So many story ideas, such little time…soon I'll finally be able to finish those ideas. Anyways, this is an idea I've had for a while now, where the two tell each other "I love you" for the first time…with a small twist of course… Enjoy the chapter as always :D (P.S. I added a new cover to the story)

"Remind me why I let you plan this thing," Michael growled, panting as he climbed over the fence. A wince crossed his face as he heard the shots crack at his feet.

"Because you trust your best friend?" Trevor grinned maniacally, paying no attention to the police chasing them. To his left, Brad, who had joined them on their jobs only recently, struggled his way over the fence. Michael really didn't trust the guy, but Trevor liked him, that had to mean something.

"You can't manage a simple fuckin' cargo run without having the cops show up!" Michael yelled as he ran, halfheartedly firing a couple shots behind him.

"Quit your whining, M!" the psychopath shouted. "Car's right across this river!" He started running across, only a thin sheet of ice separating them from the dark water.

Michael shakily stepped onto the frozen river, half expecting the ice to break underneath him at any moment. "I don't know about this…" he muttered, trying to cross it as carefully as he could while still trying to hold off the police that were gaining on them, judging by a quick glance over his shoulder.

Suddenly, a cruel smirk appeared on one of the cops faces as he looked at the thief's feet. Michael didn't even have time to move before the ice was shot from underneath him, sending him into the water.

He immediately felt nothing but paralyzing cold, feeling it seep into every part of him. He instinctively tried to gasp for air, rewarding him a mouthful of water. A helpless look up only showed more darkness, as if the river had swallowed him in ice. The gun strapped to his back only succeeded in pulling him further down. Michael became absently thankful that he wasn't the one carrying the heavy weight of the cash.

Trevor had probably abandoned him, he realized as time passed, either because it was too risky to go back for him or maybe he just wanted the money. There was no honor among thieves, he guessed.

So this is how I die, he mused as his vision started to fade around the edges. He always thought he'd die young ever since he started his line of work, but now that it was happening he couldn't help but think of how disappointing it was. How disappointing that he'd go out after barely turning twenty-three. How disappointing it was that his girlfriend probably wouldn't even have a body to bury. How he didn't even get a chance to tell her how he really felt about her.

He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I'll only be gone a few days, babe."

"I know but… please be careful, Michael…" she murmured, hands caressing his face.

"I promise, Amanda."

Maybe he couldn't keep that promise after all, he noted numbly. A sudden burst of energy shot through him as he remembered their last conversation. He needed to get out of this, even to just see her one last time. Michael tried to thrash further upwards, his strength too faded to make quick progress. It would have been so much easier to give up, to just let himself drown but he kept going until he found the top, only to have his head to hit more ice. A strangled growl tore out of his throat as he helplessly punched at it.

I'm sorry, he thought, his sight almost consumed by the darkness. Almost, until he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Amanda. He swore he could see her bright blue eyes through the water, could see her lips turned up in an angelic smile. It obviously wasn't really her, just some hallucination his oxygen-deprived brain tortured him with, but he wanted to pretend for just a little bit longer.

His lungs felt like they were being crushed and he wondered if he could even move his arms and legs at this point. He managed to keep his eyes open despite the water burning into them. Her hand reached out for his cheek and as soon as he felt her touch, he felt a tugging at the collar of his jacket.

A bright light suddenly assaulted him as he felt himself being pulled up. At first, he thought he had miraculously made it into heaven, at least until he saw Trevor leaning over him, a concerned look on his face. "I should have known your fat ass would have fallen through!" his best friend snarled.

Michael collapsed on his knees, coughing out the cold water. "Wasn't...that…" he gasped through his chattering teeth as Trevor hauled him back up to his feet.

"Hurry up!" Brad growled as he fired his rifle wildly in the direction of the cops. Michael glared at him as he shakily started running towards the getaway car.

"Not on my watch," Trevor said when Michael tried to get in the driver's seat, roughly pushing him to the passenger side. "You're still weak, stay low."

"Hey, fuck you, too, bro," Michael replied, shivering as he immediately turned up the heat. He listened to the sounds of sirens fade into the distance as they drove away.

"It's fuckin' hot in here," Brad complained from the back seat.

"I'm sorry, did you almost freeze to death?" Michael asked sarcastically, turning it up higher for good measure. He took off his mask and ran a hand through his damp hair. His gaze shifted to the rearview mirror to assess the damage. His skin was ghostly white, lips a pale blue. He let out an exhausted sigh, shutting his eyes as he rested his head against the window. I'm so goddamn lucky, he reflected drowsily.

"Hey, we're here," Trevor said as he shook Michael awake. Michael looked around tiredly before seeing that they were stopped outside of his trailer. "You drifted off on the drive over. Almost dying must have taken a lot outta you!"

"That was too close, T," Michael muttered, getting out of the car. He started to walk towards his trailer on his unsteady legs.

Trevor leaned out of the car window. "You ain't gonna invite your friends inside for drinks, Mikey?" he yelled.

"Ah, screw you, Trevor, I'll see you tomorrow," Michael called back as he went inside. His knees immediately buckled as he shut the door behind him and he had to lean against the door to stay upright. "Fuck…" he groaned, shaking uncontrollably. He swore he could still feel the ice encasing him, the water filling his lungs and mouth. A shiver ran through him when he thought about what would have happened to him if Trevor had been just a minute later.

When he felt like his legs could finally support him, he staggered into the bathroom and peeled off his wet clothes before turning the shower on. He stood under the downpour, slowly feeling the scalding water loosen his stiff muscles.

After one of the longest showers of his life, he got out and dried himself off. He looked at himself in the mirror, feeling relieved to see that he looked slightly less like a ghost. Michael had just wrapped a towel around his waist when he heard a knock at the door. "Aw, crap..." he muttered under his breath, barely sparing enough time to get dressed before going to the door. His eyes darted towards his pistol for a brief moment before deciding against it. The police wouldn't knock, he decided as he opened it.

"You look like shit, babe," Amanda greeted.

Michael frowned as he pulled her inside. "What are you doing here?" he asked in a low voice.

"Nice to see you, too," she said sarcastically. "We need to talk."

"Mandy, if you're breaking up with me, now is really not the time…" he said with a hollow chuckle.

"I'm not breaking up with you, you insecure dick," she shot a glare at him and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Then what is it?" he asked, voice rising as he ran a towel through his hair. "How many times have I told you that it's dangerous to be seen with me after a job?"

"About a million," she muttered under her breath, "but that was almost a week ago, Michael."

"Amanda," he exhaled slowly in frustration, "you really don't get how risky this line of work is."

"Yes, I do, but fuck me for missing you, I guess," she snapped, starting for the door. "Goodbye, Michael."

"Baby, wait. I missed you, too," he grabbed her hand with a regretful sigh.

She turned to face him. "You sure aren't acting like it," she said angrily, even though she relaxed slightly.

"I, ah...I'm sorry…" he managed. "I'm just on edge. I had a really close fuckin' call earlier and it made me realize how dangerous this shit really is."

Amanda laughed bitterly. "You're just realizing this now?

"Yep..." his voice grew quiet.

"What happened to you, anyway?" she frowned at him, looking him up and down.

"I trusted Trevor," he said with a crooked smirk.

"There's your first mistake…" she said with a bitter laugh.

"Yeah, I know, but this could've been different. All I could think about was how I love you, and how I can't have you getting hurt because of my stupid mistakes!" He became so lost in his rant that he didn't notice the grin slowly spreading across her face or how she leaned in to gently press her lips against his.

It was soft and slow, a stark contrast to their usual kisses. The smile he felt against his lips lingered on her face long after she broke the kiss. He looked at her in confusion as she pulled away. "I love you, too," Amanda whispered.

Michael felt his cheeks grow warm. "Uh...I…" he stammered as he stared at her, at a loss for words.

"You don't need to say anything. You're such a damn softie," she smiled softly up at him. "Took you long enough to say it…"

"Wish I would've said it earlier," he admitted. The corners of his eyes crinkled slightly as he hesitantly smirked at her. "I love you, Amanda…" The words felt familiar on his lips, as if he'd spent his whole life saying them.

"Michael Townley," she started, pressing a kiss to his stubbled cheek. "I love you." Those teasing lips wandered over to his jaw before meeting his lips once again with hitched breath.

This time was a bit rougher. Their tongues danced with their usual fervor, but with a newfound relief, one that they'd been holding in for weeks. Her hands felt burning hot against his pale skin and the damp tufts of hair that she tugged at.

A low growl started in Michael's throat from the contact. His impatient arms effortlessly looped around her thighs and lifted her up. Without breaking the kiss, he hastily lifted her onto the nearest surface, only stopping when her back slammed against the kitchen cabinet with a dull thud. Slowly, his lips left a trail of kisses down her neck, feeling encouraged by his girlfriend's moans beneath him.

Deft fingers had just started to make their way underneath her shirt when she put her hands on his chest. "Wait," Amanda panted as she pulled away from the kisses. "I need to tell you something."

"Anything," he breathed out, his voice thick with lust and desire. Between those bright eyes staring back at him and that adorable way that she hesitantly held her bottom lip between her teeth, he was fairly sure that she could have told him to jump off of a bridge and he would have happily obliged.

"I don't know if you're gonna like this…" she started nervously.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure that we'll figure it out," he said softly. His hand gripped hers tightly for reassurance.

She stared down at the floor. "Michael, I…I'm…" her voice shook as she shifted uncomfortably from her perch on his kitchen counter. "I'm pregnant." When her eyes finally met his again, they were full of fear and desperation.

He staggered back slightly with a look of disbelief on his face. "Are...are you sure?"

"I went to the doctor this morning…" she whispered, nodding.

"Fuck...you-you're on the pill though, right?" he asked with his voice almost pleading.

"I forgot to take it. And let's face it, we were never the most careful about using protection," she admitted bitterly.

"You forgot to take it, of fucking course…" he muttered, but behind his mask of frustration was all fear. He sat down on the couch with a frustrated moan and put his head in his hands. "Fuck...what're we gonna do? We're barely in our twenties, we don't know what the hell we're doing. And our jobs..."

"I can go back to the doctor tomorrow, I can make an appointment-" she began before he cut her off.

"Hon, no, we don't have to do that…" he sighed.

"Well, what else are we gonna do?!" she asked angrily. Tears started to glisten in her miserable eyes.

"I don't know…" he muttered. His features were set in a tight grimace before a thoughtful look formed on his face. "Quit your job at the strip club. You're gonna need to once you start showing, anyway. Come live here, with me," he pleaded.

"But what about you?" she murmured.

"What about me?"

She looked at him with a sad smile. "You already work enough as it is. And if I'm not working…"

"I'll be fine," he insisted. "A couple extra jobs won't hurt me. We can do this, darling. Just you, me, and our kid…"

"I didn't take you for such a domestic type, Townley," she said teasingly as she got down from the counter and joined him on the couch, resting her head on his shoulder. "Can't say I'm not surprised, though."

"You learn something new every day, but…we're not our parents, Amanda. We're not gonna turn into our families…" he said softly.

"I know," she said before finally meeting his gaze. "Okay. We can do your idea, but promise me one thing, Michael."

Michael was tempted to tell her that even if her breath wasn't warm and sweet against his neck and that even if her soft hair wasn't tickling his shoulders, he would have promised her anything in the world. All he could manage was a faint nod of agreement.

Amanda slipped her hands into his hair and pulled him closer so that their lips brushed against each other's when she whispered, "Promise me that you'll be careful, promise me that I won't lose you…"

Looking into her eyes, he could see her real meaning. Meaning that she wouldn't lose him to a heist, to jail, even to his own friends. "I promise you, that with every fiber of my being, that I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn't happen. I never wanna lose you either. I love you, Amanda."

He could feel her sigh in relief against him, pleased with his answer. "I love you, too, Michael…" she murmured.

In the quiet that followed, he allowed himself to forget about the close call earlier, about her pregnancy, but never about the promise he'd just made to her. He'd do anything for her, anything as long as they'd never lose each other.

Michael stared out of the window at the snow falling outside and focused on the sound of Amanda's heart thumping against his body and, just for a moment, let himself think about their forever.