Chapter 9 – Battlefield

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait but I really am busy 24/7, I don't understand how some authors get chapters up every couple of days! I try my best though :). Anyways I hope you like it, if you have anything you want to change or want to see happen next let me know, your opinions mean a lot to me! Please review.

I don't own Transformers, HASBRO does. Battlefield by Jordan Sparks.

Wearing all black wasn't the most flattering on the pale redhead.

She didn't know what to think anymore. Her mind was blank. Empty. Lauren knew deep down inside that her mourning was far from over, but right now, she had to be strong. She didn't want to start crying in front of all these people. Glenn's mother was doing enough crying for the both of them.

The worried feeling Lauren felt the past night hadn't gone away the next morning. She quickly checked her phone to see if Glenn had returned either her phone calls or texts, but he hadn't. She thought that maybe he came in late last night (or early morning) and decided to just crash on her couch.

With hope, Lauren ran down the stairs and checked her living room hoping, praying he was there. He wasn't.

Running a hand through her messy morning hair, with a nervous sigh, Lauren went to call Glenn just one more time and if he didn't answer, then she was going to call his best friend James, for some creepy reason that kid always knew where her boyfriend was.

Turning around to head back up the stairs to get her phone, Lauren heard her ringtone going off, thinking it would be Glenn, she ran as fast as she could, hoping she could answer it before the last ring.

Out of breath, she reached for her cell, glancing down at her callerID, it was James. "Hey James, why are you calling, is everything ok?" His words took awhile to sink in, his words felt like they were announced in slow motion. Lauren's breaths started to get shallow and her head started to feel light.

"Lauren, are you still there? Common kid, talk to me." But the redhead couldn't fine any words to say to him. He just told her that her boyfriend was dead, that it was a car crash. She couldn't stop thinking that it was her fault, he wouldn't have been in his car if she hadn't have told him to come down and see her. She felt sick. "I'll talk to you later James."

After she hung up , Lauren sunk herself down her bedroom wall and sat on the floor. She didn't know how long she sat there, but it felt like an eternity to her. She did a lot of crying and thinking; mostly about her memories with Glenn, she blamed herself, nothing else matter at this moment. She got some texts from Mudflap and Skids, something Ratchet made possible. She couldn't be bothered to read them, she assumed that Lennox had told them why she took some time off and that the twins were probably teasing her via text. She didn't care though.

Evening had come and Lauren still hadn't moved from her spot. More calls and text messages chimed, it didn't matter anymore, nothing did. She loved Glenn with all her heart. There was one Valentine's Day, and Glenn had told her that he didn't want anything and she told him the same thing, she wasn't the most romantic and neither was he. So they had just decided to have dinner at Subway, something plain and simple.

So that night he came up to her's and Ang's dorm and led her to his car and he drove. Knowing that they had passed Subway, Lauren had asked him where they were going, if there was another sub shop that he wanted to take her to. Shortly after, they pulled up to Lorenzo's, one of the fanciest restaurants in the city. Glenn had not only surprised her with dinner but also with a dozen white roses, it was probably the happiest she had ever felt. And now she had nothing…

After a few days of grieving about Glenn's death, Lauren decided that she had to go back to work since her week off wasn't going as she planed, for obvious reasons. Pulling herself out of her bed, Lauren felt like a slug with her movements, she had barely moved from her bed and hasn't eaten anything lately. She just wished that no one would bother her at base.

Stepping outside and taking in a deep breath of fresh air felt nice, it made the air in her apartment seem stale. She didn't want to listen to music in her truck as she drove, she couldn't even think about listening to anything remotely happy or up beat. Lauren knew that one day she had to get over Glenn's death, but right now she didn't. Looking out her windshield, Lauren noticed that it was a gorgeous day, sun was shining, no clouds and with her windows down, she could hear song birds singing. It's like Mother Nature is mocking me, she thought to herself.

Pulling into N.E.S.T. was normal, no one said anything to her besides the usual, but that all changed as soon as Lauren walked into the computer lab. There were flowers all over the place with cards scattered everywhere. Lauren knew that everyone was trying to be nice and was showing her that they cared but it just made things that much more real to her. She also couldn't figure out how anybody knew.

Just as the redhead went to start to clear everything away, she heard someone walking towards her, turning around, she saw both Lennox and Epps. "Lauren, we are deeply sorry to hear about your loss," started Will. She could tell that being men, this was probably awkward for them as well as uncomfortable, guys are never good at these sorts of things. Accepting their apologies, Lauren asked them how they knew about Glenn. Apparently his accident made the local newspaper and that his parents placed a memorial paragraph, and in it, it mentioned Lauren was his girlfriend.

Going through the cards, Lauren noticed that there was even one from Optimus, "I'm assuming everyone knows," she said. The two soldiers nodded their heads yes, but quickly took their "sorry to hear about your loss" look and replaced it with "were we not suppose to tell everyone" look.

Lauren walked past her two bosses, and headed down the stair and walked towards where the Autobots were. She might as well get it over with now. As soon as the 'Bots saw their little redhead they stopped their conversation, neither of them knew what to say. Optimus took if upon himself to address their friend first. He was their leader and to him, this was just as difficult to him as any other mission. "Morning Lauren."

"You can cut the crap Optimus. I know that you, and everyone here knows what's going on with my personal life," yelled Lauren whose emotions were getting too much for her to control. Blame it on lack of sleep and lack of food. It was awhile until anyone made any noise, no one knew what to say. The Autobots didn't want to upset Lauren anymore than she already was, and Lauren personally, didn't even want to be on the subject.

Sideswipe was the first to break the silence, "Listen Lauren, right now I think I'm speaking for everyone here when I say, we're so sorry for your loss. And if you need anything –"

"We are here for you," finished Optimus.

Lauren was touched as well as shocked that Sides would say something like that to her, she also appreciated what Optimus Prime had said. The redhead knew that she'd probably take him up on his offer. Actually, she kind of wanted to talk to her Peterbilt friend at the moment, "Actually Optimus can we go for a ride right now?"

Sitting in silence didn't really bother Lauren or Optimus, they just enjoyed each others company, but it felt awkward this time for both of them. More things were going through Lauren's head, she knew that Glenn's parents were probably planning their son's funeral, she was relieved that she didn't have to do that, she knew that she wouldn't be able to do that. But she knew that she'd have to go to his funeral, she didn't want to go, it just meant that if she went that it was all real, that the love of her life was truly gone.

Soft sobs escaped her mouth, she couldn't control them. With his acute hearing and the fact that Lauren wasn't as quiet as she thought she was, Optimus heard her. This was a new human experience that he wasn't sure about, and didn't know how to deal with it. Sure on Cybertron they mourned deaths of their comrades, but they didn't leak fluids from their optics, or as the humans called them "eyes". The Autobot leader figure he'd let her sooth herself for awhile and then once she's calmed down, he'll talk.

Lauren didn't cry for that long at all, she pulled herself together, she felt somewhat embarrassed for crying in front of a highly intelligent robot worrier, who probably is thinking about how weak she looks right now. "I'm sorry Optimus," sniffed the redhead, "I really can't control my emotions lately. Things have been really hard, I just I just can't stop thinking about him and what he's going to miss. That he and I don't have a future anymore together."

"You should not be apologizing for your behaviour, it's very human of you."

Lauren laughed, "Human of me? Yeah, I guess that's true, you guys probably don't behave like this."

Optimus didn't answer his friend right away. He didn't want to sound insensitive by saying no, he's never seen anyone leak from their faces before, but he knew that the truth would be the best. "We are not programmed like your kind, Primus created us to live forever, we grow old but we only go off-line if something happens to our Spark. But I understand your pain."

"How so?" asked Lauren.

Optimus told Lauren about Sparkmates and what happens when one of the Sparkmate loses the other. He told her about his past, before he became a Prime, he had a Sparkmate. He and Starlight, which was her name, were with one another for thousands of years, until during one particular battle. Her Spark was struck with one of their opponents weapons and she shortly went off-line.

Listening to Optimus tell his story, his past was incredibly heartbreaking. Once again, she didn't feel alone, exactly what she felt like with Glenn. Well not quite. "Was it painful for you to lose Starlight?" she asked.

"Yes it was," he replied without even having to process, "She was my everything, losing her cost me part of my own Spark. You see Lauren, when we fine our Sparkmate, we bond our Sparks, we become one. Losing her, I also lost half of my Spark. It was the most agonizing thing I have ever felt. Lauren, I am not implying that I know exactly what you feel like, all I am saying is that I have lost some one who I cared deeply for. And I am glad that we can share these sort of issues with one another." Optimus paused for a little while, and then continued, "You are a true friend, thank you."

Hearing Optimus open up, made Lauren respect the giant robot even more. She was only with Glenn for almost two years, and losing him was agonizing, but Optimus was with his love for thousands of years, the pain he must have felt made Lauren took like she almost had no to right to complain about losing her love. So for the rest of their drive, they talked about the good memories they had left of the ones they cared for.

By the end of their talking and laughing about a story Lauren told the Peterbilt about the time that she got locked in the girls bathroom at college, and she had to call Glenn to get her out. They fell into Silence once again, but it didn't last long. Optimus turned on his radio and for some reason Weird Al's parody of Ridin Dirty (White and Nerdy) came on, and Lauren being Lauren knew every word to the song and sang at the top of her lungs, to the point where she was almost screaming the words. She didn't really like the song, who would, but she was kind of proud of herself for knowing it so well.

She always embarrassed Angela when she sung it in The Mothership. Right now, Lauren wished she had her best friend with her, Ang and Glenn never liked each other and they weren't shy about keeping it from one another, but when it came to Lauren, they would always try to put their differences aside. Everyone makes mistakes and sometimes the redhead would make them. Glenn was her first true boyfriend, she spent everytime she could with him, and sometimes that meant she would have to ditch Ang in order to hang out with Glenn. She knew that she was pissing off Angela and their other friends, but at this time, right now, she was grateful she got to spend those moments with him.

Getting back to base was bitter sweet. Lauren wanted to spend all day with Optimus, it was fun and she felt carefree, but she knew that she had to start her work. The air around her felt different, she was coping, or at least she was trying to. She was grateful that everyone who came in to see her acted normal, she got a lot of paper work done that she had piled up and neglected.

The day was finally over and Lauren was grateful. Most of the men and women who worked here didn't get the luxury to work 9-5 hours, same went for Lauren. She went home when she was done and that was it. She rarely saw Lennox or even Epps go home, they stayed at N.E.S.T. 24/7 it seemed.

Walking out of the computer lab, Lauren waved goodbye to the others who were still working, and as she was heading down the steps to say goodnight to her Autobots, her phone started to ring. She reached for her phone from her pocket and glanced over the screen and saw that it was from Glenn's parent's house. It was the phone call she was dreading.

She of course answered it. The conversation wasn't that long, it was in fact really short. It was his mother on the other line and both she and Lauren knew if they actually talked, they would start crying and by the sound of the grieving mother's voice, she hadn't stopped shedding tears for her son. The woman informed Lauren that the family was holding a ceremony in his hometown and that Lauren was welcomed to bring whoever she wanted.

Taking a big breath in to calm her nerves, Lauren said goodbye to the kind woman and headed towards the 'Bots, she needed more support more then ever know.

It was late at night, but luckily there were still some lights on by where they were. Lauren walked up to them and cleared her throat, trying to get their attention. "Hey guy, could a talk to you for a sec?" she asked.

"Speak fleshling, were we about to power down for the night."

"Ironhide!" spoke Optimus, "Do watch yourself. What is the matter Lauren?"

Fiddling with her hands, the redhead didn't know how to start. How are you suppose to ask your alien friends to go to a funeral with you. Calming down her nerves, Lauren started, "Well, ah, you see, umm I, if you don't mind. Ok here goes. Do you think you guys would be able to go to Glenn's funeral with me? I just would really appreciate it if you could."

The Autobots, without hesitating all agreed to go. In their holoforms obviously. Lauren explained to them that it was going to be in three days and that it was going to be in Boston, and the fact that they had to make sure that their holoforms wore black. She was so relieved that every single one of them were going to be there to support her; Optimus, Ratchet, Sideswipe, Ironhide, Jolt, Mudflap, Skids, and Arcee, Bumblebee was still with Sam, so Lauren didn't feel the need to drag him out here just for her. It meant so much to her, that even though she doesn't have her biffle with her anymore, she had so many other friends willing to be there for her.

The day before the funeral was when the bunch of them decided to road trip down. Lauren figured that since she was the only one who really needed to sleep, they didn't need to make any stops. She informed Lennox and Epps of what was happening and that if they wanted to go with them they could, they declined though. Things were going slow and there hadn't been any signs of Decepticons attempting to surface, so they figured that it was alright that all of the Autobots went if they wanted to.

Lauren just picked out a pant suit, simple but it also looked neat and professional. Her fare skin would glow in the dark if she wore a black dress. Grabbing her clothes and her purse, she locked the door and headed towards the big red and blue Peterbilt, she was going to be riding with Optimus while the others followed.

Lauren slept most of the way there, not getting any sleep in the last week really added up. She woke up one time to voices, she couldn't make out what they were saying but it sounded like Optimus and Ironhide. They weren't speaking English though. They sounded aggravated with one another, Ironhide probably said something to his leader and Optimus didn't appreciate it. This was usually how it went. Lauren just went back to sleep, she was too tired to stay up.

Ironhide was extremely angry at Optimus at the moment, he couldn't believe that he did what he did. He had no right. He was the only one who knew how the TopKick felt, and yet he still did what he did. Ironhide knew he couldn't let it bother him, but that wasn't his nature to just let something be. He was going to try though, for Lauren.

Optimus woke Lauren up when they got to Boston. The redhead had asked if they could stop at the nearest mall so Lauren could get somewhat ready. She grabbed her suit and hair straightener and went inside. It didn't take her long until she found the washrooms. As soon as she got in there, she turned on her straightening iron (which was battery operated) and went into a stall to get changed.

Stepping out of the stall, Lauren went to the mirror and started to straighten her wild hair. She didn't want to think about where she was going, although it was incredibly hard. She didn't bother putting on makeup because by the end of the day, it was going to be smeared everywhere. Glenn never cared if she wore makeup or not. Slipping on a pair of flats, Lauren headed out of the washrooms and went to look for her friends.

When she went outside to where the Autobots had dropped her off, she couldn't fine them. Odd, she thought, then she heard a whistle. The redhead turned to the sound and found seven extremely good looking men and one woman walking her way. As they got closer Lauren recognized the tallest one. "Look who we have here," she laughed, "aren't you eight a sight for sore eyes."

"Look who's talking pretty lady," commented Sideswipe. With a role of the eyes, Lauren informed them that they only had a half an hour to get to the ceremony. Optimus ordered the rest of the team to head back to their vehicle forms and to keep their holoforms on in the driver's seats.

Reaching the Peterbilt, Optimus opened the passenger's door for Lauren and helped her step in. "Well look at you Optimus, you're quite the gentlemen," she said.

"Just doing my job, ma'am." A long pause came and gone and both friends burst out laughing at their silliness. Optimus stepped into the driver's seat and turned to the woman beside him. He couldn't help that the smile that was just on her face has already disappeared. He wanted to help her as much as he could, he just didn't know how. He didn't realize how beautiful this creature was, her red hair looked like fire and her blue eyes reminded him of the Ocean near the base, they were so clear. He didn't understand how or why he was noticing these things about Lauren, especially now.

Feeling eyes on her, Lauren turned around to see Optimus's cobalt optics staring at her. Feeling self-conscious, she started to wonder if she had something on her face. "Is something wrong?" she asked, "do I have something on my face or in my hair or on my su –"

"No, you look just fine," interrupted Optimus, "let's go, everything will be fine. Be strong." With a comforting smile, Optimus returned his attention to the road a head of them. And within minutes, they had reached the church.

Lauren promised herself that because she knew that she was going to cry, she was only going to do it at the cemetery, but she was really fighting with herself right at this moment. Optimus and the rest of the team were parked in the parking lot and were waiting for her. With all of the courage she had, Lauren opened the passenger door and started to make her way down the gigantic truck. Feeling a warm hand on hers, the redhead turned to look at who had done it, she wasn't surprise when she saw Optimus in his holoforms helping her down.

"Thanks."

"Not to worry, we are all here for you," he reassured her.

When she stepped into the church, Lauren went straight to Glenn's parents, it was heartbreaking for her to see his family so drastically upset. She didn't talk to them long, knowing that she was going to probably join in with his mother in a tear fest. Some of hers and Glenn's friends were there and she did some small talk with them, but it was hard. She's only seen these people smiling, seeing them so upset just didn't seem right. None of this should be happening.

The words that were shared during the service were amazing, Lauren could tell that everyone was expecting her to say something, but she just couldn't. She wouldn't be able to get s single word out. The whole time Lauren reached for Optimus's hand, she needed him now more then ever.

The Autobot sitting beside Lauren couldn't help the fact that he had noticed her small hand squeezing his human like hand. Was this another human way on showing emotion? He wasn't sure, he didn't know if he liked it or not. Cybertronians didn't "touch" eachother, this was so new to him, and he didn't know what to do about it.

The cemetery was only just behind the church, so they didn't have to go far. Lauren stood beside Glenn's family with the Autobots slightly behind her. The sky was such a clear blue with no clouds incite, Lauren couldn't help but think that this was God's way on opening Heaven up for Glenn. She wasn't a religious in the least but it just seemed so fitting for the day. It wasn't that hot either, she was glad for that. The reverend finished his last words, and gave the friends and family time to place flowers over the casket. Everyone placed red roses on top while Lauren placed a single white one. After she placed it in place, she knelt down beside the casket. "Glenn, I miss you so much. You meant everything to me, I don't know what I'm going to do without you here with me. I love you, and that will never change. Rest now my love."

She sat back up and wiped her eyes, but as she was clearing the salty tears, she saw a woman standing in the back staring at her. Lauren didn't recognize her. The woman was wearing a huge black sunhat that covered most of her face and she wore a pair of sunglasses as well. The little black dress she had on showed a lot of leg, and had on a pair of black stiletto shoes on, but Lauren could tell that this girl was short, sometimes you just could.

After everyone said their goodbyes to the newly added gravestone, Lauren stayed behind a little while longer with the Autobots right beside her. They didn't want her to be left alone. But the strange woman also stayed behind with them and the Autobots also noticed this.

The woman walked up to Lauren and the 'Bots until she was just a few feet away from them. Reaching for her sunglasses, she took them off, "Hey Lauren, longtime no see, eh? I'm sorry to hear about Glenn."

Lauren was shocked to see who it was, she honestly thought that she was never going to see her again. It was also the last place she thought she'd ever see her at.

"Ang?"