Chapter 6 - When the Summer Fades

(MPOV)

I couldn't help but smile as Bumblebee drove up behind the restaurant and opened his door for me.

"Get in quick!" he muttered over the radio.

"What?" I murmured, instantly alert and closing the door quickly.

"There were people talking a block away, talking about you Kae!" Bumblebee babbled quickly. I watched in shock as his colours changed, still a Camaro, but completely black now. He drove quickly out of the alleyway.

"Anxious much Bee?" I murmured, scanning the roadways with worried eyes.

"They were talking about getting you!" Bee stated with a frown. "And not in the 'I'm gonna go pick her up' get you!"

"What'd they look like?" I demanded quietly. He put up a holo of two faces and I sagged into his seat. "Great. That's just great."

"Who are they?" Bumblebee demanded.

"A couple of gang members that I really want to avoid." I groaned. "Thank you, thank you for picking me up."

"But at least today is your last day of that job!" Bumblebee chirped gleefully.

"Yeah, but Bee, you know that bloody college doesn't let freshmen have cars," I sighed. "I'm going to miss you, =Little-brother=."

"Aaaww, I'm gonna miss you too," Bee whimpered. "But I still get to keep you for another two months! I'm not gonna make that ruin our day, you're going to the prom!"

(BPOV)

"Bee! No!" His sister protested strongly. "Sam and I aren't dating anymore, remember?"

"Fagh, you're coming anyway," Bumblebee stated stubbornly, determined to win the argument they'd been having for the past month. "C'mon sis! You gotta take the once in a lifetime things! Sam won't care!"

His sister sighed and finally nodded.

"Fine, but I'm only going for a little while," Kae murmured as Bee began cheering. "Only for you, little brother." she added with a snort.

"That's my big-sister!" Bee grinned cheerfully. "Now go get gorgeous, I'm gonna come pick you up at ten past eight."

"That should leave us fashionably late," Mikaela murmured approvingly.

"Good," Bee grinned, pulling up to his sister's tiny home. "Kae, look in my trunk." he added, smirking to himself as he popped his trunk.

"A garment bag?" Kae murmured with a small frown.

"It's for you to wear," Bee grinned. "Don't look, just put it on when you're ready!"

"But Beeee-" Mikaela started again.

"Humour me?" Bee whined, shooting pleading, puppy dog eyes at his Kae. He didn't know how she knew what he was doing, but she always did. And this look always got results with his big sister. Sure enough.

"Alright, fine," she sighed, giving his fender a light thwack that didn't so much as sting.

"See you at eight ten!" Bee grinned as his sister waved irritably at him and walked up the steps to her home. Bee raced off, going to bide his time at Sam's place until he could get him to his allotted time and place.

"Hey Bee!" Sam called out cheerfully, plopping into the drivers seat with a broad grin as his parental units shouted and waved at him.

Sam gave the thumbs up and put his hands on the wheel. Two annum and he still drove so scrapping tentatively it almost made Bee wince. Not like his sister, his sister knew how to drive. Thankfully, the drive was fairly short, Bumblebee parked and watched as Sam wandered into the school beside his friend, Myles. He looked around, waited for the coast to be clear and started his engine back up, flicking a holo into place and driving immediately to Kae's home.

She stepped out the door the second he parked, waving to her grinning father as he shooed her from the porch and toward Bee. He walked down and leaned on the driver side door.

"Gonna take care of my girl?" he growled as he always did.

"Yes sir," Bumblebee played the clip, making his holoform salute and grin at her father, even as it flickered somewhat.

"I'll be back in an hour or so," Kae snorted. Bumblebee nodded seriously.

"Dunno why you're always doing that," Mr. Banes snorted

"Cause I ain't... short on ear and long on mouth," Bumblebee played the clips seriously.

"John Wayne," chuckled, patting Bee's hood as he walked back to the house.

Bee drove off, quickly offlining the holo.

"What do you think?" he asked cheerfully, looking at his sister's dress. It was her, simple, silver, it made her eyes flash.

"I like it, but you're still a brat, little-brother." she laughed softly, stroking his dash.

"Uh huh, and?" he played for her with a grin.

"And I love you dearly," she smiled. "and I really, really wish I was big enough to hug you properly."

Bumblebee smirked to himself and quickly began fighting his own expressions, trying to straighten his face before his sister knew. She gave him an odd look just as he pulled up to the school. It was a warm night, everyone was under the tents on the football field.

"Go," Bee murmured to his sister, smiling at her. She shot him a half-heartedly irritable look and got out, walking with a resigned step to the school. People waved at her as she put on a smile and waved, but more of them glared at her back.

"Look at that, the girl who singlehandedly slept her way through the football team comes to prom the dateless wonder." one of them whispered spitefully. Bumblebee couldn't help but admire his sister as she never so much as turned around, but you could tell by the tiny twitch in her shoulder that she'd heard.

Of course that was going to make their revenge so much sweeter. Bumblebee idled slowly to a more advantageous parking spot and frowned, onlining an extra processor and solidifying his new holoform. He reached out and touched his own steering wheel.

Yep, definitely solid. He'd have to remember to thank Ratchet for sending him the specs. Again. This was just cool. He got out of his own form and stood, walking with the stride he'd learned from his sister, proud of the form he'd chosen. It screamed tall, dark, handsome and dangerous. A final test, he reached out and leaned against the power pole, eyes flicking about until they landed on his big-sister as she gracefully prowled along the outside of the dance floor.

Bumblebee looked at the stereo system and hacked it, leaving it be for a moment, he walked toward his big-sister Kae, right across the almost deserted dance floor.

"Mikaela," he murmured quietly, reaching out and gently taking her hand. "Found you," he smiled as her eyes widened, the song ended and he rapidly changed it, playing the song he knew was one of her favourites. She always sang it to him when he was upset.

"May the angels protect you, trouble neglect you..." a woman's voice began singing sweetly. It was her voice, put to piano. Bee had absolutely no doubt his sister recognized it, but there was no recognition in the other's faces. Although there were a few girls staring at him quite enviously, which was nice.

"Dance with me, Sis?" he murmured, smiling at her.

"You. Were planning this," Kae murmured with a smile, letting his holoform pull her onto the dance floor. "Did you look up a waltz?" she asked as Bee lightly pulled her against himself.

"Yep," he grinned, beginning to lead her around the floor. "I figured that every now and again, I might get the chance to make a wish come true. That was my wish anyway, =Big- sister=."

Kae smiled and hugged him as they danced.

"Thank you, =little-brother=," she murmured.

Trent of course, decided he was going to muscle in.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded, grabbing Bee's shoulder roughly.

"Your replacement," Bumblebee stated loftily, shrugging out of the rather stupid human's grip and leading his sister away. He began putting in a few moves that would obviously impress the already doltishly impressed crowd. None of them even knew how to dance. Glitches.

"That was evil," Mikaela snorted softly.

"Thank you, =big-sister=," Bumblebee smirked as the music ended. He glanced over as one of the other girls marched up to him.

"You're dancing with me, next," she commanded with a small smirk. It was one of the girls that always talked meanly behind his sister's back.

"Hey Kae, you wanna go-" Bee started.

"Get the drinks?" his sister suggested innocently.

"Drinks nothing," Bee snorted, ignoring the other girl. "I thought somewhere a bit more tastefully decorated," Bee grinned impishly at her. He wound an arm around her waist.

"I, thought you would never ask," Kae laughed, winding her arm around his holoform's waist as he led her out of the area again. "I wouldn't have fought if it was your intent to just buzz the place." she laughed the second their feet touched the pavement.

"Fah!" Bee snorted. "C'mon, we'll hit the bluffs."

"You gotta take Sam home," his sister murmured with a snort.

"Oh right," Bee sighed irritably.

"Bluffs tomorrow?" Kae murmured, cuddling against him.

"You got it," Bumblebee grinned, hugging his sister again. He dropped her off at home, and her father came out again, looking worried.

"No, don't worry about it," Kae laughed at her father. "Bee decided to let me just buzz the place looking gorgeous and make my escape with a suitable bit of drama."

Bee made his holoform grin and salute the man, who nodded with a smirk of his own. He turned on the radio and contacted his Prime, making his weekly report.

::. You sound quite smug.:: Optimus sent with amusement at the end.

::. Big-sister and I made a suitable farewell.:: Bumblebee sent gleefully ::. It was awesome, I got to dance with my big sister, will you tell Ratchet thank you for me? Again? Please?.::

::. You're welcome.:: Ratchet snorted.

::. Thank you sir!.:: Bumblebee sent, bubbling, he knew he was bubbling.

::. Did it go that well?.:: Ironhide called out with a laugh.

::. She just knew Sir!.:: Bumblebee sent in gleeful shock, you could see it in her eyes! She just knew it was me!.::

::. You didn't walk around in a scale size of your form, did you?.:: the Major called out in a rather horrified tone.

::. No!.:: Bumblebee snorted, laughing at the human. ::. Not even Sam recognized me. I wanted to surprise her pretending to be a human, but she just knew it was me! Nothing gets past my big sister.::

(MPOV)

I looked around my room one last time, it was emptied out but for one last drawer. Bee and I had spent the day together, we'd gone out to the bluffs, just sitting there for hours. I'd changed his oil, and waxed his armour to a gleaming shine.

I picked up an old jacket and heard a small thump. I glanced down to see a shard of heavily etched metal staring up at me. Bending down, I picked it up and felt a searing flash of fire surge through my system. I set the shard down on the desktop and stared at the fractured piece of the All-Spark. I glanced around and quickly slipped it into the hidden compartment of my old desk.

I picked up my bag with a heavy heart and walked across my room, I heard a clatter and frowned, there was a hole in my desk.

And the shard was following me. With a sigh I tucked it into the little container in my necklace and walked down the tiny hallway, stepping into the living room where dad stood waiting.

"I don't have to go," I said quietly, "I can stay back a couple of years, help you out at the shop..."

"Aw 'Kae," Dad said with a smile, he held out his arms and held me tightly, "don't you worry about me, government's sending you off to college, don't you dare turn that down. C'mon, let's get going."

I packed the few bags of clothing and my run kit into the trunk and slipped into the passenger seat. Dad called the parole officer and informed him he was going now.

Green light. We took the drive in shifts, chatting quietly amidst the long bouts of silence. We didn't need to talk, it was superfluous, we knew each other's thoughts already.

The college loomed in front of us finally, and dad handed me a tiny drive.

"Remember these faces," Dad murmured, hugging me tightly, "You see them you run, you don't hide, you don't fight, you run. Don't make the same mistakes I did Kae, I'm so proud of you." he pulled back and looked down at me, his eyes conveying the final messages that we couldn't say aloud.

"Simul sunt nos fortis," I murmured softly.

"Tenetur amoris," my father replied, gently taking my hand. Our forearms pressed tightly together.

"Fortis aeternum, celeri tacita mortis. Semper Fi." we murmured together.

In a matter of minutes I had my luggage slung over my shoulders. Dad touched my cheek one last time before sitting in the driver's seat again. I watched him drive away to get home in the allotted time. I glanced at my information packet and walked toward the assigned room. Sam and his parents were unloading boxes of his stuff and ferrying it, I gave a small wave when Sam glanced over and spotted me, opting to let them have their family moment. Although his mother looked rather loopy.

I walked into my room and looked around. A rather stubborn looking girl looked back at me, sizing me up.

"You must be Cameron," I said quietly.

"Cam, you're Mikaela?" she asked with narrow eyes.

"That's me, awkward moment much?" I stated calmly. "I'm not going to steal your stuff, and I'm not particularly poor. I travel light."

The girl relaxed and grinned.

"So is it okay if I already chose this spot?" she patted the bed she was sitting on, right beside the window and in plain view from the door.

"All yours," I grinned, eyeing the heavy duty hooks jutting from a recessed cove in the room. "How particular are you on sleeping habits?"

"Whaddya mean? You a player girl?" Cam laughed.

"Nah, but I don't know how people manage to sleep on those cots," I laughed. "You mind if I steal these two hooks here?"

"Only if you don't mind my gratuitous use of closet space."

"Excellent!" I grinned, fishing out a roll of fine mesh.

"No way! You sleep in a hammock?" Cam squealed.

"Hah, almost have to at this point," I grinned over my shoulder, quickly knotting the ends to the hooks. "I've been sleeping in hammocks so long a bed feels weird. And don't tell me I'm some weird jungle person, the only jungle I've been to is the urban one."

We each got down to work, setting up our respective side of the room and getting ready for the first frat party of the year. I heard a commotion across the hall. It sounded ridiculously familiar. I poked my head in the room and caught sight of Optimus on a computer screen, taking out an enormous Decepticon. Sam was denying for all he was worth, Mrs. Witwicky was carrying around an empty hashbrownie bag while the male Witwicky's began panicking. Dear little innocent woman. I caught Sam's eye as I hooked a gentle arm around her waist.

"Hey young lady," I grinned, "how've you been?"

"Mikaela!" Judy looked at me with an owlish grin. "There she is! Sam! Sam! Look it's Mikaela!" I shot an apologetic look at Sam as I gently tugged the empty bag from Judy's hands.

"Goodness Mrs. Witwicky," I said with a gentle laugh, "having fun with the hippy crowd on your cheat day?" I held up the bag and idly inspected it, catching a whiff of the former contents. I pursed my lips slightly. Strong ones, they didn't cheap out.

"I feel fine!" Judy sang cheerfully.

I burst out laughing. I really couldn't help it.

"Of course you do Mrs. Witwickey, you're gonna be feeling fine for the next several hours or so." I teased her gently.

"Judy! We're going to France!" Judy proclaimed with a broad grin. Sam shot me a desperately pleading look, I jerked my head for him to take the lead. Ron cottoned on in a moment and led the way to the car.

"You know you really don't see the white boys with the dreadlocks much," Judy told me seriously.

"No, the hippy crowd died out quite a bit during the eighties," I smiled at her, "you remember the zuit suits?"

Judy began laughing hysterically, babbling about her wild days as a young woman my age and putting up absolutely no fight as I carefully led her to the car behind Ron.

"I'm hungry!" she exclaimed suddenly.

"I'd imagine you are," I laughed, "pretty sure you have lots of snacks in the car though, and a couple bottles of water?" I looked at Ron, he nodded, grinning.

Judy whooped, leaning on me heavily as she lost her balance again, laughing. I hefted her close and rolled my eyes; picking her up and carrying her to the car, succeeding in making her laugh harder.

Ron opened the door for me as I carefully tucked Judy in, pressing a bottle of water into one hand and a bag of bridge mix into the other.

"You're the bestest Mikaela, you gotta get back together with Sam, you'd be such a good mommy." I smiled and cupped her cheek in my hand.

"Now Judy," I said gently, "Sam and I just didn't work out, we both need to grow up a bit more, but I promise I'll help him find a world class girl who's perfect for him, okay?"

Judy gave me a loopy grin and promptly fell asleep. Ron chuckled and closed the door, nodding his thanks and turning to Sam, bidding him a quick goodbye before driving off.

"Mikaela, you, are the absolute best," Sam stated, staring at the car driving away without drama or major incident before we began to walk to the dormitories.

"No worries," I shrugged, "you gotta work on covering though Sam, nobody says 'I cannot comment or speculate,' it makes you look like either a mainstream media dweeb or part of a conspiracy coverup."

"How do you know this stuff?" Sam looked at me with a grin.

"Joys of being a criminal, there's not much to do in prison but learn," I laughed. As expected, Sam's gaze snapped back up from my breasts to my face, the flush beginning to rise into his cheeks receded again.

"So are you all set up then?" I asked calmly.

"Uh, yeah, pretty much," he shrugged. "Bee was pretty upset that we both were gone."

I sighed, "did he go back?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded, standing at his door. "See you at the party?"

"Uh yeah," I nodded, "catch you around."

Cam, surrounded by five other squealing girls immediately caught my attention as I walked through the door.

"Oh my god! What do I wear!?" she shrieked.

Time to play the game.