CHAPTER ELEVEN

Before We Were Wed

***

I didn't know what was happening, or why it was happening. I think I'd had a lot to drink, but I couldn't be sure.

I think I was with someone, who had promised to take care of me – but who had also been responsible for my many glasses of alcohol, but again I wasn't sure.

I think something cold was being slipped onto my finger, above something else cold that was there but, you guessed it, I WASN'T SURE.

I think I said I Do.
I know I kissed someone, and I know that someone was Starscream.

"Screamer…" I whispered. "What have you made me do?"

"It's better this way, Em," He told me softly. "You know you wanted it this way…"

"Did I?" Slowly I began to make sense of where I was and what was going on.

I was wearing a dress.

I was in Starscream's arms.

We were outside of one of those ten-minute wedding chapels.

And we'd just gotten married.

"H-how can I have two husbands?" I wanted to know. I felt a little – a lot – shaky. I wanted to scream, but I didn't think I'd be able to stand up for very long if I did that. I wondered if I could slug Starscream across the face without fainting. Somehow, I doubted it.

Star growled slightly and pulled me closer to him. Obviously he didn't want to hear about my problem at the moment.

But, he did have something he wanted to ask me.

"Em, I heard a rumour today…someone said you had a kid…"

"Did Angelina tell you?" Star had met and liked Angelina, but didn't know that she knew about…everything.

I felt Star shake his head as we walked down the footpath in a really rundown part of town (no worries here!). "No, some girl named Kirstie did…is it true? Did we have a baby?"

He stopped me, and turned me around to face him. I looked into his red eyes – they were almost pleading.

I felt myself start to cave in. I had put off telling him long enough.

"Star, we…" And then I broke off, as I heard a scream.

A scream I knew so well.

Her scream – my Ryuusei's scream.

I grabbed tar's hand and dragged him down the street, hearing my heart-spark pounding in my chest, along with the drums of war.

*

Bumblebee's P.O.V:

"YOU LOST MY BABY!!??" I screamed. "NOT TO MENTION HONEY BEE!!??"

"Bumblebee," Andy tried to say soothingly, but it sounded more worried then anything else. "Calm down, we'll find them – Detroit isn't that big a city…"

"IT'S THE LARGEST SLAGGING CITY IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN!!!!" I positively screamed. "AND MY ENTIRE FAMILY IS MISSING IN IT!!!!"

"Okay everyone," Jazz was suddenly all business. "We got ta' split up and search da whole city til' we find those missin' fems! Understood!?" There was his almost forgotten Elite Guard status coming in. "Lock onto da lil' ones' energy signatures, and keep ya optics open for Em, understood?"

"Right!" We all saluted.

"Kelsi, you're with me." Andy said, transforming to her alte mode, bringing up her holoform, and her holoform placed a helmet on Kelsi's head.

The little red-head grinned, and jumped on board, wrapping her arms tightly around Andy's holoform waist.

"Jetfire and Jetstorm, search from da air, and keep an optic out for Decepticons!" Jazz went on.

"Yes sir!" The Jet-Twins saluted, and then took to the skies.

"Da rest of ya – good luck!" Were Jazz's final words, before he transformed into his alte mode and sped off down the road.

The rest of us followed suit.

*

Star and I screeched to a stop at the head of an alleyway, and I was nearly walked into by Angelina.

"Whoa, 'ang on hon!" She said, steadying me. "Hey, if it isn't mah main woman, Emma! Guess which two lil' galz I rescued from stray dogs?" She gestured into the alleyway.

My heart-spark leapt. "Honey Bee!? Shooting Star!?"

"Mamma!!" I heard the twin shrieks, and suddenly I found them both in my arms.

Despite myself, I burst into tears. So did they.

"Oh my babies, my sparklings, my girls!" I cried, ignoring the stabbing pain in my left arm as both the girls buried their faces in my chest.

"Mamma, we missed you!" Shooting Star exclaimed. "We came here to look for you, and but then we got lost!" She added.

"And when that big doggie attacked us, we couldn't hurt it because Bumblebee said to never hurt an organic!" Honey Bee added.

I drew back from them slightly, excitement dashing across my face like wildfire. "Girls, tell me, is he here?" I asked them. I looked at Shooting Star. "Ryuusei, is your Daddy here?"

She nodded, making her black pigtails bounce. "Uh-huh! With my Jetfire and my Jetstorm, 'Sides, Sunny, Andy, Kelsi, Jazz…"

"Wait, wait, wait," I interrupted her. "With whom? Your Jetfire and your Jetstorm? When did this happen?" Then, another though struck me. "Hold on, who's Kelsi?"

The twins exchanged a glance. "It's a long story." They said in unison.

I sighed.

"Ahem?"

"Oh!" I had almost forgotten about Starscream and Angelina, the latter who was standing a slight distance away, which was very polite of her I thought.

I stood up, with each of the girls on either side of me, and turned to face the, for once in his life stunned, seeker.

Honey Bee's red eyes went very wide indeed. "Mamma?" She asked, tugging on my dress skirt. "Is…is that him?"

I nodded, and placed a hand on her head. "Yes, that's him – your Father."

"My…Father?" She asked, at the same time as Star said: "That's…my daughter? I have…a daughter?"

"Her name is Honey Bee."

"And…she's mine?"

I nodded again. "She has your eyes." I pointed out.

Starscream blinked a few times, and then knelt down and opened his arms.

Honey Bee ran to him, and hugged her Father for the first time ever.

The two shared a happy first meeting.

Shooting Star was grinning away. "See sis," She said. "My wish came true!"

Starscream had stood up, and was holding Honey Bee in his arms. He faced us. "Em, I can see you in both these girls. Honey Bee's hair…but that other one's eyes. If Honey Bee is my daughter…then whose is that?" He asked, looking at Shooting Star, who clung to my skirt.

"This is Bumblebee's daughter, Shooting Star," I said, and then I looked at him squarely in the face. "Screamer, these girls are twins, but they have different Father's – can you understand that?"

I could tell he was looking it up online. At last he nodded. "Now I can." He said. His eyes narrowed. "So, do you mean to tell me that Bumblebee has been a Father to my daughter as well?"

"He had to be," I shot back. "Since the situation called for it." I sighed, and then began talking in very fast, very practiced Cybertronian, explaining to Screamer what I couldn't say in English in front of the twins or Angelina, who was pretending not to listen in.

At the end of my speech, Screamer's eyes were glowing. "Em…you wouldn't recall it, but during our wedding I said I was truly blessed."

"You're too right I don't recall!" I replied.

"But now I know how truly blessed I am, even for a Decepticon." Screamer finished. "You gave me the most beautiful daughter in the universe."

Shooting Star, Primus bless her, chose that moment to say: "I don't like Decepticons especially Megatron – but I like you because you're my sister's Daddy!"

Starscream looked at her and, for the first time, smiled at her. I could tell that, despite the fact she was Bumblebee's daughter, he liked her too.

Angelina suddenly cleared her throat. "Look, I hate to break up the happy fam' reunion 'n all, but I got a show to get to…"

"Cuz you're the best singer ever Angelina!" Honey Bee and Shooting Star said in unison.

Starscream and I exchanged an amused glance.

"Just for that, I'm inviting you guys along as my special guests!" Angelina said, winking at me. I nodded back once, smiling.

"Yay!" The twins said, and hurried over to take Angelina's hands. They led the way down the street, with me and Starscream following them.

"Remind me to kick you later." I told my second husband.

"What for?" He asked, surprised.

I held up my left hand, which had two wedding rings on it now – his was in fact my class ring, and it was welded onto my finger as well. "For this." I said, waving my hand in his face. "Bee is going to kill me, or he'll kill you, either one. This doesn't make it any easier for me, you know."

"I know," He replied, and he looked thoughtful. "But, at leats tell me – are you happy?"

I closed my eyes (a dangerous thing to do whilst walking!), and then I replied: "Are you?"

"More then I've ever been before." He replied straight away.

I sighed. "Then so am I."

I'd have to cross the next bridge when I came to it.

Little did I know, there'd be a much worse one to face before that…