Yep, another update! I'm really trying hard to have an update every Sunday, so one every week.
So, enjoy it!
Transformers still don't belong to me.
"Here Nic, put these on and you'll never be cold again!" Sarah happily exclaimed, and threw a bunch of cozy looking clothes towards her sister. With a slight trace of hesitation, Nicole started putting the clothes on.
When everything was on right, Nicole took one glance of herself in the mirror, and burst out laughing. The warmth evidently came from the thickness of her outfit, and the purple color reminded her of the purple Teletubby Tinky Winky.
"Sarah, what the crap is this? I look like a pregnant Teletubby!" she grinned inbetween fits of laughter.
"Oh hush, you do not. But it is pretty purple." Sarah snickered, before quickly putting her own, much nicer looking winter dress on.
Nicole looked at her sister with annoyance obvious in her glance, as her outfit was not a pregnant, purple Teletubby.
"This is not fair Sar, you got the pretty outfit!"
"We will go shopping for some nicer clothes eventually Nic, don't worry." Sarah comforted, and gently pulled her sister outside her room, and downstairs.
Both of them heard Annabelle's giggles and Buddy's playful barks from the outside. Nicole's steps got a little slower, a little more hesitant, and Sarah quickly noticed it.
"You don't have to do this." She slowly said, and took her sister's hand.
Nicole showed a small smile, before gently placing a kiss upon her sister's hand, and padding it.
"I do. For my own sake, and for your family's."
"If you want to go back inside, let me know immediately."
Nicole rolled her eyes for a second before nodding.
"I promise. Now, let's go out and have a snowball fight! We never had this much snow down south!" she exclaimed with a cheerful expression upon her face. A cold gust hit her straight in the face, and goose bumps formed on her back. With clattering teeth, she turned to her sister.
"Dude, I'm glad we never had that much snow down south. This is like… Arctic or something!"
Sarah grinned, before padding her sister on the shoulder and leading her outside.
"It only gets colder from here Nicole, this is warm to us."
"Nuh uh!" Nicole grinned, before turning around with a smile, and getting a small snowball square in the face.
"I got auntie!" Annabelle loudly giggled.
Nicole spluttered in an attempt to get the snow out of her mouth, and she carefully rubbed the snow out of her eyes. It hadn't hurt, but her face was almost clear of bruises, so it was still slightly sore.
"Annabelle! You know that auntie got bobos on her face! Apo-"
"Don't worry about it Will," Nicole said with a smile, before making an evil eye to Annabelle, "I'll get her back later!"
Annabelle squealed, half in fear and half delight, before making a dash to the other man in the yard, that Nicole recognized as Ian.
Ian Rony.
Her heart fluttered just by thinking his name.
"Don't worry Bells, I'll protect you from your aunt."
"I'm no scared!" Annabelle said, with some newfound courage, that quickly vanished when Nicole sneered at her for kicks.
"Don't do that!" Ian suddenly sneered back, and sheltered the little kid with a massive hand over her face. "You'll scare her!"
Nicole, startled took a step back, and took refuge behind her sister with a trembling lip.
"Iro-. Ian! Don't talk to her like that! Bells is just about as hard-skinned as you, and you know it." Sarah snapped, and raised a finger as if it was a threat to the robot that hid behind the holoform.
He scoffed, and cradled the child, who whimpered and pushed the large face away from her.
"Let me go!" Annabelle squealed, and wriggled to get out of Ian's strong grip. With a startled expression, the man placed the kid on the cold snow.
She immediately took the same pose her mother had just made, with one small hand on her hip, and the other hand showing a tiny finger pointed towards the much larger man.
"Say sorry to auntie! You scare her!"
Ian seemed to be taken aback by this, and now placed his hands on his hips.
"I refuse! I was just taking care of you!" he said in defense.
Nicole had ceased her trembling, and the fear had been replaced with a giggle, which only grew to uncontrollable laughter.
The three adults looked at each other, confusion evident in their faces. But Annabelle didn't hesitate to burst out in small giggles, and thundered towards the laughing woman. When she with insecure, and yet secure steps arrived before Nicole's feet, she promptly grabbed them.
Nicole's wild laughter turned into a few insecure, awkward snorts as Annabelle stood just above her knees, and holding on tightly. The woman looked to her sister, who was smiling widely.
"It's okay Nic, she's just hugging you." Sarah said with a nod, and stepped away. She cocked her head to the side.
"But Bells, what are you doing?"
"Because Auntie is scared, so I'm making her feel safe." She mumbled into Nicole's thick and purple leg.
"Awwww…." Sarah said with a smile, who got even wider when she saw the look on Nicole's face.
She had never seen her sister smile so wide.
With a massive smile on her face, Nicole grabbed her niece under her arms, and quickly swung her around. She barely noticed how Ian looked terrified, for some odd reason.
"Hush 'Hide." Will said under his breath, dismissing the nerves that his comrade had with a movement of his hand, before speaking again.
"Can't you see how happy she looks, just for a second? Don't ruin this for her. I beg you."
The broad-shouldered man said no more, only crossed his arms and huffed loudly.
But Nicole paid no heed to anything but the child in her arms.
After what seemed to be forever, Nicole put the little girl down, much to her disappointment.
"I wan' go again!" Annabelle complained, and being the spoiled only child she was, she didn't hesitate to stomp on the snow, or kick it away.
"Annabelle hush! Auntie will play with you later." Sarah said, and rolled her eyes at her husband.
"But I wan' play now!" she continued to object and kick up snow.
With a heavy sigh, but also a slight smile of amusement on his lips, Ian pretended to be a massive plane to dive in, and take her.
Sarah recalled this as to be one of Annabelle's favorite things to play as, but this time, something unexpected happened.
She screamed. Very loudly and very clear, that she did not want to be lifted up by Ian.
"Let me go! Auntie, help meeeeeee!" she screamed, and squirmed around in his grip.
Ian was in shock, and knew not how to react.
Nicole however, took action by the sound of Annabelle's screams, and rushed to her side.
"Here, let me have her." She pleaded, and smiled gratefully when Ian handed Annabelle over. She looked up to him, and her mouth formed a tiny 'o'.
Nicole had never believed in the phrase, 'the eyes are the windows to your soul', but now, she did. Without a doubt, she was sure she saw something way beyond the average human life, and who knows what else. She saw all the pain, all the agony, and everything that the bulky man had been through. Nor had she ever noticed the scar over his right eye.
But, most of all, they were blue.
Blue as the sky she cherished, and blue like the ones on the man she hated more than anything.
"Nic, are you alright?" Sarah asked, and quickly came in between the two. Ian looked confused as Will silently pushed him away, as Sarah tried to connect to Nicole.
"Nicole!" She said, a little louder than the previous time.
She still had no luck, as it seemed Nicole was frozen solid by Ian's blue eyes. But when Annabelle's small hand, who gently started rubbing on her cheek to get her back, Nicole blinked a couple of times, only to find herself staring at Annabelle's baby blues instead.
"You ok auntie? You scared of Hidey?"
Nicole was puzzled over Ian's odd nickname, but didn't pay it much attention. She just smiled.
"I'm alright love. Let's go back inside, I'm freezing. Want me to make some hot cocoa?"
"Yaaaaaaaaaay!" Annabelle exclaimed, and lifted her small arms high in the air with joy.
The two women and child went back inside. Sarah, who stood at the front step of the porch turned around to face Will, who only nodded towards the house. She smiled and walked in, leaving Will and Ironhide alone.
"What happened?" Will asked, and scratched his head in confusion.
"Frag if I know. She just… looked at me." Ironhide replied, scratching his own metallic head, in the same state of confusion.
"Did she see anything?"
"Doubtful. Would you think of me as a giant robot if you did not know?"
Will shrugged, before smiling.
"Nope. Want some hot cocoa?"
"I'll pass. I believe Ratchet needs me, so I will get going." Ironhide said, and walked towards the truck.
"Alright big man, say hey to the others from us."
"Will do."
Will waved as he walked inside, and Ironhide entered the truck. He sat there for a few seconds before he actually took off, an odd sensation in his spark. He was unsure of what it was, but he felt jealous.
The thought of someone taking his spot as Annabelle's favorite after her parents, was a thought that Ironhide disliked.
Very much even.
Annoyance drifted through his cycles.
Who did she think she was? A mere human who was scarred for life due to her sparkmate's actions, and who suddenly, had a place to be and live.
Ironhide knew he was being irrational, and unfair.
But to him, Annabelle was his.
Although a child, and not his in any way but a relative's, he would be the last one to deny that the two of them were close. So close that separation had been painful the first couple of times it was necessary. Ironhide loathed being away from her, and she had begun crying whenever she didn't see the truck in the driveway. But eventually, this drama had passed, and both had dealt with separation anxiety.
He never expected her to like the newcomer more than him.
He wished to hate her, but somehow he couldn't, and he cursed his spark for it.