Chapter 11
Wednesday
Nothing too important went by during school. It had been relatively quiet in all of Arcee's classes and there wasn't anything special happening today. Lunch had just ended and Arcee was at her locker, organizing some stuff and getting ready for history class.
She fumbled around inside her locker a bit, trying to pull one of her books from its wedge. She had been at the school for less than a week and already her locker was a mess.
Guess Cybertronians were never taught how to be organized. She muttered into her head.
When Arcee finally got her book free, she looked up and saw Sierra leaning against a locker and staring at her.
"Hey Sierra what's up?" Arcee asked.
She didn't get an answer as Sierra kept staring at her, almost like a glare.
Arcee raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong. Just wondering about you and Jack." The cheerleader captain said.
"And what about it?"
"Well you see Sadie, I was only wondering how serious you two were. I mean, you're a cute couple and all but honestly I don't see it lasting for too long." Sierra said blandly.
Arcee blinked. "Um well Jack and I have been together for over a month now and we haven't had any problems or anything. He does want to take it slow but I'm totally fine with that."
"Uh huh. Well Sadie, you see there's a little rule around here, not sure if you have it in Canada. Basically, if you go for a guy that someone else was already going for, you're whore."
"Ex-excuse me?" Arcee didn't really know how to respond to that statement. She wanted to punch her in the mouth but needed to make sure what she heard was what she said.
"I was trying to get with Jack a while ago. Then you come walking in and steal him from me. Not only that but you dress like your trying to get every guy in the school. And look how much make-up you put on. You're not even into your relationship with Jack so why don't you back off? You're a slut Sadie, and you know it."
Arcee was stunned. Anger boiled inside of her as she stopped herself from knocking the girl out with one punch. "I'm a slut? Why don't you look at yourself! I've seen you batting your eyelashes at boys walking by and I'm just wondering, how many guys have you let get intimate with you? And, if you're wondering, I don't wear make-up and I dress like this because Jack likes it and so do I. Don't tell me to back off of my Jack, I'll tell you to back off."
Sierra sneered at her. "I'd watch your mouth Sadie and if you know what's good for you, break up with Jack. He deserves someone better than a horny bitch like you."
With that, the cheerleader captain walked away, leaving Arcee in fumes.
...
Thursday
The crowd cheered loudly as they watched Wheeljack juke past three defenders and run into the end-zone for the touchdown. The wrecker happily threw the ball to the ref and jogged over to his teammates where he was congratulated with slaps to the back and helmet. It was his third touchdown of the game and it hasn't even been halftime yet.
Bulkhead was having a great game as well. He has had over 5 sacks already and a recovered fumble for a touchdown. The opposing team knew they had to stop him so they double-teamed him on every play. Although, Bulkhead was a bulldozer and just ran right through the two. The two wreckers were having fun and they were clearly in their comfort zone. It was as if football was made for them.
"Wow! Did you see that guy fall flat on his face when Wheeljack juked him out?" Miko exclaimed, stopping the recording on her phone.
"You know, he's a lot faster than I remember. He might even be able to compete against you Cee" Bumblebee said, earning a push from the former two-wheeler.
"Did you have any kind of sport like this on Cybertron?" Raf asked curiously, still watching the field as the two teams set up.
Arcee thought for a moment. "No, not really. We had lobbing and you've seen our version of basketball. Other than that, we didn't have anything else. Even in our Golden Age, we Cybertronians worked our butts off. Maybe that's why we're so much more advanced than you guys."
The crowd cheered again and the group turned around just in time to see Bulkhead get up off of the opposing quarterback. He had plowed through the two blockers and laid a massive hit to the unsuspecting quarterback. The away team's coach threw his clip board on the ground in frustration which snapped on impact. He raised his hands in the air and started to yell at his team.
"Woah, you guys really take this sport seriously" Arcee said, pointing a the raging man.
Jack laughed. "That's only some people babe, you'll always come across one or two of them at every game."
After a couple more plays, the whistle was blown for halftime and the cheerleaders crowded onto the field, doing their regular routine. They pranced around and rose their legs high in the air, clearly hyped up from the pummeling their football team was giving. At the end, the cheerleaders ended in a pose where Sierra was lifted in the middle. She had a huge smile on her face but was staring in one direction. Arcee noticed this and followed her eyes that were looking right in Jack's direction. She scooted over and grabbed Jack's arm, giving the cheerleader captain a glare saying 'he's mine'.
Sierra frowned but then smirked as an idea popped up into her head. When she was lowered onto the ground, she turned around and bent down casually, completely exposing her ass and showing off her legs to the crowd. The guys went wild, cheering and giving out cat calls as Sierra slowly came up, happy with her work.
Arcee gave her another sneer.
Who's the horny bitch now?
Suddenly, it dawned on her that the reason Sierra did that was to get Jack's attention. She started to worry; what if Jack was watching the entire time? What if Jack breaks up with her to go for Sierra? What if he finds Sierra more attractive than her? Slowly, Arcee started to look up, prepared for the worst. She was surprised to see Jack staring into her eyes with love and care inside them.
"Jack, uh..." Arcee stammered, not really sure how to begin.
"Hey babe, don't worry. As soon as I knew what Sierra was doing, I turned to look at something much more better looking." He answered with a warm smile that completely melted her.
"Nice one Smooth Operator" she said, giving him a kiss and then lying against his shoulder, watching the football players run onto the field. "I can't wait for our date tomorrow."
Jack leaned his head against hers. "Me neither Cee."
...
Friday
Today was the day that they would finally go on their first date and both of them were excited for it. School had been a drag and had felt longer than usual, although Wheeljack and Bulkhead sure didn't find it boring. Everywhere they went, they were congratulated for the game last night and they loved the fame. Wheeljack had ended with another two touchdowns that made a grand total of five in one game while Bulkhead tallied almost ten sacks. They played great and had won an easy game.
Although they had gotten a lot of praise, no one was prouder than Jack. After the game, he had went over to them and gave them fist bumps, telling them how Miko had recorded all of their plays so they could review them for any flaws. They had agreed that on Saturday, they would watch over the tape while Jack gave them some tips and new techniques. The two wreckers were happy to learn something new since they've been doing one thing for the past couple centuries; fighting a war for their survival.
School had ended about four hours ago and Jack and Arcee were back home, getting ready for a nice night out together. Jack had told the others that they were going out today in which they gladly let him use the car for, although Miko did sneak in some jokes that got Arcee chasing her around the base. The group had organized another way of getting home and let the couple off on their way.
Now Jack was standing around downstairs, playing with his keys as he waited for Arcee to get dressed. He had told her that she didn't have to get all fancy for their first date but she insisted that she try on something Jack hasn't seen her in yet. He had to admit, he was curious to see what she would wear. He knew that he would love her no matter what she wore but still found it funny how Arcee never wore clothes in her life until a week ago and now she was getting dressed for a date.
She's going to look great. Jack said to himself.
She probably will. She's a pretty good looking girl. Came Agent 000's voice in which Jack rolled his eyes.
For the past few days, Agent 000's been chilling inside his head, sometimes giving advice on the situation and other times commenting on what was happening. Jack had to constantly remind himself that the killer could take over any minute but couldn't help but feel a change in his personality. The agent still wanted to kill, which was something that he mentioned every day, but he's been... more civil lately. Maybe Jack feeding him good memories were starting to have an effect or maybe he's just realized his mistake. Either way, Jack was starting to like the other mind inside his head since he would always have someone to talk to, even when he was alone.
Tonight however, Jack didn't want ant disruptions and only wanted it to be him and his beautiful girlfriend. He started to set up the mind barrier, much to Agent 000's dismay.
Come on kid don't be like that. Look if you want peace and quiet I just won't talk at all. The agent said, trying to stop him from blocking him out.
Sorry but tonight is supposed to be me and Arcee only. Not me, Arcee and you. It's only for a couple hours then you'll be good. Jack answered.
No wait! You're using effort to create this mind barrier and I got to use effort to break it later. It's a lose-lose kid. Agent 000 argued.
Jack chuckled. Sorry but it's happening anyways. Just chill inside like you normally do. If you want, I'll think of a nice place like the Bahamas or a nice tropical island.
Damn it kid, just wait until tonight. We're fighting to the death. Agent 000 said, just able to finish his last sentence as Jack's mind barrier finished and pushed him back.
Jack chuckled again; he knew that he was probably going to get his sub-conscious ass kicked but if it meant that he would have a nice romantic night out with Arcee, he was all for it.
"Ok Jack, I'm ready" Arcee said down the stairs.
"Finally, I think I was dying of old age over here." He said, making her laugh.
"I'm coming down" she said.
Jack walked over to the stairs to watch her come down but as soon as he saw her, his mouth dropped open. Arcee was wearing black stockings that really showed off her amazing legs, but that wasn't the best part. A nice dark blue dress that slightly exposed her back went down to her thighs. A matching strap was thrown across her waist and her hair was put to the side.
Arcee stopped walking down and smirked when she saw her boyfriend's face. She decided to have some fun with this and put her hand on her hips while cocking it to the side. She stayed in that position for a bit before coming down the rest of the steps, swinging her hips that mesmerized him. When she reached the bottom of the steps, she started to walk towards him slowly, crossing her legs as she walked to make her hips pop out even more. She stopped in front of him, closing his mouth to snap him back and end the show.
"What do you think babe?" Arcee asked with a little seduction in her voice.
"You're... I... wow."" Was a Jack could say.
Arcee giggled and leaned in for a kiss that Jack gladly gave her.
"Let's get going then Jack, don't want to keep a girl waiting." She said, breaking off the kiss and walking towards the door while swinging her hips again. Jack got a nice look at her back and instantly became mesmerized by her figure. Arcee rolled her eyes, putting on her boots and walking out the door.
...
"So where are we going?" Arcee asked.
They were in the car, driving into town for dinner.
"It's a surprise Cee, i think you might like it." Jack answered, taking a right and parking in a nearby parking lot.
The couple got out and walked along the sidewalk until they reached a nicely lit restaurant.
"Is this the place?" Arcee asked, checking out the structure. Whoever designed the building sure knew their stuff.
"Yup. You remember when we were in the food court that day and you pointed out that Italian restaurant? Well I found a better one and made reservations for us." Jack smiled, leading her inside.
They opened the front door where they were greeted by one of the waiters.
"Hello there, do you have a reservation?" He asked in an Italian accent.
"We do" Jack answered.
"Mr. Darby? It's very nice to meet you. Why don't I show you to your table?"
The waiter led them to a table for two, lit up with a dim light. There was a bouquet of flowers on the table along with two menus. Jack walked over to a seat, pulling it out for Arcee who smiled at him before going to his own. They sat across from each other, smiling happily as the waiter introduced himself.
"Welcome to La Cucina Italiano. My name is Roberto and I will be your waiter for tonight." The waiter introduced.
"Hello Roberto, nice to meet you to. I'm Jack Darby and that is the beautiful Mrs. Sadie Prime." Jack said, making Arcee blush.
Roberto looked at Arcee and nodded. "She is very beautiful my friend. You are a very lucky one."
"I think I'm the real lucky one" Arcee said, smiling warmly.
Roberto chuckled. "Young love. Now what can I get you two?"
Jack looked over the menu. "Hmm I'm not sure Roberto. I tell you what, why don't you surprise us with something."
The waiter smiled happily. "It would be my pleasure Mr. Darby. I remember coming here with my date years ago, I know what to get you."
Roberto gave him a wink and left to go make the order.
"Wow Jack, you really know how to flatter a girl" Arcee said, looking her boyfriend in the eye.
Jack chuckled. "Well, only if it's my special girl."
They smiled at each other and jack reached over to hold her hand.
"Amazing atmosphere they have here. Very romantic" Arcee said, looking around the room.
"Just wait until you see what we're doing later tonight."
...
A couple minutes later, Roberto returned with two plates full of delicious pasta with different cheese and spices on top. The couple had thanked him and dug in, surprised at how amazing it tasted.
"Wow" Arcee said after she swallowed her first bite.
"This is incredible Roberto. Please, tell the chef I give him my thanks." Jack said.
"Will do Mr. Darby. If you have any other requests, please do not be afraid to call me over." Roberto said, leaving to treat another couple who had just arrived.
Arcee and Jack ate and talked, happy that they were finally able to be together out in public. After about half an hour, they finished off the remaining food on their plates and were ready to leave. Jack signaled Roberto for the bill and started to take out his wallet.
"Hey Jack, don't worry about it. I got it" Arcee said, pulling out her credit card.
"No, it's tradition that the guy pays for dinner. It's fine Sadie, I've got plenty of cash left."
Roberto returned with the bill and Jack gave him the money along with a nice tip.
"And how did you find the food?" the waiter asked.
"Delicious. Thank you Roberto." Jack answered, shaking the man's hand.
"Anytime Mr. Darby. Come again whenever you'd like and have a great night." Roberto said, starting to clean up the table.
"You too Roberto" Jack said, leading Arcee out of the restaurant.
...
"What's next babe?" Arcee asked as they walked to the car.
"Well, I was thinking a movie, and then I have a special surprise for you." Jack answered, holding her hand in his.
The couple drove to the movies where they picked out a romantic comedy and bought the tickets.
"You want some popcorn?" Jack asked, pointing to the food.
"Hmm I tell you what, surprise me" Arcee responded, quoting what Jack had said to Roberto earlier that evening. "I got to use the washroom for a sec."
Arcee walked towards the woman's bathroom, thinking to herself the entire time.
What and amazing date this has been so far. And it's not even over! She said to herself. She couldn't wait to see what Jack had in store for her afterwards and she was dying to know.
When she came out of the washroom, she saw Jack walking towards her with two pops and a large popcorn.
"Where's the other bag of popcorn?" Arcee joked, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek.
Jack laughed and gave her the drink as they headed for the movie.
...
Jack and Arcee walked out of the movie, laughing at the ending and the characters.
"You humans sure do have a good sense of humor" Arcee said.
"It's what we do best" Jack answered, kissing her on the head.
They started for the parking lot but ran into a couple familiar faces.
"Hey Sadie, hey Jack, what are you doing here?" Lauren asked with Emma and Katie behind her.
"What do you think they're doing? They're on a date!" Emma said, excited for the two.
"Aww that's so cute" Katie pointed out. "So how's it going so far?"
"Pretty good, Jack here knows how to set up a date. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant down town and we just watched a great movie. Apparently he has a surprise for me so we're about to head there now." Arcee said. She was a little skeptical about the three girls since they did hang out with Sierra, but they have been a lot friendlier to her and she couldn't help but like them.
"Wow that's awesome. I wish I had a boyfriend like you Jack" Lauren said.
"Yeah, Sadie where did you find a guy like him?" Emma asked, their comments making him blush slightly.
"Oh you know, we just met one day and everything went from there. Although, I didn't like him when we first met, he started to grow on me. Now I'm happiest that I've ever been because we're finally together." Arcee said. Jack gave her a warm smile that she returned with a quick kiss.
"Awwww. You two are perfect for each other." Katie said.
"Well, we better let them go girls. They have places to be" Emma said.
The couple said 'bye' to the girls and entered the parking lot.
"Are you really the happiest you've ever been?" Jack asked.
"Of course I am. I love you Jack, you've been there whenever I'm down and when I needed you the most. Even when I tried to push you away, you never gave up and you always stuck to my side. I've never cared about anyone more than I care about you." Arcee answered. Jack wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her closer.
"Are you ready for your surprise?" He asked.
"You bet I am."
...
Jack and Arcee lay on the soft grass, looking up at the stars. Earlier, Arcee was pestering him about what her surprise was and now that he showed her, she loved him even more.
They were on top of the hill, their hill, star gazing together. The little lights were scattered across the dark sky and the full moon shone on the happy couple.
"This is amazing Jack" Arcee said, looking up at the stars staring back at her.
"I knew you would like your surprise." He said, squeezing her hand.
They gazed up at the night sky and not a single noise could be heard. The stars seemed to be dancing, maybe dancing for them, and the clouds moved in the same rhythm.
Arcee turned and lay on her side, looking at Jack who was still gazing into the night.
"Jack" she said, getting his attention. "Thank you."
Jack smiled. "Arcee don't thank me, you're worth everything in this world. I would do anything to make you happy because that's all I've wanted you to be."
Arcee was touched by his words, as a small tear started to roll down her face. "I am happy Jack. I'm so happy. I love you, and I'll love you forever. You're my life, you're my world. I have nothing without you and everything when you're with me."
Arcee moved closer and Jack wrapped her into a tight hug, pulling her on top of him. She lay against his chest as tears of joy flowed from her eyes. Jack every so gently stroked her cheek, allowing her to release her emotions as he comforted her with his words.
"Shhh, I'm here. You're so beautiful Arcee, human or Cybertronian. I will never leave your side because you're my life too Arcee." Jack said softly.
"Promise me Jack, promise me you'll never leave me." Arcee whimpered.
"I promise. Arcee, I promise I will never leave you."
Arcee's tears slowly started to go away and she raised her head, locking eyes with her boyfriend. Whenever she looked into him, she saw darkness. Darkness that she couldn't help and darkness that he wouldn't share. She was worried that one day, that darkness would come back and he would leave her. That he would forget about her. She stared deeply inside his eyes and didn't see the darkness this time. She saw love, compassion, the future. A future where they were together forever, never leaving each other's side.
"I love you Jack" she said quietly before she pressed her lips against his. They kissed passionately, savoring the moment they had between them. Their eyes closed and didn't open, only letting their lips do the talking for them.
They held their kiss, breaking only to take a breath before starting again. Jack was kissing like he's never kissed before. There was love when his lips touched hers and she could feel the warmth on contact. There was swagger when he sucked her bottom lip gently, breaking away and making her desperate for more. He's never kissed like this before and it seemed like only tonight he decided to show how much he loved her.
Jack's swagger got Arcee more and more into it. Whenever he pulled away, she would jump forward. Eventually, she slipped her tongue forward, tapping his lips and begging for entrance. Jack gladly gave her the pass and their tongues touched. Arcee moaned into the kiss as their tongues danced with each other. She could taste him and loved it, loved the feeling of their tongues moving with each other. She couldn't get enough and when they broke for a breath, they quickly got right back to it.
Arcee was amazed at how passionate Jack was kissing her. She was already moaning from the feeling of their tongues and her sounds seemed to push him further even more. Jack started to stroke the bottom of her tongue with his that sent a wave of pleasure through her body. She moaned even louder, letting Jack give her the full experience. He started to run his hand up and down her back sending shiver down her spine. She loved it and let him continue. Arcee was feeling extremely warm inside and felt that she needed to be closer with him. They were already pressing bodies against each other but she wanted more. She kissed him harder and with more love while moving his hand down to her leg. Without arguing, he started to stroke her thigh, his touch making her squirm but in a good way.
Arcee felt that Jack was still holding back and knowing that he didn't want to ruin their relationship by jumping ahead to much, she didn't question it. Although, Jack has shown her how much he loved her and she was going to do the same. She broke the kiss, breathing heavily to catch her breath. Her tongue was dangling, wanting to get back inside but she held the urge off. She lowered her head and started to kiss his neck, nibbling and sucking on the sensitive parts. This time Jack let out a moan which practically turned her on. She was giving him what he deserved and that was an amazing night out with his girlfriend. Jack was still caressing her body, running his hands up and down her back and thigh. She moaned as well, moving around his neck.
Suddenly, Jack moved his hand that was stroking her back down to her ass and gave it a squeeze. Her eyes hot open she lifted her head.
"Jack I thought-"
She didn't get to finish her sentence because Jack gave another squeeze which made her immediately go back to his mouth. Their tongues clashed once again, knowing the dance all too well now. Jack felt her up and down, rubbing her stockings as he moaned into the kiss. Arcee moaned back, never wanting the feeling to end.
They continued their session for a while, enjoying each other's touch and feeling. No words were spoken, only feelings and emotions were exchanged. When they finally broke off, they were panting, slightly sweating from their actions. Arcee lay her head back down on Jack's chest, listening to his heart beat. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close and never letting go, just like he said he wouldn't. Arcee looked back up, staring into his eyes. He could read her emotions that seemed to be saying 'thank you' while his eyes were saying 'you're worth it'. The former two-wheeler smiled and sighed before resting her head back down against his chest. He gently stroked her head, cradling her as she slowly started to fall asleep.
Jack could hear and feel her happy breaths, signalling that she had gone to sleep. He didn't want to awake her and let her stay like that, cuddling up against him. There was a slight wind that passed by and he didn't want her to get cold so he wrapped his arms around her and pressed her even closer, if that were possible. Jack felt slightly guilty, they just had one of their best make-out sessions in their entire life yet Jack still hasn't told her the truth. That he loved her but was still not ready to go forward. The reason he had put so much love into his kisses was because Arcee has always been telling him how much she loved him but he's never done the same. He thought that showing would make up for it, but really it only made his guilt feel worse.
It was a sub-conscious thing really. If he told anyone about it, they would probably find it stupid. Telling a girl he loved that he loved her shouldn't be a big deal but to him it was. He was a bomb, a ticking bomb of darkness. He could feel it inside of him and it wasn't just because of Agent 000. He knew that what MECH had put into him had completely changed him. If he ever confessed his love to Arcee, he knew that his sub-conscious self would move forward, taking their relationship to the next level. Jack knew that he wanted that, and he wanted it so very badly. But he also knew that once they reached that stage, there was no turning back and once the darkness would come out, he might lose her forever. He couldn't risk it, knowing that if the darkness came out now, it would have a lesser consequence. He still fought against it, fought against his own will between love and darkness. It was a tough fight and sometimes he felt like he would lose it and lose everything he cared about.
That was something he was not prepared for.
Jack listened to the sleeping Arcee, still cuddled against his chest and protected inside of his arms. He let out a sigh, not a sigh of happiness or joy. A sigh of sorrow, a sigh saying 'I'm sorry'.
He couldn't give her the joy of a relationship.
He couldn't give her the happiness she wanted.
He couldn't give her his love.
...
Author's Note: Woah, really got me in the feels. :P Well I tried to make a really moody kind of atmosphere near the end by going deep with emotions but I don't know if what I spewed out was gold or garbage. Feel like I kind of bs'd my way through it but whatever, I tried. Hey, my intentions were good but you know, not everything comes out the way you want it.
I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. I'm just rambling at this point. Hope you enjoy and leave a review.
