Chapter Two

"I cannot believe we're doing this again," Lori seethed.

She was standing at the one end of a long, royal purple carpet. On either side of her were rows of chairs, most unoccupied. The ones at the back were much bigger as they held the Autobots. To her direct left was Bud, standing by a camera on a tripod and looking bored.

"What is the point of this?" she asked one of the girls standing in front of her.

"Clint wants to make sure everything's perfect," the girl said timidly, afraid of Lori's expression.

"We've done this eight times over the past two weeks!" Lori snapped in frustration, throwing up her hands.

"Clint just w… wants the wedding to be p…perfect," the girl stuttered.

Lori folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes. She didn't see Bud crack a slight grin at her expression. The grin vanished quickly, however, as Clint strode into the clearing a minute later.

"Oh wow!" he said enthusiastically. "This place is looking great."

He smiled and looked around the arches of flowers, the rows of trees and the altar directly behind where he stood. The wedding was set to take place in a clearing in the woods just behind Lori's house, something she wasn't too happy about. Then again, she was happier about the venue of the wedding then she was about the whole idea of the wedding.

"Camera man, how's your angle looking? Ready to shoot the real thing in a few days, not just the rehearsals?" Clint beamed at Bud.

Bud gave him a smile that looked very painful.

"I still don't know how I got dragged into this," he muttered darkly. "I hope something exciting happens."

"And by exciting you mean…?" Hot Shot whispered over to him.

"I dunno, a wasp's nest falling on his head, a wild animal suddenly rushing up and mauling him…" Bud shrugged and a few of the Autobots chortled.

"Right now we just have to fix the lights above the altar," Clint went on, looking up at the said lights. "Luckily the local mechanic said he's have one of his workers come over and do it today."

Bud suddenly gasped and froze.

"Oh please no," he moaned. "Please, please, let the guy coming to fix the lights not be…"

"Coby, isn't it?" Clint interrupted Bud's plea and the young boy slammed his hands into his head in misery.

Coby just stood stock-still and for the first time in his life he looked like he'd rather be anywhere else on earth then there about to fix something. Lori was pointedly talking to another one of her bridesmaids, her face pink. Coby swallowed and then resolutely walked towards the lights. He avoided meeting anyone's gaze, but they could see he did not want to be there at all.

"Alright people, let's start this rehearsal!" Clint called and a guy rushed towards the piano.

The bridesmaids all tittered and formed a line in front of Lori and Clint took his position in the front by the altar, a place that was nearly directly under Coby. Bud saw this and wished his brother wasn't a kind person so he'd drop something on that smug twit's head.

The music began and the bridesmaids all floated forwards, smiling and graceful. Lori's cue came but she only took two steps before she shook her head and stopped.

"I can't do this," he said raising her hands.

"Of course you can hunny!" Clint exclaimed.

Lori just shook her head, running a hand through her long, black hair.

"Look, I'll do this with you to show you how easy it is," Clint said striding over to where Lori stood. "Now I'm going to be behind you all the time, leading you along. So you don't have to be scared. It's a very little walk, you just have to be focused. You just need to walk until…" he paused and frowned. "Coby?"

Coby unwillingly turned towards him, silent and thinking that no amount of money was worth this.

"Could you please stand down there so Lori can see how far she has to walk?" Clint asked.

Coby raised an eyebrow but reluctantly obeyed, still silent.

"Now Lori," Clint turned his attention back to her. "Pretend that's me up there"-Bud let out a snort of laughter-"and head towards him." He pointed to Coby and Lori finally had to meet his gaze. "That's me up there. That's the man you're going to marry."

Those seven words seemed to have an impact on Lori as she suddenly stopped squirming and met Coby's gaze now unflinchingly, with slightly wider eyes. The piano music started up again and Clint started pushing Lori forward. But Lori, it seemed, didn't need any prompts. She wordlessly moved forward, in perfect time to the music, her eyes locked onto Coby's.

"You see? It's easy," Clint said as they reached the front of the aisle.

Lori didn't reply; her eyes were still locked with Coby's. Clint moved around them to the spot the preacher was going to take.

"Alright so then you'll be up here with me and the priest will say his whole long speech and then he'll say. 'You may now kiss the bride'. Then the music will start up again and- Lori?"

Lori hadn't moved, but there was a strange new expression on her face. Bud, sitting at the back, couldn't see exactly what it was, not even with his camera on its full zoom. Apparently Clint didn't like it much, because his voice was very worried.

"What is she doing?" Lori's mother hissed, trying to see her daughter's face.

"L… Lori?" Clint tried again, still worried. "The priest is going to say you can kiss your groom and then…"

This repeat of the line was all it took. As soon as the word kiss left Clint's mouth Lori took one tiny step forward. That tiny step was all it took for her to be standing right in front of Coby. In the same movement as the step she bent her head back and kissed Coby for all she was worth. For a moment Coby just stood there, utterly stunned, and then he kissed her back in such a way that made her shiver and drop the fake flowers she was using as a bouquet so she could wrap her arms around his neck.

The others all watched this in pure stunned silence for a while before Bud suddenly cracked up laughing, making a few other people jump. His laughter made other people break the silence too. Lori's mother let out a surprised wale and the combined noise seemed to alert Coby and Lori to what they were actually doing. They broke apart and stood staring at each other in dumbfounded silence.

"How long has that been going on?" Clint asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Neither Lori nor Coby could say anything, and Clint read the answer out of their silence.

"Right, so it's been going on for a while," he said, still pinching the bridge of his nose.

Then, without warning he suddenly swung his fist straight into Coby's stomach. Even as Coby, caught off guard, pitched forward Lori's mother and father grabbed her and started towing her away. She tried to struggle, but they were stronger then her and both pretty angry and so she lost the battle. Coby managed to catch his breath again and stood upright, wincing slightly, only to be met by Clint's fist.

That was enough for Bud who leapt up and started charging down the aisle to get to his brother. He knew Coby could hold his own in a fight, but he also knew that this time he wouldn't even think of hitting back. But by the time he reached his brother Clint's parents had already stopped their son and were leading him off in the same direction Lori had been led, shooting dark glances back at Coby and murmuring soothing words to their son.

"You OK?" Bud asked, eyeing the blood on Coby's face.

Coby just nodded, wiping it away with the back if his hand before he picked up his toolbox and walked away. Bud watched him go, biting his bottom lip and thinking. An idea suddenly occurred to him and his eyes lit up.

"Oh no," Scattorshot moaned, seeing Bud's face. "What are you up to now Bud?"

"I asked for excitement," Bud replied. "and I got it. So now it's time I worked with it."

***

The parents of both children decided to have a meeting on mutual ground and so Optimus offered the Base as a meeting room. Coby hadn't been seen since the rehearsal that morning and Bud was slightly worried. However, he needed to know one small yet important detail. That detail determined whether his plan would work or fail. And so, when Lori came in followed closely by her parents, Bud was waiting for her.

Both her parents watched her closer then hawks and so he had whisper his question in her ear as she hugged him hello.

"How did it feel?"

He felt her freeze beneath him in surprise, but she recovered quickly and answered honestly as she released the embrace.

"It was the best thing I've felt in weeks."

A slow grin spread across Bud's face as she left. That was what he had wanted to hear.

***

Coby's eyes were full of worry as he stepped inside.

"Bud? What's the emergency? Your text was so vague."

"Sorry, Co, didn't mean to scare you. It's just that the thermal thingy in the storeroom broke again and I remember you said it was kinda important?"

"Oh. Yea it is kinda. Thanks for telling me."

Bud smirked at his brother's retreating back as the elder Hansen disappeared into the storeroom.

"Wasn't it you who broke that thing?" Jolt asked him suspiciously.

"Shh!" Bud replied, casting a nervous glance over his shoulder to where the rest of his family sat.

His mother and father had wanted to apologise to Lori's parents and so they had come to the base to get it over with as soon and as painlessly as possible. Arriving while the meeting was still going on, they opted to wait until it was done. Tim had just come along for lack of something better to do.

About five minutes after Coby had arrived unseen by anybody except Bud and Jolt, the meeting ended and everyone walked out of the room they had been using. The parents were smiling, obviously happy about the agreement that had been made. Lori did not look happy at all. She looked miserable.

Bud went into action as soon as the first person set a foot out of the door. He snatched up his digital camcorder and began playing back a video he had shot the other day. He made himself look very interested in it as his parents started to apologise. His face worked and Lori, not wanting to hear the conversation, walked over to him.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Entry for this competition thing. The ending is right… Aw shoot! It's not here! I have to finish watching this to make sure it's right and send the whole thing in, in like five minutes!"

"Relax," Lori laughed. "I'll go fetch the ending for you. Where did you leave it?"

"It's on a memory card in my bag in the storeroom," Bud relied immediately. "Thanks Lor!" he added as she headed towards it.

She waved back at him to say it was alright and Bud grinned even wider.

Perfect.

***

Lori pushed open the storeroom door and walked inside, glad to be alone for a while. The past few weeks had been a nightmare for her, and just when she was getting used to feeling unhappy and forced to be with someone she barely liked, let alone loved, her heart had started beating again. She couldn't forget how his kiss had felt after so long. She had never let Clint kiss her like that, even though he had tried. And Coby was nowhere near as forceful as Clint. He was gentle and caring and she had felt it right down to her toes.

Sighing she looked around for Bud's bag and heard a noise of something clinking against metal behind her. She spun around with a squeak and came face to face with Coby. Both of them froze, wide-eyed and disbelieving.

"C…Coby… What are you…?"

"Fixing the thermostat," Coby replied, pointing to it with a screwdriver. "And you?"

"Fetching Bud's bag. He needs the ending to his movie."

Coby's eyes narrowed.

"Bud's bag, huh?"

He shook his head.

"What?" she asked, curious at his expression.

"He was the one who told me to come fix this. Called me in especially from across town."

"Oh my gosh he played us…" Lori whispered, a giggle in her voice.

Coby grinned and she saw his eyes light up. He had the means of showing emotion in his green eyes and she knew him well enough to read it. She responded to his grin automatically with one of her own; she couldn't do otherwise. Coby's grin slipped as he remembered the circumstances which they were under. He looked at Lori and remembered everything they had been through together, and she stared back and read the memories in his eyes.

"So what now?" he asked, his voice rough with pain as he asked for information he didn't want. He'd much rather stay in that storeroom with her for the rest of his life then know what was going to happen with her and Clint.

But Lori didn't answer him. At least, not in the way he expected her to. Instead of telling him the outcome of the meeting she looked at him for another moment, then grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him towards her so she could kiss him again. Coby resisted for all of a second before he lost himself in the emotions he had missed so much and that he wanted more then breathing.

***

Meanwhile, Bud had packed his camcorder back into its bag, feeling smug and very happy, as Lori hadn't returned yet after two minutes. That could mean either that her and Coby were talking, which was a good start to things, or that they were doing exactly what Bud wanted them to do.

"Come on, you two, don't let me down," he murmured as he shot a look at the storeroom door. "If your love doesn't conquer anything then no love can."

However, in Bud's planning he had thought his parents would talk to Lori's longer then they turned out doing. He saw Lori's father look around for his daughter and alarm clenched his stomach. What if Lori hadn't made a decision yet? What if they were still talking things through? He thought quickly for a way to stall them.

"Bud, have you seen Lori?" his mother asked him.

"Yea Mom," he replied as casually as he could. "She went to the storeroom to find my memory card for me."

"When was this?" Lori's father asked.

Bud shrugged.

"A couple of minutes ago, I guess. I didn't go after her coz I figured she'd want some time alone to think, you know."

For a moment it seemed it had worked. Then Lori's mother shattered his plans.

"Well, let's just check on her. Optimus, could we use your security camera so we don't have to disturb her?"

Bud tried frantically to sign to Optimus not to do it, but the leader didn't see.

"Of course. Scattorshot, please put the image of the storeroom up on the screen."

Bud could only watch in a kind of fixated horror as Scattorshot obeyed. He suddenly prayed against his earlier wish, hoping that Lori and Coby were just talking… The first thing they saw appearing on the screen was the storeroom door. Bud tried one last time, vainly, to get Scattorshot not to turn the camera. He turned the camera and Bud flinched, ready for the worst.

Well, it could've been worse…

The two teens were moulded close together, their bodies fitting like two puzzle pieces around each other as their lips met in perfect harmony. But their hands were in appropriate places, their kiss not lustful and, Bud thanked his lucky stars, they still had all their clothes on. Of course, none of the parents saw this point of view.

Lori's father marched off at once and they saw him appear on the screen and drag Lori away roughly. They could hear him roaring at her as he dragged her out of the room.

"…second time today! I don't know who you think raised you because I taught you better then this! Acting like a little slut!"

Coby rushed out after the two of them, obviously worried for Lori's safety. But whether Lori would need protecting or not was questionable. There was the beginning of a look on her face that they all knew too well and that would not bode well for her father.

"I will not tolerate you cheating on your fiancé with that piece of scum bast-"

Lori could tolerate her father's harsh words to her, but as soon as he stared on Coby she snapped. She dug her heels so firmly and suddenly into the ground that her father nearly tripped at the abrupt stop. She jerked her wrist out of his grip with more force then they had ever seen her use.

"That's enough," she growled and there was a fierce look on her face and in her eyes that told them she had gotten her fighting sprit back. "You can't rule my life. You're supposed to guide me and help me figure out what I want. And I know what I want! I've wanted it for a long time and before you messed everything up I had it."

"You live in my house and under my rules!" her father bellowed at her. "You have obligations to me and to your mother that you will fulfil-"

"Yes, I have obligations," Lori cut him off. "But they aren't to marry against my will! You can't blackmail me any more, because I'm not going to fall for it! And sure, I'm still only seventeen so I have to listen to you by law but I'm turning eighteen in a few months and then you'll have no power over me. So go ahead, drag me off and try and make me. I'll just need to fight you off for a few months and then I'll come back to Coby. Even if I have to file divorce papers before I do so."

Her father stared at her, too shocked for words, and she stared right back, that look still across her face. She would take on an entire army at that very moment. Her mother suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

"You love him that much?" she asked her daughter quietly.

"More then I can explain, Mom," Lori whispered back, a slight catch in her voice.

Lori's parents looked at each other for a moment, a wave of understanding flowing through them. Suddenly Lori's father grabbed her in a tight hug.

"Oh Lori, I'm so sorry. I didn't know… I didn't realize… I was so selfish. I thought I was doing what was best for- Oh Lori."

She hugged him back, relief and tenderness for her father flowing through her.

"It's OK, Dad. We all make mistakes," she said back.

Then her mother went forward and basically the same thing was repeated. Finally forgiven, her parents looked at Clint and his family.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but we were very wrong. Lori cannot marry your son; her heart belongs to someone else."

Lori and Coby grinned at each other, too light-headed to do anything else. Their joy had no boundaries as they processed the information that their nightmare was over. Clint, however, was not going to take it as passively as his fuming parents. He strode forward and grabbed Lori's hand.

"No! You were promised to me! I'm not going to let you-"

He was cut off by the most surprising thing of that entire day. Clint was stopped, not by Lori's father or his own, who had both started forward, or by Override who raised her arm, ready to bat him out of the way. No, Clint was stopped by something much more unexpected. Coby, peaceful, calm and caring Coby, swung back his fist and connected it with the side of Clint's jaw. Clint staggered backwards and everybody else just stopped and stared, not willing to believe it. Even Coby himself looked slightly surprised at what he had done.

Then Lori laughed and he grinned and kissed her first this time. She didn't complain in the least and deepened the kiss beyond what the previous two had been. Clint and his family left with their pride in tatters and general conversation broke out everywhere, the mood of the place light and charged with electricity.

"Lori!" her dad's voice called over the other voices. "Kindly refrain from being so… enthusiastic with the young man."

A roar of laughter broke out and Lori and Coby broke away, both blushing slightly but not letting go of one another. Lori suddenly grinned and winked secretly to Coby.

"So Dad," she said, over-innocent. "There's already a wedding planned and it would be such a shame to put it to waste…"

His face grew red as he spluttered out, "Absolutely not!"

Coby laughed along with all the others, aware Lori had only been kidding.

"Relax, dear, she was only joking," Lori's mother soothed her husband.

"Yea Coby's gonna have to get everything in order before I'll say yes," Lori said in a snooty voice.

"Hell, I'll be working the rest of my young years to get you the ring you want," Coby said, pretending to be horrified.

"That's the idea," Lori winked.

"Hey, I'd better be invited," Bud interjected warningly.

"Of course. You'll be Coby's best man," Lori said at once.

"You deserve it," Coby agreed, thanking his brother with his eyes.

Bud grinned. He'd gotten the exact ending he had hoped for.


Well, there we go. All done. Yea it's pretty long and not the best, but I hope some of it made sense and made you feel warm and fuzzy inside at the cuteness of it all. If not, I really have failed. R&R to tell me what ya think, and if you're still alive after reading this, maybe check out this story's prequel titled One Night In A Cave.

Until next time

WP