Genre: Romance/Suspense
Disclaimer: I own no Transformers. Except some action figures. I might even have to steal some of my cousin's little toys.
What I Mean is a plot bunny that will most likely be used in the Transformers story that will be written later this summer. It's simply a small scene in a much larger story.
In this story, it's... A certain amount of time after the 2007 Transformers movie. Basically, these two --Barricade & Jessie-- are in love, but it's kind of hard to be a human in love with a robot, you know? So I started wondering what would happen... &, well, this was born. It's chock-full of little jokes for my close friends, but if you have any questions, please, ask.
"Barricade... Where are we going?"
"I've got something to show you."
"Is it another broken light? Because I swear to God, if I have to make you another flashing light--"
"Just shut up and let me drive."
Jessie crossed her arms and stared at the darkening scenery through the window. "Well, it's not like I have a choice of where you drive, is it?" she muttered.
A sound came from the front of the car; it sounded like the engine was backfiring. Jessie allowed a smirk to cross her face as she heard Barricade snort.
After a few moments of silence, Barricade's voice came again, not as rough as before. "It might be a while until we get there... You should, y'know, stretch out... Try to get some sleep. We had a long shift today." He waited for her reply, becoming tense when he didn't get one. Normally he stayed away from being too nice, but the one time he let his guard down...! It was driving him crazy that he couldn't see what Jessie's reaction was.
He didn't have to wait much longer for a response. He felt it as she took off her seatbelt and slowly, cautiously, pulled her legs up so she could lie sideways across the front seat. Jessie immediately felt sleepy. Barricade relaxed and almost smiled to himself as he turned up the heat to make her more comfortable.
"Hey now..." she murmured as the warmth reached her. "That's just cheating." But Jessie couldn't help but smile a little when Barricade tuned the radio in to an easy-listening station, the music causing her eyelids to droop and finally close all the way. This time Barricade did smile to himself as he drove carefully on.
An hour or so later, Barricade turned off a crappy dirt road onto a slightly crappier road that was more rocks than dirt. The sudden bumps startled Jessie out of sleep. She hit her head on the roof, then again on the side window as Barricade rolled over a pothole. "Ow... Crap," she muttered, looking out at the empty scenery. "Barricade, where the hell are we?"
"To be honest, I don't really know," came the rough reply. "But... This should be good."
He slowed and stopped as Jessie peered out the windshield. A solitary oak tree stood beside a giant tumble of boulders, its bare branches stark against the winter night.
"Get out." Suddenly nervous, Barricade's tone was harsher than normal. The driver's door opened on its own. Jessie climbed out, confused, and rubbed her arms in the sudden cold.
"What are you--" She stopped short as Barricade's wheels spun until they got some traction and he shot up the road, towards the giant oak. She felt her mouth fall open and her arms drop to her side as she stared after him in disbelief. He kept going, not saying anything, and disappeared behind the oak tree, out of sight.
Jessie' shock turned quickly to annoyance. She began to run after him, shouting angrily. "What the hell are you doing?! Are you just gonna leave me here? Damn it, Barricade!"
She had almost reached the oak when Barricade's voice came through the gloom. "You remember that conversation we had, a few months ago? The one about... Us?"
Jessie stopped abruptly, a pained look appearing on her face. That day... How could she forget? That was the day she had almost lost him. Lost her house, her job, her life. All because of three small words.
"Of course I remember," she whispered. Even though he wasn't near her, she knew Barricade could hear her. Robots are just sensitive like that.
Barricade winced at her tone. "I know what you're thinking about," he called quickly. "But I meant the part before that, when we were talking about how I can transform." As if to make sure she knew exactly what he meant, Barricade transformed into his robot mode. Wheels folded up, gears locked into places, as he stood as his full height. He tried to be stealthy as he glanced around a branch at Jessie, red eyes zooming in on where she stood. If he was lucky...
A slight smile brightened her face. She laughed a little, like Barricade knew she would. He knew he could be easily seen behind the oak tree, that his sneaking was totally pointless. He also knew that he could make Jessie laugh if he tried to hide behind something, every time.
"Now that I have your attention--" Jessie rolled her eyes at him, "--I really do have something to show you."
He took a deep breath, hoping it would work. Then... He began to transform.
It hurt, at first, bringing all of himself into such a small form. Still, he had chosen a form that was tall, even among humans. His features became softer, less angular; his weapons and gears retreating to hide inside the fleshy shell. He grimaced, the expression feeling strange on his new face. The first time he had transformed into this body, he had been unable to control it. Barricade had to sit for at least two hours before figuring out how to walk. It had taken him even longer to talk, but by now he could walk, talk, and look exactly like a real human being.
He just hoped the surprise wouldn't kill Jessie.
She stood, confused, wondering what had happened to Barricade. She had seen him begin to transform, seen him grow smaller until he was hidden behind the tree -- but where was he? Where was the sound of a Mustang's engine?
Jessie took a few cautious steps forward, listening. She broke into a run, strings of panic striking through her. As she got closer to the oak, she caught the sound of heavy breathing, as though whatever was behind the tree had just run a mile.
Barricade took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He heard Jessie's running footsteps approaching quickly. He stepped out from behind the oak...
And collided with Jessie, head on. If he hadn't had alien strength, he would have been knocked down.
All of a sudden Jessie felt hands bracing her shoulders, connected to strong arms... Arms that were definitely human.
She froze once more, staring in shock at the man in front of her. It was odd that he looked so familiar, but -- Where was Barricade? Jessie glanced around wildly, not seeing anything. Suddenly breaking free of the man's grasp, she ran around to the back of the tree. Still no sign of him. She even peered up into the tree; no luck there. Then it must have been...
Jessie whipped around, terror mixed with anger on her face as she glared at the man. She turned fully and strode up to him, saying boldly: "Excuse me, sir, have you seen a police Saleen S281 Mustang anywhere near here? Number 643?"
Barricade couldn't help but smile at Jessie's attitude. It was the way she acted when they were on duty, or when she was questioning someone and the suspect wasn't talking. Most of the time, when she talked like that, she got what she wanted.
The stranger's smile surprised her. She realized as she got closer to him that he was really very tall. He must be at least six and a half feet tall, if not more, she though. At any rate, he hadn't answered her, so she kept talking.
"It's mine, you see, and I rather need it to get back home. So, if--" She stopped abruptly, interrupted by laughter.
Barricade really couldn't help himself, it was just too funny. Of course, it hurt a little that she didn't recognize him... But he shook that feeling off. He guessed it was time he told her who he was.
Jessie's shock had been replaced by fury. Her hand reached down to the belt around her waist to rest on the gun strapped there. She was lost, Barricade was missing, this idiot was laughing at her, and she wanted some answers now, dammit!
Barricade's eyes caught the movement of her hand. Oh, crap, he thought. Yeah. It was definitely time to tell Jessie who he was.
"Whoa, wait a second," he exclaimed, holding up his hands in a calming gesture. "You don't recognize me?"
Jessie squinted at the man before her suspiciously. It was true that he looked familiar, but... She had no idea who he was.
"Nope. No clue."
Barricade sighed heavily and walked a few steps closer. "But we've known each other for a while now... Really think about it."
Jessie glared at him as he came closer. They've known each other...? Had she known someone close to him? What if she had locked up his wife or family? Oh, shit... What if she had locked him up?! Oh my God, he had gotten out of jail and was out for revenge! He was going to kill her, or worse!
Panicked, she pulled out her gun and pointed it steadily at his head. She wasn't about to taken any chances. "Back off, sir. I really don't want to have to use this." Which may or may not have been a lie.
Barricade stared at the gun in Jessie's hands. He wasn't too worried, because he was basically invincible, being a robot and all. Then again... He'd never been shot in this body before.
"Damn... Look, Jessie, the truth is--" he started, sighing and running a hand through his two-tone hair.
"HOLY SHIT, how do you know my name?!" she screamed, then gun in her hands starting to shake. Crap! She wasn't so afraid of him killing her; it was the possibility or rape...
"Because it's me, you idiot!" He shouted at her. "I'm Barricade!"
Jessie stared at him with wide eyes. How could this man know Barricade's name? The only people in this area who knew the Transformers' names were Shannon, Marissa, and Sarah.
"Th-That isn't funny," she whispered. "Stop it."
Barricade made his eyes and voice soften. "No joke, Sunshine." She didn't miss that he had used her police force nickname, but it didn't make her feel any better. This man knew way too much -- but it just wasn't possible he was Barricade! He, Starscream, Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Hot Rod... Jessie couldn't even begin to count the number of times they had tried to become human.
"You're lying," she muttered, frowning.
"I am not; this is the truth--"
"Even if it is, you know too much. This isn't right...!"
"It's perfectly all right! You just can't get the idea through your thick skull!"
"Shut up, shut up!" Jessie cried. "Barricade turning into a human is too perfect for this to be real!" Then she squinted her eyes shut...
...And pulled the trigger.
Barricade had a split second to react before the gun would fire. He used this time to... Just stand there.
The gun didn't go off. It was empty.
Jessie slowly opened her eyes and stared at him. Why didn't he have a giant bleeding hole in his head?
"You used all your bullets earlier today," Barricade murmured. "When we were stopping the escaped pyromaniac. You forgot to reload it because Shannon called after we got him to make plans for this weekend's party. Then we stopped to buy some muffin mix, but you saw a Hellboy shirt and almost broke your phone trying to call Sarah..." He trailed off, seeing how badly she was shaking. Well, so much for not surprising her, he thought.
Jessie stared at his face, mostly at his eyes... They were an odd shade of red, almost pupil-less. The looked just like...
"Barricade...?" She whispered.
"Finally," he grinned at her. "Took you long enough."
And then she was staggering towards him, dropping her gun, rushing into his now-open arms. Jessie buried her face into his chest, smelling the musty garage scent that was undoubtedly Barricade. His strong muscle-corded arms wrapped around her, crushing her close. Her head just reached a little below his shoulders, in the perfect position to hear his heartbeat. But...
"Why do I hear a bunch of gears and stuff turning in there?" She wondered.
Barricade gave a small chuckle. "I may look like a human, but all that metal had to go somewhere."
Jessie pulled away enough to stare at his face. "All of your robot form is piled in there?" She gasped. He nodded. "And it hurt like hell the first time I did it, too," he said dryly.
She smiled softly, then frowned. "Wait... So you've done this before? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Jess, I couldn't even move at first, much less talk. I didn't even know if I could transform back." He ran his hand through his hair again, almost guiltily. Jessie could see this would become a habit.
"No wonder you're so tall, though..." she said. "What'd you do, scan an actual human you just happened to like the looks of?"
To her surprise, he nodded. "Yeah, actually--" Jessie's gasp cut him off. "Oh my gosh, does that mean there's someone out there who looks exactly like you?! D'you know where he is? Does he know--?"
Barricade interrupted her excited chatter by placing a large hand over her mouth, effectively silencing her. "Enough questions. For now," he added, seeing an arguementive look flash in her eyes.
It suddenly occurred to him that he could stand here, touch her soft skin, and actually feel her warmth. He could touch her without crushing her fragile body. Barricade brought his arm back down to smother Jessie against him again. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in her smell that was totally her own.
"Barricade?" Jessie asked, confused. He sighed into her hair, murmuring. "God, I've waited so long to do this. You don't know how good it all feels."
She hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Barricade as best she could, since his head was still resting on her hers. He opened his eyes and bent so that his forehead laid against Jessie's, nearly pupil-less red eyes looking into bright brown ones. Suddenly she smiled, her face lighting up and dazzling Barricade.
"It's almost like a sappy love story, isn't it?" she quipped. "The dashing young man goes though traumatic situations just to be with his true love, and when they're finally together, they gaze into each other's eyes..."
Barricade held his breath, waiting for what she would say next.
"...What a load of crap, huh?"
He let out his breath in a disappointed laugh. He had been hoping she would give him some hint to what he was supposed to do next, but... It looked light he was on his own this time.
Jessie had noticed the disappointment in his sigh, and she looked at him in concern. "What?" she asked self-consciously.
Barricade glanced at her open face and quickly away, muttering. "What if... It isn't all crap? If sometimes those idiotic stories are actually pretty accurate?" Jeez, this was even harder than transforming into a human! He didn't like being this free with his emotions, but if this was what it took to be with her, he would just have to suck it up and do it...
"What do you mean?" asked Jessie.
...Which was gonna be a hell of a lot easier said than done.
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Barricade ran a hand through his hair nervously. He was about to place it back around Jessie when she suddenly grabbed his hand and held on to it. "You've already got a nervous habit." She smiled at him again. Well, he though, now or never.
"What I mean," he murmured, "is this."
Then he lowered the arm still around Jessie to the small of her back and used it to push her up towards him. Her momentary confusion let him bend his head down and gently press his lips against hers.
Time didn't stop like those sappy books said it did; nor did it feel like he was flying. But Barricade was standing here holding a warm body close to his; he was kissing her without fear of hurting her; and God she tasted so good!
Jessie herself didn't know what was happening at first when she felt a pair of warm lips touch hers. The kiss was soft, gentle, innocent only because of inexperience. Then when she finally realized what was happening, he was already pulling away. Dazedly, she thought it wasn't fair he had caught her off guard. So with a small cry of "No you don't!" she reached up on the tips of her toes to reclaim his mouth. The hand that wasn't holding on to Barricade's found its way behind his head, pulling him back down. No amount of good kisses could make her reach that far up for very long!
And they were very good. Jesse didn't know how Barricade had gotten so good at it, but did that really matter? He was a bit surprised at first, but when he realized she wasn't smacking him, he responded quickly.
Finally they pulled apart, breathing slightly harder than normal. Barricade looked down at her tenderly for a moment before pulling her against his body and holding her there. Jessie closed her eyes and stood there, content. Then a thought bubbled up, making her frown.
Barricade felt it and asked, "What?" He was slightly worried. What if she was feeling regretful? Were his actions wrong? Did she not like it? Was she having second thoughts? Did his kissing suck?
"...Marissa's going to be so mad," Jessie mumbled into his chest.
Barricade almost fell. "And why is that?"
"Because," she explained. "Her fuzzy blanket only has you and Optimus Prime's robot modes to warm her up. Just wait'll she finds out I've got a human Barricade to do the same thing... Only better."
He shook with laughter after she said this, the deep baritone sound giving Jessie a euphoric feeling.
That is, until his knees buckled and he really did fall to the ground, taking her with him.
"Oh my God!" Jessie shouted, alarmed. "What the hell just happened?! Are you okay?" He grimaced, reaching down to rub his knees. "I'll be alright," he replied roughly. "I guess I'm not used to standing for so long as a human." Barricade gave a weak grin. "Makes me feel kind of flimsy."
Jessie checked to make sure he was really okay, then smacked his head lightly. "Don't joke like that! You scared me." She pouted a little as she stared at him. "Would changing back into your vehicle mode help?"
He nodded. "It would," he said seriously.
"...So why don't you?"
"Well... I don't think I can."
