Hey everyone! I just wanted to give you all a warning that I am FINALLY getting toward the end of the story. There will most likely be nine more chapters and an epilogue. I am currently writing Chapter 42 and I will possibly be updating twice or three times a week because I want this done lol. I promise that the ending chapters (including this one) will not be boring and they'll be quite awesome! Oh, and thanks for the reviews for the last chapter. :) Enjoy the read!

Love is a Lake

(A 'TFA' fan fic romance)

Chapter 36 Wiles of the Spider

(December 28th – the apartment: 7:30pm)

"Get outta the bathroom!" Amanda pounded on the door. "You've been in there for twenty minutes!"

"When you gotta go, you gotta go!" Cynthia yelled back.

"Lockdown is practically pulling up in the parking lot. Don't you want to see Blitzwing? It's almost been a week since we saw our sweeties and I don't want to wait any longer."

Cyndi wasn't on the toilet. Instead, she was staring into her reflection in the mirror. There were bags beneath her eyes. Her short shoulder length hair was pulled back with a yellow bandana because she had too little hair for a ponytail or bun. She felt anemic and weak: the girl blamed it on the Christmas cookies Helen got at the bakery since they were pretty awful. Her posture was hunched over and it was obvious she looked like she was under the weather. Once more, she blamed it on a bug that was going around. More than anything else, she wanted to crawl into bed and hibernate like a bear.

Amanda rapped on the bathroom door. Her head was pressed up against it.

"Cyndi," she said, "Sis, are you okay in there?"

"I feel like crap to be honest," her sibling replied. "Somehow, I think those cookies Mom got are still messing up my digestive tract."

"They weren't that bad. I didn't get sick."

"I know… I must be sick or something. I look like Hell."

"You'll be fine." Mandy twisted the knob. To her slight surprise, she saw that it was locked. "Cyndi, come on. You're starting to worry me a little."

Cynthia swore under her breath and hastily unlocked it. She opened it up, meeting Amanda.

"Ta da…" Cynthia said sullenly.

"What's up with the yellow bandana?" Mandy placed a hand on her sister's head. "You never wear this stuff."

"I don't feel like messing with my hair, that's all."

"You look like a train wreck… No offense."

"Really? I thought I looked like a supermodel."

"I mean you looked a little under the weather yesterday and today but in twenty minutes, it looks like you went downhill. Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"

"Absolutely not! I'm not dying!"

"Okay, sheesh… But if you do get even worse, let me know and we'll go home, okay?"

"I'm fine, it's probably nothing. Let's go see all our friends…"

(Decepticon base – 8:00pm)

"Our Human allies have returned!"

Cynthia groaned internally when Starscream was the first to greet her.

"Long time, no see, Starscream," she said, forcing out some politeness. She saw Blackarachnia was still occupying the base too. "If I remember rightly, you're Blackaracnhia, right?"

"Yes," she said coldly.

Right then and there, Cyndi deemed it appropriate to cut off the conversation with the techno organic femme immediately. She wasn't in the mood to get into a cat fight with her mostly because she knew Blackarachnia would murder her in a heartbeat. But she figured that if she was about twenty feet tall and was made of metal, she'd punch some manners into her.

"He's in his quarters," the spider added a second later.

"Blitzwing?" Cyndi asked, not sure of whom she was alluding to for a moment.

"Who else? That's why you're here, isn't it?"

"Yes." The Human fought back with all her might to not snap at her. "Thanks for the heads up." At that point, she assumed Blackarachnia discovered she and Blitzwing were having a relationship. "I'll go see him right now."

Cynthia walked out of the main room and through the automatic sliding door that led to the Decepticons' quartering level. Both Starscream and Blackarachnia watched as she went through the entrance. They waited until the door shut behind her.

"You owe me big time, Starscream," she hissed, baring her fangs at him. "I can't believe I actually agreed to do this for you…" She paused. "But at the same time, I'm glad I did."

"Sooner or later, I will repay the favor for you," he smiled at her. "You may even need my help sooner than you expect. Someone might want some energon spilt and it will most likely be yours. Who will save you when he gets very, very angry?"

"Good point." Blackarachnia morphed into her beast mode. She scaled the craggy wall and situated herself in a dark corner on the ceiling. "All I have to do now is wait the right time. Then I want to leave. I want your promises fulfilled, Starscream."

"After you fulfill your end of the bargain, I will no longer require your help. Soon enough, I will take over fully and orchestrate the rest of everything from there."

(Two minutes later.)

"Vhat is zhat tiny noise I hear knocking on my door?" Random grinned.

Blitzwing leapt off his berth and almost skipped to his door. The door swept open and he saw Cynthia staring up at him on the ground below. He cackled in delight and happily swept her up into his servos. As if she was tiny handheld pet, he nuzzled her. Cyndi kissed him.

"I vas beginning to vonder vhen zhou vould come back to me!" he said. "I missed my beautiful Cyndi so much! I vas almost counting zhe hours zhat zhou vere gone!"

"My Mom left earlier on the afternoon to go back home and I planned on coming here as soon as possible," Cynthia explained. "I didn't abandon you. I'd be a heartless idiot if I did that."

"Vhy are zhou dressed like a homeless organic?"

Truly, she didn't feel like explaining this to Blitzwing. Amanda was already worried about her and she didn't need her love to get worked up over her condition now.

"I choose comfort over fashion when I'm sick," she revealed. "I never was a slave to fashion to begin with but you know what I mean."

"Zhour pretty hair is beneath zhis yellow zhing! But I love zhou no matter how zhou look, Cyndi! I'm just so glad zhou're vith me again!"

"How did zhou get sick?" Hothead questioned. There was some concern and a hint of overprotection in his voice.

"It's the Christmas season and people get sick a lot," said Cyndi. "Are you going to put me in one of those bubbles to protect me from germs?"

"I might as vell! Are zhou getting enough recharge?"

"Yes. Don't stress over it! I'm fine."

"Forgive me, but I don't like to see zhou ill or feeling down at all," said Icy. "How vas zhour time vith Helen?"

"It was nice to be with her. But I missed you a lot." She grinned deviously. "You know, I wish you could be there as a man again."

"Cynthia!" He laughed. "And I alvays took zhou to be a respectable and restrained lady."

"Look who's talking."

"Kudos. Vhere is zhour sister and Lockdown?"

"They're hanging out around in the woods somewhere. They like their privacy: I can't say I blame them… I see Blackarachnia is still floating around."

"Zhe Itsy Bitsy Spider!" said Random. "She is so fun to torture, just like Mandy! She zhreatens me too!"

"I can tell that she doesn't like me too much."

"She doesn't like anyone," said Hothead. "She's miserable. I can't vait until she finally leaves. She's overstayed her velcome. I don't care if her organic side is sensitive to certain zhings or not."

"She'll be gone sooner or later," Icy assured Cynthia. "She vill get annoyed so much zhat she vill leave."

"Does she know that we're in love?" the girl asked.

"She'd have to have dysfunctional audio receptors if she didn't find out sooner or later. Blackarachnia is avare."

"I bet she was disgusted."

"I don't care vhat she zhinks. I don't even like her." He paused. "Zhou could say zhat she played vith my processor vhen she turned me into a triple changer. Vhen I had abandoned my Autobot roots so many cycles ago as I explained to zhou some months ago, Megatron zhought it vas appropriate to use me as a test subject. I didn't have a choice necessarily and… Vell, I'm zhe bot zhou see me as today."

"You never did say way you left the Autobots. I mean, you said it was because they treated you like dirt and that they were corrupted and whatnot…"

"Zhe Autobots are not as heroic and honorable as zhey claim to be. Zhey claim zhe Decepticons are untrustvorthy and sly… Some of zhem are zhe same vay zhemselves. Zhey're all a bunch of hypocrites."

"I hate to say it but some of your Decepticon buddies are too, Blitzwing."

"True. But I have found greater satisfaction in vorking for zhe Decepticons zhan zhe Autobots. Even zhough I do fear Megatron…"

"That's no way to live."

"I vill not rebel against him. He showed me mercy beyond comprehension by allowing me to keep zhou."

"To be honest, I'm not entirely fond of him. You won't tell him that, will you?"

"Of course not!" said Random. "Because if I did tattle, zhou'd be dead!" He then paused. "Oh, zhat's right!"

"What?"

"I have to go check on Professor Sumdac to make sure he von't escape! It's my turn to do zhat duty!"

"I guess I'll stay here until you get back."

"It vill only take a few moments," said Hothead. "If Starscream comes in to bozher zhou, just scream for me and I vill kick his aft for zhou."

Cynthia laughed at his statement.

"I'll be sure to do that," she smiled.

(…)

"Professor!"

Isaac Sumdac nearly fell out of his cot when the voiced literally screamed at him. His eyes shot open and he looked around in a fevered manner. He quickly caught sight of Blitzwing's Random persona grinning at him like a gigantic metal child.

"Oh, I see zhou're alright," said the triple changer. "It vas just my turn to check on zhou!"

"Yes…" Sumdac said with wide eyes, a bit disturbed and shaken. "I'm fine. I was sleeping."

"So was I."

Blackarachnia dropped from the ceiling in her beast mode. Blitzwing turned around. He laughed upon seeing her.

"Get me some bug spray and a newspaper!" he giggled. "Ve got a spider problem!"

"Aren't you just precious?" the femme said bitterly as she turned back into her alt mode.

"Don't start vhining now," Hothead glowered. "Vhen zhou start to do zhat, my helm feels like it's going to split open."

"Blitzwing, I need to talk to you." She paused and looked at Sumdac who turned over onto his side on the cot, facing away from them. "In privacy, preferably."

"For vhat? Cyndi's vaiting for me."

"It'll take a moment or two, I promise. Can she survive that long without you?"

"Don't start anyzhing, spider."

"Why would you accuse me of doing anything? I thought you knew me better, Blitzwing."

"It doesn't take one too long to figure out vhat kind of creature zhou are," Icy said rudely.

Blackarachnia could only smile wickedly as she led him out of the room. They walked along in silence and within a minute or two, they were at the base's sole entrance and exit. The techno organic femme shuddered a little bit because of the cold but she wasn't deterred by this little setback.

She guided him a little bit away from the complex and into a dense grove of evergreen pine trees. Her optics flitted around briefly, on the lookout for Amanda and Lockdown. To her, it didn't matter if they were going to be witnesses or not. At the back of her processor, she just hoped Starscream would uphold his promises.

Blackarachnia didn't want to be isolated from the mine so she halted. This was the place where she and her co-conspirator agreed to meet up.

"Isn't zhis razher shady?" Icy raised an optic. "Vhat do zhou have planned?"

"Blitzwing." She placed her servos on her hips. "I want you to take a look at me."

This was rather awkward and disturbing to him. Briefly, his optics studied her lithe form. There was a playful and coy smile on her face.

"So?" he said, confused.

The spider took a step closer. She raised a delicate and graceful servo and swept it across his chest. Blitzwing tensed and his defenses immediately came up. He slapped her servo away.

"Do not touch me," Hothead said sternly.

"Why?" she said with anger that she had rehearsed for. "I can't take it!"

"Vhat is vrong vith zhou?"

"She doesn't deserve you, Blitzwing! She's a Human! You can't possibly feel satisfaction while your spark belongs to her. You're wasting your time."

"Zhat's zhour problem, not mine, zhou slagging vitch!"

"You have no sense in that helm of yours… She's just not suited for you. She can't give you what someone of your own species can." She stood up on the tips of her stabilizing servos so she could get closer to his face. "You can't deny that."

He was so tempted to tell her that when he was a Human he made love to Cynthia: but he decided against it. As a result of this bonding, he saw her as his sparkmate. Before his optics, all he saw was a vile seductress who was trying to tempt him. Blitzwing couldn't allow Blackarachnia to lead him away from her.

"Vhy vould I allow myself to be seduced by zhou?" Icy questioned. "Zhou never even liked me. Zhou tortured me vith zhour experiments. I know vhat kind of femme zhou are: I do not trust zhou at all. I'm vasting my time talking to zhou."

"Listen," she pleaded, "I… I'm only doing this because I'm concerned. Cynthia is going to be dead sooner than you can believe it. Humans aren't very long lived. I know you love her but… When she expires, I know you'll be sparkbroken, Blitzwing."

"Zhen so be it. I do not mind. I vill be vith her until she dies."

"There's more, please hear me…" She paused. "I'm so concerned for you because I love you, Blitzwing."

(Cynthia)

It was about ten minutes now. Cyndi told herself it shouldn't take too long to check up on Sumdac. But then she assured herself by thinking that perhaps Megatron wanted to speak to him and that chewed up some time. She was slouched on the berth as she stared at the door, just waiting for him to waltz in and rejoin her.

"Where are you?" she thought.

As if on whim, she could hear footsteps approaching the door. A smile made a return. When the door opened, a frown took over and she was clearly less than pleased when she saw who it was.

"What the hell could you possibly want, you stalker?" she growled.

"No need for the hostility, Cynthia," Starscream held his servos up in a surrendering posture. "I just wanted to ask you a simple question, that's all."

"Will you get out after you leave? Don't make me sick Blitzwing on you."

"Yeah, why not? Have you seen Blackarachnia?"

"I've been in here since she told me Blitzwing was in here waiting for me. She doesn't even like me so I don't keep tabs on where she goes."

"Really? After I saw him check on Professor Sumdac, I saw him exit the mine."

"What?" She wrinkled her nose in puzzlement. "When?"

"Not too long ago, actually." He knew he had her just as he wanted. "Do you need me to help you find him?"

Grudgingly, she saw she needed Starscream to aid her. With a wider walking gait, he got to places quicker.

"Yes, please," she nodded. "Can you please carry me in your hand?"

"Of course." The seeker went over to the berth and placed his servo down. Cynthia stepped into his hold and he raised his servo up to his faceplate. "Let's see what's going on."

(Blitzwing and Blackarachnia)

"Zhou lie!" Hothead declared. "Zhou hate me!"

"You annoy me but that doesn't mean I hate you, you silly bot," she laughed softly. "I admit I treated you wrongly but that was because I didn't think you'd feel the same way I did for you. I was so conflicted by my feelings but now I've come to terms with them."

"Zhou're crazier zhan me!" said Random. "No zhanks, Blackarachnia. I already have my special someone. Maybe if zhou vere nicer to me earlier, I vould've been zhour sparkmate."

"It's never too late to make up." She swayed her hips and ran a servo across his chest again. "Hmm, I can see why Cynthia loves you. You're such a big, strong, brave and eccentric mech."

Blitzwing grabbed both of her servos and applied pressure to her wrists. Because of her organic nature, she yelped from this pressure. She could almost feel her circuitry begin to crack.

"Do not touch me," Hothead warned with serious fury. "Consider zhourself lucky I don't kill Decepticons unless if Megatron tells me to. I don't vant zhou nor vill I ever even consider zhou after Cyndi dies."

Blackarachnia's patience was thinning dangerously. She was hoping he would be kissing her and have the plan come into fruition fully. His persistence and defiance was something unexpected. This Decepticon needed some extra convincing.

"You are weak and despicable," she said lowly and dangerously. "You refuse to see the inevitable. It was a mistake to experiment on you, you fragging glitch. You don't even deserve to be called a Decepticon."

"Same vith zhou," Icy smiled evilly. "Just like me, zhou're a former Autobot. Zhat is zhe only similarity ve have."

"You can't win either way. You're right, I don't love you. I'm doing this just because I can. I need some revenge for all the helm aches you gave me."

The legs on her shoulders struck his chassis. Before Blitzwing knew it, he was rendered unconscious with a hefty dose of cyber venom. His grip on her was released and he slumped to the ground motionless.

Blackarachnia looked around the woodlands, waiting to proceed on with the next phase.

(Cynthia and Starscream)

"How about we split up?" she asked.

"I was just about to suggest that," said Starscream. "You go find your mech and I'll go look for Blackarachnia." He lowered his servo to the ground and Cyndi stepped onto the snow. "Just yell for me if you come across anything so I know you're alright."

"Blitzwing will make sure I'll be okay. Yes, if for any reason something happens in which I am snatched up by a hideous monster or something else of the like, I will call for my good friend Starscream to rush in and save the day." She wore a sour look. "I don't trust you."

"Because of Blitzwing?"

"Yes, exactly. I also happen to believe Megatron, Lugnut and Lockdown's little anecdotes about you too."

"That's a pity… You know, I'm surprised you even trust Blitzwing to be honest."

"Shut up. I trust him, end of story."

"I'm surprised none of his personalities dropped hints of…" He paused. "Never mind, Cynthia."

"You know, I really would appreciate it if you stopped kissing up to me and creeping on me when Blitzwing isn't around."

Without waiting for another retort from him, Cynthia walked off into the woods with intentions to find her love and ask him to tear Starscream limb from limb. She zipped up her coat and stuck her hands into her pockets. Cyndi fumbled across snowdrifts quite swiftly despite the fact she still felt a little groggy and ill. Her anger regarding Starscream's nerve and persistence fueled her trek. The cold didn't bother her really as her whole body felt hot and tense.

"Blitzwing!" she yelled.

Her voice echoed, slicing through the chilly and starry winter evening. A few seconds later, the echo died down and was no longer audible. The woods were almost too silent. Cyndi felt apprehension churn around in her stomach. This was quite unlike him and she was absolutely certain he would've answered her.

"Blitzwing!"

Again, there was no reply. Her heart rate accelerated.

Tirelessly, the young woman pushed herself to walk deeper into the woods. The snow was halfway up to her shin but she didn't let its depth restrain her hurried gait.

"Where are you? Blitzy, answer me!"

Cynthia was now approaching a dense grove of pines. As she got closer, she spotted two different sets of foot prints. One was big and wide and the other seemed dainty and tiny. Safely, she could assume it belonged to giant robots, judging by their size.

"Hello?"

At last, she entered the cluster. There was less snow on the ground and pine needles were scattered all around, providing a natural rug. A scent snaked through her nostrils and it stunk of decaying foliage and the earth.

"Blitzwing!"

Just then, Cyndi heard a soft laugh: a female one.

Instinctively, she knelt to the ground. She paused for a few moments and looked around to see where the source of the laugh originated from.

"Oh, Blitzwing…"

Her heart beat even faster. She recognized the voice: Blackarachnia.

She followed the direction from where the techno organic's voice came from. Quietly, she crept closer, careful not to make any noise. The snow crunched beneath her boots but it didn't amount up to the same volume her heaving breaths emitted.

Amongst the darkness and cover of the concealing pines, she saw two silhouettes. Cynthia hid behind a log and only the crown of her head and her eyes were seen. She narrowed her eyes so she could get a better look.

When she saw the truth, her heart felt like it had been ripped clean out of her chest, raw, beating and bloody.

She could see Blitzwing sitting on the ground. His arms were wrapped around Blackarachnia who was sitting in his lap. She was looking at this horrifying sight from a side view and if Blackarachnia actually looked over to her direction, their eyes would be locked. The spider had a servo on his chest and she was looking up into his face with a content and evil smile.

"Isn't this nice?" she cooed to the still unconscious Blitzwing. "You know, I think you should just tell her already that it can't work. I'm sick of seeing you in the shadows." She kissed him. "Our love shouldn't be the wrong one."

Cynthia slumped to the ground, hiding her form fully behind the log. Hot tears began to flood forth. She placed a hand on her mouth to restrain a screech of agony and disbelief. The anger she bore for Starscream earlier was nonexistent. All she felt now was a surge of grief that constricted her like a python. Her whole body felt like it was being consumed by flames that seemed to be searing the very ether of her soul. She couldn't even think straight as the image of the two forbidden lovers was burned into her memory for eternity.

Cynthia could only think of one thing to do now: run.

At this point, her face was drenched. She forced herself up onto her feet and she bolted away from the scene.

Blackarachnia was well aware of her presence and as soon as Cynthia ran away, she lifted her optics to watch her. Pleased with her work and the success of her mission, she pushed herself away from the triple changer. She brushed herself off as if she was almost disgusted to sit with him so intimately.

(Amanda and Lockdown)

"Mandy!"

Amanda and Lockdown's romantic and precious moment was shattered to atoms: they were stargazing. They could hear someone run through the snow behind them. They recognized Cyndi's voice but Mandy was especially disturbed when she heard the tone of her sister's call.

"Oh my God, Cynthia?" she sounded panicked. "What's wrong?"

Cynthia looked like a wreck. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were sodden. She was covered in snow from head to toe and clearly, she looked and sounded quite shaken. Mandy hadn't seen her in such an emotionally ravaged state in years.

"Please, take me home," Cyndi said hoarsely. "I need to get away from this place!"

"Did Starscream have something to do with this?" Lockdown asked, cracking his knuckles. "Did Blitzwing fail to pummel him?"

"I don't give a shit about Blitzwing! Take me home now!"