling," Amanda smiled softly at him. The sight of her made him speechless, making his jaw drop in awe. Her lips were her favorite color: red. Red as blood and passion and love. The black dress that she wore was maybe a little too short, but it clung to her in all the right places and brought out the brightness in her eyes.

"You look…" Beautiful? Amazing? "...hot," he said dumbly, immediately wanting to kick himself for saying that. It was as if he was in his twenties again and didn't have a damn clue on what to say to her. Idiot...

She giggled at his comment. "You're not looking too bad yourself. Except…" her eyes narrowed in concentration as she adjusted his crooked bow tie. "There. Now you look even more handsome."

Her fingers lightly traveled over to his shoulders to smooth over the collar of his tuxedo and lingered there for a long moment. He had just started to lean in before their daughter sauntered in.

"Aw, you two look so cute!" Tracey practically squealed with excitement. "It's so weird not seeing you scream and fight…"

"Yeah, fucking eerie ain't it?" Michael asked. "But I gotta say that I like this a lot better."

"Me too. So, um, how long are you gonna be gone?" Tracey asked, hastily trying to change the subject.

Michael glared at her suspiciously. "A while. There better be no boys or parties here while we're gone."

Tracey pouted. "You're no fun," she muttered before storming back upstairs.

Michael and Amanda just laughed at her desperation. "She really wants us out of the house, huh?" Amanda smirked.

"Yeah, she does...so we better make her wish come true before we're late," Michael said, grabbing her hand and leading her outside to the car.

"Hell of a lot better than the old bars we used to go to, huh?" he asked her as he led her out of the most expensive restaurant in the city.

"At least at those I could get a drink that cost me less than fifty bucks. I could get used to this though…" she admitted. "So, what's next on the agenda?"

Michael opened the car door for her and got in after her. "Well…" he started before pulling a small box out of his jacket pocket. "Happy anniversary, sweetheart."

She just looked at him in confusion before opening it, revealing the engagement ring he'd bought for her all those years ago. "I thought I lost it…" Amanda whispered. "How...where did you…?"

"You threw it at me during one of our fights. Then you left and I didn't think anything of it...but when you came back, I dug around and found it. What do you think?" he asked her nervously.

A relieved grin spread across her face as she slipped it onto her finger. "It's amazing...I-I'm so glad you found it. God, you're gonna make me ruin my makeup already, you ass," she laughed as she quickly wiped away the tears forming in her eyes.

"Oh, I can help with that…" he said before leaning over and kissing her. The lipstick stuck to his mouth, turning his own lips a crimson red. She didn't even care, just kept kissing him harder. The redness of it felt even more intoxicating when it met his tongue. Her hands buried into his hair, the metal of the ring feeling cool against his head.

"Darling, let's wait till later," he pulled away breathlessly when her hand brushed against his belt teasingly. "I still have a couple more surprises."

Amanda nodded and reapplied her lipstick, eyebrows narrowed with concentration as she looked at herself in the mirror of the car. "Actually, babe, can I drive? I need to show you something…" she said vaguely.

Michael raised an eyebrow at that, but still got out of the car and let her into the driver's seat. "So, what is it?" he asked as he rubbed the makeup off of his mouth.

"An anniversary surprise of my own," she said, blue eyes glinting with excitement. She smiled at him mysteriously. Predatorily, dangerously, like the night they met. His heart started to thump against his chest at that. "So, close your eyes."

"What?"

"You heard me. Close your eyes," she demanded, fingers tapping against the steering wheel impatiently while she waited for him to oblige.

"Fine," he sighed and shut his eyes.

"Good boy," she teased before starting the car back up.

"Alright, open them."

Michael hesitantly opened his eyes to the sight of the garage he owned in downtown Vinewood. He'd bought it a couple months ago, after all of the heat had died down, and had taken to fixing up old cars in it. "Why are we here?" he asked.

"Just trust me," she said reassuringly and led him inside. His gaze scanned over the garage, at all of the classic cars he had, before he noticed a new one hidden beneath a tarp. Amanda just nodded when he looked at it and back at her. "Go on."

He took it off and his eyes widened when he saw what was underneath it. A sleek, jet black sports car that looked vaguely familiar with a red bow resting on the hood. But the part that surprised him the most was the license plate that read "Meltdown".

"I'm sorry that you missed the movie premiere," she said softly. "So I got you something that might help."

It dawned on him where he'd seen the car before, in all of the action scenes they'd shot using it, from the movie he'd watched at least a dozen times, the movie he'd helped work on. "Babe, is...is this the car they used in Meltdown?" his voice was nearly a whisper, shaky from amazement.

She grinned at his enthusiasm, the same enthusiasm that he'd had for years about movies. "The same one."

Michael's hand was shaking with excitement when he reached out to run his hand over the hood. "No fuckin' way...how did you get this?"

"Well, the studio wasn't using it and it took a lot of convincing your boss…" she admitted. "...but they let me buy it for you just in time for today."

"This is mine now?" he asked hesitantly, half expecting her to tell him that she was fucking with him.

"For the last time, yes, it's all yours," she laughed as she pressed the car keys into his hand.

"I...uh...wow…" he stuttered, running a hand through his hair nervously, unable to find the right words to say because nobody had ever done something like this for him before. "Thank you, Amanda…"

Amanda shook her head. "Don't thank me. Plus, maybe this will make you stop forcing me to watch the movie," she smirked at him teasingly.

"Ah, we'll see about that…" he replied, looking down at the keys in his hand and smiling over at her. "How about we go for a test drive?"

"Have I ever told you that your driving makes me nervous?" Amanda said, hands clutching at her seatbelt desperately as her husband took full advantage of the new car.

Michael just continued speeding through the winding roads of the hills and laughed. "Only about a million times…"

"Where are we even going?" she had to yell over the deafening wind roaring in her ears pouring in from the rolled down windows.

"You'll see," he replied with a devilish grin.

A few minutes and a couple of anti-anxiety pills later, he pulled up to one of the many spots overlooking the city. "Alright, come on," he said as he got out and sat on the hood of the car, patting the spot next to him. The cold breeze ruffled through her hair as she sat down next to him and took in the view.

The sky was a mixture of dark pinks and blues, only being interrupted by the bright outlines of the towering skyscrapers. The city was bursting with life beneath them, full of orange and blue light and the view of hundreds of cars making their way through the streets. For once, the loud noises of Los Santos were just distant hums in their ears as they stared at it in amazement.

"Wow…" she managed to breathe out, eyes still fixated on it.

"Nice, isn't it?" he smiled.

"It's beautiful," she murmured as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Michael shifted nervously next to her. "This is where I used to come when I was feeling particularly shitty about myself. Uh, I came here a lot and...fuck...I don't know how to say this…" he ran his hands down his face, sighing.

Amanda didn't say anything, just gently grabbed one of his hands and squeezed it in silent reassurance.

With his free hand, he lit up a cigarette and put it in his mouth, exhaling deeply. "I just…my whole life I've tried to chase these things that I thought would make me happy. I thought I'd be happy with a normal life, that didn't work out. I thought I'd be happy being back in the game, I wasn't. My whole life...chase things, get 'em, hate 'em…" he stared regretfully into the distance for a moment. "I never thought about anybody else. Never thought about the kids. Never thought about you…"

He took a long drag on the cigarette. "Every time I came up here, I wondered if I made the right choice back in North Yankton. I just can't help but think about what would have happened if you'd just stayed there and told me to fuck off…" he laughed under his breath. "Maybe I wouldn't have been drinking myself to death for the past five years, maybe you would have found a guy who deserved you...a good guy."

"Good guys are boring, Michael," Amanda finally said. "You'll marry one of them and then he'll buy you a nice house with a picket fence around it and come home everyday from his nine to five job. Maybe a couple of kids and a dog. And then, that's it. For the rest of your life, it's the same damn thing, every single day. I like where we ended up," she whispered.

"Me too, sweetheart," he said softly. "But I guess I just wanted to say I...I'm sorry for all of this. I brought everything that happened on myself and I dragged you down with me. I wish I wasn't like this...but I guess I'm just built like it. I'm, ah...I'm sorry for doing that to you..."

"It must have taken a lot for you to tell me this, huh?" she asked quietly, earning a tired nod from him. "I'm glad you did. I don't blame you for anything anymore, Michael, I really don't. I just want us to forget everything that happened these past few years. Maybe now we finally can."

With that, they lapsed into silence for a few minutes and looked up at the sky. The sun had long since set since they had started talking, but unlike in the light-polluted skies of the city, they could actually see the stars from their spot on the outskirts of town.

"It's been twenty two years…" she said softly, staring at all of the constellations. "Isn't that crazy? We got married on this day all those years ago. I've spent over half my life being stuck with you now," she smirked playfully at him.

"Damn, way to make me feel old, babe," he chuckled self-deprecatingly. "But, uh, being stuck with me for all that time...was it worth it?"

Amanda bit her lip hesitantly and nervously tapped her fingers against the hood of the car. "I'm gonna be honest...a couple of years ago I would've said no."

"And what about now?" he whispered as he pulled her closer to him.

"Now? Yes. Yes, absolutely," she grinned at him before putting her hands on his shoulders and kissing him. The kiss was slow and gentle at first, almost chaste compared to their usual fierce ones. His lips moved against hers with a relief that was as if the weight of the world had suddenly been lifted from him.

When they parted for air, Michael rested his hands on her cheeks and stared into her eyes with a softness and passion that she hadn't seen in a long time. "I love you, Amanda..." he murmured, his breath warm against her lips.

"Michael…" she breathed out, lightly pressing kisses against his jaw. "I love you, too."

He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into his lap, impatiently tilting his face down to hers so that their lips met again. Michael began kissing her harder, hands roaming all along her body. Their tongues danced with their normal passion and intensity, but this kiss was different. This one didn't have horrible memories of the past few years behind it, instead filled with a renewed hope and love.

Amanda smiled against the kiss and buried her hands into his hair, rolling her hips over his. Michael had to press his lips against her neck to stifle the brief moan that escaped from him. He inhaled the scent of her perfume and couldn't help but lightly bite down on the soft skin of her neck to taste her. She just moaned in response and rolled her hips over his for a second time, earning a muffled swear from him. "Fuck me, Michael," she whispered into his ear.

Michael pulled back, panting, and stared at the expectant look on her face. He shook his head. "Not yet."

"Why not?" she sulked, pressing impatient kisses to his cheeks and jaw.

"Because…" he couldn't quite get the words out between those wandering lips and how much he really did want to.

Noticing how distracting she was being, she stopped. "Michael?"

"Because I've forgotten our last three anniversaries and I, ah, I wanted to make up for lost time by getting you somethin' for each year…" he managed to say. "The ring was the first thing, and coming up here was the second...so I have one more thing to show you."

"You know you didn't have to get me anything. I'm just glad that we're spending time together," Amanda admitted with a small smile.

"I know, but I think you'll like this," he squeezed her hand confidently. "Plus it makes me feel less shitty about myself."

"If it helps, I think you're doing a pretty good job so far," she reassured him.

"Thanks, sweetheart," he said softly before getting up from the hood of the car and offering her his hand. "We better get going."

He held the door open for her as she got back into the car. "So, what's your big surprise to end the night?" she asked with a smirk.

"Well, it wouldn't be a surprise then," Michael started the car back up with a devilish grin. "So...close your eyes."

"Alright, we're here," he finally said after another long, stressful drive.

"Very funny, using my own trick against me, you know…" she muttered sarcastically, eyes widening as soon as she opened them to an unfamiliar sight. Through the brightness of the streetlights, she recognized the beach houses that lined the long street. "What are we doing here?" she asked, voice slightly shaky in excitement.

"Well...you kept bugging me about how you wanted to buy one. Plus, now you might stop begging me to remodel the house…" he laughed, finding the new key on his keyring.

"I didn't think you'd actually go through with it…" she muttered in shock. "But, um, we can afford this now, right?"

"Let's just say we won't have to worry about money again…" he said vaguely. "Come on."

Michael unlocked the door and gently lead her inside. "Happy anniversary, darling."

Her jaw fell open at the sight in front of her. The house was dimly lit by the candles flickering on the tables and the song they had their first dance to at their wedding was playing softly in the background.

"Well?" he asked nervously.

Amanda didn't say anything, just turned around and kissed him. "It's amazing. Totally unnecessary," she stressed, even though her tone of voice suggested otherwise, "but amazing. Thank you, Michael."

"There is one way you can thank me…" he said suggestively, a mischievous look in his blue eyes .

"Oh, yeah?" she asked, a seductive grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. "And what is that?"

He just turned around and started the song over before sheepishly offering her his hand. "Dance with me?"

"Of course."

Michael held her against his chest and slowly moved along with her. For such a big and intimidating guy, he danced with such a smoothness and gentleness that she could never expect from him.

She smiled at the irony. "You've gotten better at this since our wedding."

"Ah, well, I've had some practice," he chuckled.

Amanda sighed in contentment as they continued dancing and looked around the beach house. Everything looked new, from the decorations to the fresh coat of paint on the walls.

"Did you do all of this?" she asked in awe.

"The place was kind of a shithole when I bought it," he admitted. "I hired a decorator because I don't have a fuckin' clue about that kinda stuff, but the other things...yeah, I did those."

"I love it," she told him, earning a relieved smile from him.

As the song ended, Michael looked down at her longingly and kissed her on the forehead. "I wish I could've done all of this sooner…" he said regretfully.

"You are now and that's what matters," she reminded him before a smirk crossed her face. "Tell me something…"

"Anything," he murmured.

She grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him down to her height. "Is the bedroom finished?" she whispered in his ear.

"Oh, that was the first thing I had done," Michael grinned as he promptly picked her up, earning a giggle from her, and pulled her into a deep kiss. He hastily carried her over to the bedroom, only stopping when her back met the door.

She could barely get the door open between his lips impatiently kissing the side of her neck and the shakiness of her hands. When she finally opened it, he let out an audible sigh of relief and hungrily moved his lips back to hers.

By the time they reached the bed, she had already unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it aside while he made quick work of her dress, almost ripping it in his hurry to undress her.

Amanda pulled away only long enough to glare at him. "That's expensive-" she started to protest before he cut her off with a gentle kiss.

"We can always buy another one," he said dismissively before leaning back down and pressing kisses to her neck, earning a soft moan from her.

She quickly reached up and undid his belt before starting to work his pants off of his hips. It took longer than it should've, with him distracting her with those wandering lips and the way that he bucked against her hips.

When she finally did, she fumbled with the opening of his boxers and before she knew it, one of her hands was clutching at the bedsheets while the other tugged at his hair and she was whispering in his ear to encourage him. Harder. Faster. I love you. Don't stop.

He took it in stride, following her directions with a smile until her words became nothing but moans. After that, he just kept kissing her, on her lips, her neck, anywhere he could. He soon started to draw it out, teased her like he always did.

"Michael…" she pleaded.

"What's the magic word?" he asked, panting, a cocky grin plastered onto his face.

"Please."

Blue eyes brightened in victory. "Since you asked so nicely…come for me, baby."

That was all it took for her. A couple seconds later, he collapsed next to her on the bed and pulled her into his arms. She shook under his touch and caught her breath as Michael ran his hand through her damp hair. "Happy anniversary, darlin'," he murmured breathlessly.

Amanda smiled up at him tiredly and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Best anniversary ever."