I'm so sorry it took this long to update, you guys! D: I went to the state fair yesterday and was pretty much gone all day. When I got back home, I was exhausted. I had a ton of fun but I got burned, I hurt from my toenails to halfway up my thigh, and I'm exhausted. Even though I got PLENTY of sleep last night. I did get this really cool cup though; it's a coconut that was carved and I guess painted or burned to look like a monkey. :3 And it doubles as a change jar! It's adorable. ^.^ If you wanna add me on Facebook, pm me and lemme know! I'll link ya. ;D

And without further ado, here is the next chapter!

When the girls returned, nothing seemed to have changed in the back yard. Ron was still sitting in the lawn chair watching the mechs interact in front of him, Sam was talking to Bee about something, and Ratchet was still working on Barricade, only this time Optimus was holding him down with one of his large hands. Jessica raised an eyebrow at this; was he really going to give the medic that much trouble? She tentatively stepped forward, not even bothering to stay on the path. Ron obviously didn't care if anyone stepped on the grass or the pebbles, as his yard was torn up again and he was completely relaxed. Maybe he just hadn't noticed...?

"Is...it really necessary to have to hold him down like that?" She asked Optimus, looking up at him in concern. He jumped at the sound of her voice, obviously having been oblivious to her approach, but nodded. Ratchet just snorted like she was asking a childishly obvious question and Barricade grumbled to himself in Cybertronian. Jessica just snickered and leaned against his leg, licking her ice cream cone. "So...he's gonna be alright, right?"

"Of course he is." Ratchet grumbled, tweaking something that made Barricade flinch. "There were a couple of punctured energon lines that I'm working on, but that's about the only serious thing wrong with him. Other than his Decepticon status." Barricade made to sit up and tell Ratchet just what he thought about that when he was met by three reactions that had his processor going in circles trying to figure out what to respond to first; Optimus pushed him back down onto the ground, Ratchet hit him in the head again, and Jessica smacked his leg hard enough for him to actually feel it and turn her hand red. The three just looked at each other, startled, then shook their heads and continued on with what they were doing.

"I hate this." Barricade grumbled. "Scalpel would have been done already in half the time it's taking you, old mech." Ratchet growled.

"Yes, well, he didn't do too good of a job. I'm surprised anyone has the nerve to call him a doctor." He gestured angrily to something Jessica couldn't see. "Have you seen the welding work he's done? Or the lazy path work on your energon lines? I'm surprised any of you stinking 'Cons are still able to function with these so called 'repairs'!" Jessica snickered and took another lick of her ice cream cone, looking up at Barricade with amusement written all over face. "Wait..." Ratchet moved his hand and something made a small click noise. "There! Finished. Finally!" Ratchet exclaimed, sitting up and wiping his forehead. Barricade didn't hesitate to move once Optimus removed his hand.

"Finally." He grumbled, stretching his arms out as far as they could go. He looked awkwardly at Ratchet then, who was checking over one of his tools. "Er...thanks." He said forcefully. Ratchet just nodded, not even looking up from his work. Optimus cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention, including Sam and Bumblebee's.

"Now that we have finished work on Barricade, Ratchet and I are going to return to William Lennox's residence with Ironhide." He turned to Barricade as Ratchet headed for the drive way to transform into his alt mode. "Sam told me about your confrontation with Bumblebee last night. I do not want to hear that you are fighting with those you are allied with." Barricade ground his dental plates and sat up, staring the much taller mech down.

"I am not an Autobot." He spat the term like it was something disgusting. "I would not have confronted him had he kept to himself." It was Optimus' turn to look irritated.

"Bumblebee was doing what he felt was best and protecting Ron Witwicky. You may be a former Decepticon, but you must try your very best not to harm humans if you wish to remain allied with us." He held up his hand when Barricade tried to protest. "I am not saying you are an Autobot, but by accepting my offer you are allied with us." Barricade said nothing, but stared at the ground dejectedly. Optimus must have sensed his discomfort, for he simply bid Jessica, Bumblebee and the Witwicky's farewell before following behind Ratchet. As the rumbling of engines died away and Ron began to move his things inside, Jessica approached Barricade's side.

"'Cade.." He looked at her, but the discomfort in his face was still evident. "Do you regret siding with the Autobots?" He looked at her long and hard for a moment, considering her question. When he finally responded, Ron was already inside helping Judy with dinner, Sam was heading into the house and Bumblebee was already sitting in the driveway with enough space in front of him for Barricade to park when he was ready.

"...No. I do not regret it." He said finally. "As I told you before, I grow tired of the war." She let out a sigh and patted his larger arm, a smile on her face.

"Well, I just didn't want you to be doing something you don't want to do for my sake." He lowered himself so he was face to face with her, her body illuminated by the glow of his red optics and the fading sunlight as the sun began to set.

"I am perfectly capable of protecting you on my own. I did not side with the Autoscum for your sake."

"I didn't say you did." She replied, holding her hands up defensively. "I just..want you to be happy." He vented, the air blowing her hair all around her wildly. He said nothing, but carefully pressed his larger forehead against hers. She shivered at the touch of the warm metal. It felt nice...almost tingly.

"I am happy." He said quietly, shuttering his optics shut. She reached her hands up and put one hand on either side of his head, giving him a sort of hug before pressing her lips gingerly against the detailed part of his face. She let out a squeak and jumped back when she felt electricity shoot into her lips. Barricade opened his optics and looked down at her, seemingly just as shocked as she was. Literally.

"Did you do that?" She glared accusingly at him. He shook his head, blinking at her.

"No." She scrunched her features up in confusion, putting her hands on her hips.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Letting out a huff of air, she waved him off and began to head for the house.

"Alright, then. I'm off to take a shower and put my clothes away and stuff." Barricade silently watched her go, sighing to himself before transforming and backing into the Witwicky's driveway.

Before Jessica could get through the kitchen she was assaulted by a curious Mikeala, who pulled her aside into a small storage closet and locked the door.

"Alright, spill." The dark haired girl demanded once she made sure no one would be able to disturb them. "What's going on between you and Barricade?" Jessica blinked at her, tugging at the ends of her brown locks nervously.

"I'm not sure what you mean..." Mikeala scoffed and put her hands on her hips.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about! And don't play stupid because I just seen you two out there!" She pointed in the direction of the back yard with a manicured finger nail. "Now, tell me what the hell is going on between you two!" Jessica tugged her hair harder and chewed her lip, blue eyes staring at the floor as her cheeks flushed.

"I don't know." She mumbled finally, chewing her lip until it bled. "I just...I really don't." Mikeala's facial expressions softened and she dropped her hands from her hips.

"Do you like him?" Jessica looked up at her, shocked but still blushing furiously.

"I-I d-d-don't..I mean...I just..." Mikeala laughed lightly at her and pulled her into a hug.

"It's alright. You don't really have to answer me." She gave the older girl a quick squeeze before pulling back and looking her in the eyes. "But you two are totally cute together." She finished with a wink, not even bothering to wait for a response before turning around to unlock the door.

"M-Mikeala!" Jessica stuttered, rushing after her. Mikeala turned around and looked at her."P-please..don't tell anyone. I'm not sure anyone, Autobot or human alike would react well to anything going on between me and an ex-'Con." Mikeala just smiled sweetly and held out her hand for Jessica to shake.

"Promise. Now let's get something to eat!" Jessica giggled and shook her hand, sealing the promise, and turned to start making her plate. "Oh, I'm staying the night. I'm not allowed in Sam's room after his parents go to bed, so I'll be crashing with you. I hope that's okay?" Mikeala asked timidly, shooting her a shy look. Jessica just nodded, smiling.

"Sure! I wouldn't mind. I never really was social in school so it'd be nice to finally be able to have a girl's night!" Mikeala high fived her and, once they had their plates made, dragged her to the table. "So, now that you interrogated me about Barricade, it's time for me to harass you about Sam." It was Mikeala's turn to blush and look down at her plate, picking at her food.

"Well...I never really noticed him in school. Apparently we've been going to the same school for years, and he never once caught my attention until he picked me up one night." When Jessica raised an eyebrow, she sat down her fork and let out a sigh. "See, I was always into the jocks. The boys with the big muscles and crappy attitudes. I don't know what it was...What?" She asked as Jessica started snickering around her broccoli.

"You like guys with crappy attitudes. I kind of have a thing for a former Decepticon." Mikeala gave a small gasp and sat back in her chair.

"Oh so you admit that you like him!" Jessica stopped giggling and nearly choked on her food as she tried to swallow.

"Erm...Uh...I uh...Um..." Mikeala laughed at her at reached across the table to squeeze her hand.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone. It's just between us girls." Jessica nodded, still trying to get over the shock of being caught. "So." Mikeala sat back again and crossed her arms expectantly. "What is it about him that you like?" Jessica shook her head, smiling.

"I'm not saying until you finish spilling about Sam."

"Spilling what about me?" Said boy asked obliviously, walking into the room. He held up his hands defensively when both girls shot him a look that said he was obviously intruding on a conversation he wasn't meant to hear. "Hey, I just came down to get a soda. No harm done." Mikeala and Jessica shared a pointed look with each other.

"Let's take dinner upstairs."

"Agreed." As if on cue, the girls gathered their plates and proceeded to march up the stairs simultaneously, leaving a confused Sam behind.

"What did I do?" He asked himself, casting a look at the two cars in the drive way out the kitchen window before heading to the fridge for what he came down stairs for. All was quiet outside as the street lights were flickering on, so he figured either the two weren't speaking to each other or were asleep. Either way, he was glad he wasn't chasing them down while they beat the scrap out of each other. Again.

"Alright, so about Sam." Mikeala started as Jessica sat her plate on the bed side table temporarily and tossed a couple of her pillows on the floor for them to sit on. "I was at a party with my ex, Trent, and Sam showed up with his weird friend who was climbing a tree...anyway, Trent tried to start stuff with him, but Sam actually had a pretty good come back." She snickered into her hand and Jessica raised her eyebrows in amusement.

"Oh really? Do you remember what it was?" She shook her head.

"No. You'll have to ask him."

"I told him I was writing a book about the link between brain damage and foot ball. The book was supposed to have mazes, coloring pictures, all that good stuff." Sam answered, poking his head through the door. To avoid having something thrown at him [or at least that's what Jessica was about to do, as she immediately turned this way and that looking for something] he quickly backed up and shut the door. Jessica sat her plate down and threw the door open.

"I want one of those books when you're done, Sam! Early birthday present! Include crayons!" She shouted at the closed door and then shut her own, giggling. Mikeala just gaped at her, the corners of her mouth upturned in a smile.

"Wow. Just wow." Mikeala giggled, taking a bite of the pork chop at the end of her fork. "But anyway." She mumbled over the meat as she chewed. "Trent said I could drive his car. Male ego and all that." Jessica snorted. "And he called me his 'little bunny'." Jessica snorted again.

"If 'Cade ever called me his little bunny I'd slowly and painfully pry his optics out." Mikeala nearly choked on her food at that, going into a coughing fit before swallowing her food and laughing.

"Again, wow." She caught her breath and cleared her throat. "Anyway, I walked away without thinking about getting a ride from anyone else at the party. Sam pulled up beside me in his car and offered me a ride home. I seen him the next day and well...he was being chased by Barricade." Jessica made a face.

"I knew about that. He didn't hurt Sam, did he?" Mikeala shook her head.

"No but I think he nearly scared the piss outta him. This little silver bot with blue optics almost did, though." Jessica dropped her fork.

"Frenzy?" She half-shouted. "What happened to him?" Mikeala just gaped at her, no amusement in her face.

"You knew that psycho?" Jessica nodded quickly, mouth just as agape as Mikeala's.

"He's not really all that bad. Sure he has his issues, like he stutters a lot and acts like he's on crack, but he was pretty cool." She smiled as fond memories filled her head. "You should have seen him and Barricade. They argued like brothers." Mikeala looked down at her plate, seemingly saddened by something. "What?"

"Well...thing is...I think he's dead." Jessica stared at her, the shock slowly leaving and being replaced with sadness. "I'm really sorry, girl.." Mikeala added softly, reaching out to touch her arm.

"I may not have known him for a while, but he was a good guy. Even though he was a Decepticon..." She gave a slight sniffle, but wiped her eye and looked up with a smile. "I guess you could say he's in a better place now. Away from all this war." She made a wide hand gesture and Mikeala nodded. "So, you and Sam got together after that?" Mikeala nodded with a wide smile.

"Yeah. I kind of couldn't help it after that. He's so cute, and he's really sweet when he's not spazzing out." Jessica giggled, nodding in agreement.

"His mom probably raised him well." Mikeala snorted at that, waving her off.

"If I had a mom like that, I'd be a spazz to." They looked at each other before bursting into laughter, tears rolling down their face.

"Aw man, this is great." Jessica commented as they picked up their now empty plates to bring them down stairs. "I haven't had this much fun in years." Mikeala just giggled beside her as she washed her plate, looking out the window. "Hey, you go ahead up stairs and shower and whatever. I'm gonna go say good night to Barricade." Mikeala gave her a knowing look, winked, and went upstairs, leaving the blushing girl to stumble with the back door lock in embarrassment. She cautiously stepped into the night, staring up at the myriad of stars above her head in awe. She's always loved star gazing, though it made her feel so much smaller than she felt. Before she knew it she was running into Barricade's holoform's chest, amusement evident on his face.

"You seem to do that a lot." He commented as she rubbed her nose.

"What? Star gaze? Act like a dolt? Or run into you?" He mused over her question for a moment, the smile never leaving his lips.

"All of the above." She gave him a playful shove and then leaned against his chest. He didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her and rest his head on top of hers, sighing in content. "I heard you and the dark-haired girl talking earlier." She pulled back to look up at him.

"W-when..?"

"While you were in the kitchen." He gave her a mischievous look, a dark twinkle in his eye. "So. You like a certain mech, huh?" She blushed furiously and looked down at the ground, suddenly finding the gravel and his shiny black shoes as interesting as the stars above her head were. He laughed at that, pulling her against him and rubbing her back. "Don't act so shocked. I have extraordinary hearing." He murmured against her ear. She giggled.

"Your chin hair tickles." He smirked and rubbed his chin playfully against her ear, laughing with her when she buried her face into his shoulder in an attempt to escape the offending hairs. "Stoppit!" She demanded half-heartedly. She squeaked when he gave her ear a slight nibble. "Barricaaaaadddeeee." She groaned out. He just laughed again and gave her a squeeze.

"Someone is sensitive." He commented. She scoffed against his crisp charcoal grey t-shirt and pressed her lips briefly against his neck. She gave him a look of satisfaction when he shivered.

"I'd say. And it's not me either." He snorted and pressed his forehead against her shoulder and sighed.

"I haven't been this relaxed in years..." He mumbled.

"How many years?"He just sighed heavily and put his chin atop her head again.

"More than you know." He whispered, and if his chin hadn't moved with his response she would have thought she was hearing things. She gave him a tight, sympathetic hug. The moment was interrupted by someone clearing their throat, the two automatically jumping apart guiltily.

"Don't mind me." Sam said, giving them a hard look. "I'm just getting something I left in 'Bee." Jessica just gave him a mock glare.

"Yeah, right. Nosey. I bet Mikeala put you up to it." He looked up at her, then quickly looked back down. "I knew it! I'm gonna wear her as a house slipper, I swear. I'll make you a deal, Sam." He looked up at her hesitantly.

"Am I going to like this?" Jessica shrugged, folding her arms over her chest.

"Perhaps. If you go back in the house now and let me bring you whatever it is you forgot, if you did forget something, I'll ignore Mikeala 'sneaking out' of my room and going into your room for the night and cover your asses. Deal?" Sam immediately grabbed her offered hand and shook it.

"Deal." He blurted quickly before running like the hounds of hell were on his heals. Jessica just snickered as he tripped over something in the yard and cursed out loud before slamming the door behind him and saying something about a raccoon to his mom.

"That was fast." Barricade commented, eyebrows raised.

"I know how to work it." She flexed impressively, looking smug. Barricade shook his head and placed a finger under her chin. She looked up at him right as he pressed his lips against hers, parting their lips gently with his tongue. Jessica moaned softly as her face and neck began to heat up and tingle, her arms and back joining in on the tingling sensations as his fingertips ran themselves along her skin before settling on her hips and pulling her closer to him. Before things could go any further, Bumblebee began to blare music from his radio.

"STOP! IN THE NAME OF LOVE!" Jessica gave a squeak and fell onto her butt and Barricade's holoform nearly faded from sight and the car visibly jerked.

"The fuck, Bee?" She shouted. The car just made a whirring noise suspiciously similar to a hoarse chuckle and bounced. "S'not funny." She mumbled, taking the hand Barricade offered her and stood up. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before hugging her again.

"He does have a point, as much as I dislike siding with the scout." He shot the car a glare. Jessica just chuckled at the obvious tension in the air and pulled away from him.

"Yeah well. Either way. He needs to quit being nosy." The car made a sound akin to an innocent gasp, sending her into a giggle fit again. Barricade just shook his head and gave her a light shove in the direction of the house.

"Go. It's getting late." She stepped onto her tiptoes to place a kiss on the end of his nose and ran off, not even bothering to stop moving to stare up at the stars again. This earned her a quick face-plant into the grass after bumping into a garbage can.

"Ow." Barricade just chuckled, shaking his head, and let his holoform disappear as she got to her feet and went inside.

Okay, so. I know this chapter was fluffeh as all hell at the end, but I'm doing it for a reason. Enjoy the fluff while you still can! There won't be a ton of it once things start picking up, which will happen in...eh, I don't know, a chapter or two. I know the next one the 'bots are going to be heading for N.E.S.T, which will include 'Cade and Jessica, of course. Anywho, review if you love the fic/me! :D