AN: I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas or whatever other holiday you might celebrate and a Happy New Year! Mindless fun but crazy and I'm looking forward to starting over. Thank you for everyone's well wishes on my birthday they were very much appreciated! I apologize for the tardiness. This chapter gave me more problems than I'm willing to admit, heck it's still giving me problems I don't really like it. I've hit a bout of writers block and I really need your help. I need you guys to let me know what Decepticons you would like to see. I'm looking mostly for car forms but seekers are welcome as well. So shoot me a line and let me know if there's anyone you would like to see. Also following the new year, I caught the nasty cold going around and well…here we are now.

Enjoy!

PS. The link to Andi's dress in this chapter can be found on my profile page. I like to have a little reference when working. ^^

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Andi and Axle.

Chapter 7: Torture Devices and Unwelcome Surprises

Andi knew going into this bridesmaid gig that she would have to wear a dress. That didn't mean that she had to enjoy it. As she worked on pulling the zipper up her back she tried to remember when the last time was that she wore a dress. She was pretty sure she had been five and that it had been a pink monstrosity that she ended up rolling around in mud in, destroying it completely. Her father thought it was amusing. Her mother did not. Needless to say she was never forced to wear another dress again.

Andi lived in jeans and T-shirts and she liked it that way. Comfort was her priority and dresses did not spell comfort to her. Not to mention the torture devices she moved to pull on her feet. The silver three-inch heels were definitely not designed for comfort. She had a feeling that her cousin had chosen them specifically for that fact; if she was going to be uncomfortable so to were her bridesmaids.

Finished putting her shoes on Andi moved towards her mirror. She checked her reflection to ensure that her carefully coiffed hair had not been damaged in the struggle to dress herself. Normally the bridesmaids would join the bride in preparing for the wedding. An impromptu phone call she received in the early morning had insured Andi could not join the party in the pre-wedding rituals. She had met the girls early at the salon for hair and makeup and then headed home to put on her dress and heels. Having reassured her cousin that she would not be late for the wedding, she now found herself rushing to ensure that she could keep that promise.

Glen had called her frantically that morning demanding that she give him a USB full of programs he needed for his newest assignment. Of course she had told him no, claiming that she had way too much to do that day. Then Glen, being the big ass baby that he was, had handed the phone off to Will who had pulled rank and demanded that she stopped by the base before the wedding. Apparently Glen had been ordered to do maintenance on Control' s computers while she was away; something she took slight offense at. That was her job and while she knew she'd been busy lately she was getting to it. And she told Will as much. He mollified her by explaining that one of the computers had started freezing this morning and were needed by that afternoon. So reluctantly she agreed and here she was rushing to leave the house, get to the base and then the wedding in time.

She inspected her hair, dress and makeup. Carefully adjusting a strand of hair here, a loose eyelash there, and fixing that one wrinkle left in the skirt of her dress. She took a step back then looked at her reflection. And though she was loath to admit it, she didn't hate the overall look. Her short hair had been curled slightly and pinned back with two gorgeous silver combs that her mother had given her for the occasion. The dress was a dark blue A-line tea length with a square neckline and thick straps. She had to admit the heels made her legs look pretty fantastic. It was a pain in the ass but in the end seemed to be worth all the trouble. A brief thought flashed through her mind. I wonder if Axle will like it? She blushed then. Stop it! She scolded. She would find out soon enough.

She glanced at her clock then cursed in frustration. She was going to be late if she didn't leave right now. She grabbed the USB from her desk and dashed downstairs to the garage where Axle was waiting patiently. Her parents had left some time ago, so she was not afraid to address him openly.

"So, what do you think?" She did a small twirl in order to give Axle the full effect.

"Gorgeous." It was said with such sincerity that Andi felt her face heat with yet another hot blush.

She ducked her head in embarrassment. "You're just saying that."

"I've always thought you were beautiful Andi."

She shook her head in denial. "Mikaela's beautiful. I'm pretty plain."

"Not to me." It was the nicest compliment anyone had ever given her. And it was the sweetest thing he had ever said her.

"Thanks," she mumbled. She brushed a stray hair out of her face trying to hide the fact that it was completely red. "Anyway, we should get going. We need to stop by the base before we go to the wedding. Don't want to be late." She walked towards the driver side door as Axle opened it for her. Sitting down carefully she adjusted her dress and strapped herself in before Axle took off down the driveway.

Andi was dreading stepping foot outside of Axle and was seriously considering simply opening the window and tossing the USB out to Glen as she and Axle performed a drive-by. She was not looking forward to the jokes she was sure was heading her way. But duty called and Andi knew that they needed to get going otherwise she would surely be late for the wedding itself.

"It'll be fine Andi nobody's going to say anything," Axle reassured as she took a deep breath in preparation.

"That's what you think," she grumbled as she fiddled with her skirt. "I can hear Sam snickering from here."

"Andrea," Axle huffed. He sounded exasperated and Andi knew that if he were in his bipedal form his optics would be rolling at her. "The longer you wait the later we're going to be. You look great, no one is going to say a thing." But still she refused to move. "Alright. You leave me no choice." With that, in a matter of seconds his seatbelt unlatched around her shoulders, his door opened, and he tilted forcing Andi to step out or else fall out.

Stumbling slightly she turned to him and glared hands planted on her hips. "Axle! That was uncalled for."

Axle transformed into his bipedal mode and shrugged at her. "We were going to be late. Now let's hand off that program and get going. Your cousin awaits."

Andi huffed again but nodded and turned to walk into Control. Just her luck it seemed that the entire base was on duty that day and that Sam and Mikaela had decided to join them as well. The young man saw her first and turned to greet her with a wave only to stumble over his greeting when he took in her appearance.

"Hey Andi! You… whoa!"

She glared at him and pointed finger as she scolded, "Not a word Samuel Archibold Witwicky."

Sam held up his hands as if warding off an attack. "Hey! I was just going to say that you looked good. I've never seen you in a dress before."

"And you never will again. I promise."

"Andi, you look fantastic." Mikeala walked towards her and examined the dress a little closer.

Will nodded as well. "You look good, kid."

"That's what I said," Axle said exasperatedly. "She won't listen."

Andi huffed at the two and then looked to Glen and tossed the USB towards him. She scowled and pointed at him next. "Everything you need should be on there. Don't you dare take any shortcuts. I will be double checking everything when I get back."

"Hey, girl, this isn't my first rodeo. I got this." Andi nodded and turned back to the others.

"Now, if that's all I've got a wedding to get to. Come on Axle, let's go." With that she waved over her shoulder, entered the now transformed Axle and the two drove off.

Andi flinched as her dance partner once again stepped on her toes. This particular groomsman was beyond uncoordinated. That and the ample amount of alcohol he had consumed was not helping. She sighed in relief as the song came to an end and gracefully bowed out of an invitation to continue dancing.

The reception party was in full swing and had been for the last three hours. Dinner had been eaten and dessert had just been finished. Now the live band was engaged to play for another few hours. The sun had set some time ago and the outdoor reception was surrounded by a lit lanterns and fairy lights. Andi had to admit the space was lovely. The ceremony and reception was being held at a country club that her cousin and her new husband frequented often. The club was rather exclusive and at least an hour away from town. It was on private property and surrounded by dense trees, adding to the feel of desertion.

Andi winced once again as she felt her toe began to cramp. These damn shoes were crippling her. She bent over it and released the ties holding them. She sighed in relief as her bare feet met the ground. She was beyond tired and ready to go home.

Glancing around she took a moment to judge whether or not her presence would be missed. She immediately came to the conclusion that it would not. Everyone was on the dance floor and one less body would not be missed. Shoes in hand she made the executive decision and carefully crept away. The only people who would have missed her were her parents, and they had left a little over an hour before for their trip. As she quietly crept away she gasped when she very nearly turned a corner and ran into her two aunts. She dodged behind a nearby bush before they could see her. Deciding to avoid any further possible interceptions she took off across the lawn towards the parking lot where Axle was waiting.

She let the night air soothe her sore and tired body as she crossed over the fairway of hole six. Her shoes swinging from one hand and her bare toes grasping the grass below her she finally smiled genuinely for the first time that evening. This was better. She came across the parking lot soon enough and made her way to where Axle was parked at the far end, as far away from the other cars as possible. She could still hear the music in the distance, slightly muffled but still discernible.

She smiled widely as she greeted him. "Hey, Axle!"

"I wasn't expecting you back so early. I can still hear the music shouldn't you be there?" He greeted.

She grinned guiltily, "Nah. They're busy having a good time, they won't even know I'm gone."

"Did you not have a good time?" He asked curiously.

She chuckled slightly. "It's hard to have a very good time when your dance partner is always stepping on your toes. Let's just say I left for my own safety." She made her way over to Axle then and carefully climbed up onto his hood. Making herself comfortable she looked up at the sky. The stars were insanely bright this far away from the city. "I have to give my cousin props though. This place is beautiful."

"It is aesthetically pleasing is it not?"

Andi murmured in agreement. "You know, Axe, all this wedding shenanigans got me to thinking. Do Cybertronians get married?"

Axle seemed to ponder the question for a moment. "Yes, of a sort. We do not call it marriage. It is much more."

"More? How so?"

"We call it Sparkmates. When two of our people decide that they wish to be bond together, they perform a union of their sparks. It's an eternal bond. Unbreakable. When the sparks are bound there's a connection created. Sparkmates are known to be able to sense each other when they are near. They share feelings and thoughts."

"Wow. That sounds…intense. Does it happen often?"

"Not very. Bots are known to get into relationships, but Sparkmates happen much less frequently. It doesn't help that there are so few femmes in comparison to males."

Andi nodded in agreement. "I had noticed a suspicious lack of female bots in my dreams." She paused for a moment unsure she should ask the next question. "Do any of the team have a Sparkmate?" Did you? She silently wondered.

"Optimus does. So does Ironhide. They are the only two that I know of."

"Really? What happened to them? Where are they?"

"The last anyone heard from Elita-1 and Chromia they and a group of other femmes were still fighting on Cybertron. No one knows where they are now." He grew quiet.

Andi rubbed his hood comfortingly. "I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry."

He rumbled under her touch. "You have nothing to apologize for. We retain hope that all of our lost comrades are alive and well and will one day find their way to our new home."

The two sat in comfortable silence for several minutes before Andi sat up and stretched. She yawned once before she began replacing her shoes. "Well, speaking of home, what do you say we head there ourselves?" Axle's engine roared to life in response and his driver side door opened for her. Andi grinned and entered him as carefully as she could, cursing her thrice damned dresses she did so. "Wish I had remembered to pack a change of clothes," she grumbled.

Axle merely laughed at her quietly as he proceeded to pull out and begin the hour-long drive home.

Much of the trip was made in comfortable silence between the two, interspersed occasionally by quiet conversation. The radio was playing softly in the background. They were a little less than 30 minutes outside of town now, and Andi was very nearly falling asleep. Which was why when Axle accelerated quickly without warning, his tires squealing slightly that she gasped and jolted in her seat.

"What the hell? Axle what's wrong?"

The radio shut off suddenly and Axle took a sudden turn to the left as he accelerated some more. He cursed quietly before tightening the seat belt around her. "Slag it! Where did they come from? Hold on Andrea!"

"Where did who come from?" She shouted back.

"Decepticons." He growled in response.

And as Andi glanced in his rearview mirror her insides clenched in fear because following them were three very fast, very menacing looking vehicles. Decepticons indeed.

AN: Dun Dun Dun. Finally. And so the fun parts begin. I have to say that this was a pain in the ass get out. I had severe writer's block over break followed promptly by a bad cold. So now I need your help. Place your votes and let me know which Decepticons you would like to see in this fic. I'm looking for two more landform cons besides Barricade, or Frenzy. Or Starscream. Let me know. All recommendations are welcome and will be taken into consideration. Thanks! ^^