Here's the second one. Weak ending, but it's one of my favorites because it really hits home. Wonder how many of y'all feel like Moonstrike does all the time in this fic?
Chapter 2-Purchasing a bride
In many cultures, a man will purchase his bride from the bride's father. A father would normally announce that his daughter was eligible for marriage at a large party, while many other girls could be announced at once. A man took careful time studying a girl before he bought her. After all, he was about to spend his whole life-savings on her, so why shouldn't he be careful? For royalty, a large series of parties were usually thrown for the royal male so that he could interact with the eligible females before seeking a bride. In truth, a royal male rarely bought a bride, though, as his parents usually arranged his marriage. If a man couldn't afford to buy the woman of his desires, he could work without wage for her father to pay for her, or he could barter some of his goods for her.
~*Moonstrike & Optimus Prime*~
I sighed as I looked at my reflection. I didn't want to go, but I knew there was no way my parents were going to allow me to stay home. Where was I going? Oh, I guess I never told you. I'm going to the future Prime's coronation ball. It was the biggest event of the vorn and likely many vorns to come. Femmes and friends of the current and future Prime were invited to the ball, and it was quite the extravagant event. Femmes used their best polish and embedded their finest jewels into their armor, hoping to catch the future Prime's optic. After all, it was during this ball that the future prime would be expected to find a mate. All femmes spent as much time as they could practicing, primping, and preparing for this ball. It wasn't uncommon to see a femme on the street with a datapad written solely for the purpose of informing eligible femmes of the future Prime's likes and dislikes. They did have to make intelligent conversation with him. After all, the Prime's mate had to be intelligent, witty, personable, strong, and… beautiful.
Which was why I had no desire to go.
'Ugly,' I thought dismally as I studied my reflection. A medical mistake had left me with the instincts of a cybercat, and my body had been reformatted to meet the high standards of a cybercat's senses. That meant strange, cat-like audio amplifiers, sharp claws, a visor to hide overly-sensitive optics, double-jointed legs, and a long tail that became spiked whenever I felt threatened. On top of that, I now had helicopter blades hanging from my back.
My frame, however, was one of a Wrecker. Wreckers never scrimped on the details of a femme's frame, mainly because they wanted every other normal femme to be jealous of Wrecker femmes. A sort of "look what we have that you can't because you weren't lucky enough to be sparked a Wrecker." What can I say? Wreckers were known for being arrogant jerks. That didn't change the fact that Soundwave, the mech that had helped with my upgrade, hadn't really worried about appearances when he was making my upgrades. Don't get me wrong. There was nothing wrong with me. I was still pretty, just… different.
'Weird,' I thought to myself as I polished my arm. Since I had gotten the upgrades, I had been tormented by my peers, insulted and teased for my new appearances. Cat-Femme is what they called me. Big-Audios, Blind-Optics, Heli-Cat. The names were endless. All my features were, in some way, made fun of.
Which was why I really didn't want to attend. Wasn't it enough that I got made fun of all the time? Did I really have to be made fun of in front of the Prime and his successor? Why had they invited Arcee and Springer personally? Why had Arcee – my own femme creator! – stated that she had a femme creation that would simply love to attend the ball? And why had she guilt-tripped me into it? Slag, why had I allowed her to guilt-trip me into going?
'Freak,' I reflected grimly. So many times I had wished myself dead, only I had not the courage to actually take my own life. I couldn't do that to my creators anyways. I was sure they meant well.
"Moonstrike, sparklet, are you nearly finished?" Arcee called out, knocking on the door to my room. I sighed heavily.
"Yes, Danniluk. I'm ready," I stated at I turned to where my femme creator was entering my room.
"You look lovely, sweetspark!" Arcee exclaimed with a proud smile. I looked back at my reflection in the body-length mirror and repressed a sigh. 'Ugly. Weird. Freak.'
"Yeah, Danni. Real great," I mumbled. Arcee frowned at her creation.
"Moonstrike, you are beautiful," Arcee asserted. I shrugged and nodded, not wanting to start the conversation again. Arcee had no patience for my self-esteem issues. I was certain that it was because (1) Arcee never had any self-esteem issues, and (2) no Wrecker should be concerned about their looks when they were obviously superior to other bots. I didn't care, though. I was still ugly, a freak, whether I was a Wrecker, a Seeker, or the frickin' future Prime.
"Sure, Danni. Can we go now?" I begged. The sooner we got to the stupid ball, the sooner we could leave. After all, it's not like I would be in the open for long. The second we got there, I was planning to use some of those cybercat instincts to fade into the shadows. Arcee sighed, but nodded.
"Let's go," she replied heavily, turning to leave. I frowned as my optics turned downcast. I caused my femme creator so much pain. She was, no doubt, wanting grandcreations, and I… I wouldn't be able to give her those. Not when I was so ugly that all mechs avoided me. My audio amplifiers drooped on my helm, gently pressing against the top of my helm as a physical show of my inner turmoil.
"Springer, we're ready," Arcee called as we moved into the greeting room. I forced my ears to perk up and glued a smile on my face.
"My, my. You two look beautiful," Springer complimented as he moved toward us. His optics locked with mine, and a smile lit his face. "And my little femme isn't so little anymore!"
"Not anymore, Opiluk," I replied with a forcefully chipper tone. Springer's smile twitched downward minutely before he gestured to the front hall.
"Let's go, then. Prime won't wait forever," he stated. I let my smile fall as they moved ahead of me. I could do this. Arrive, disappear, and avoid my enemies. I could do that.
I can honestly say that my mind was blank on the flight to the palace. Well, flight for my opiluk and I. My mother had a terrain alt mode, so she drove. I tried with all my might to keep thoughts from appearing in my processor, because I knew that the second I started thinking, my thoughts would go south. I didn't want to deal with my creators' disappointment at the end of this ball. And they would be disappointed. No mech wanted to pay my mech creator for me. And that was how our culture worked.
A mech would search for a femme that he believed would make a good mate. Somebot that would be good with sparklings, that would be a good housekeeper, and would be able to get along with said mech. Then, that mech would go to the femme's mech creator and offer a large sum of credits for her hand in marriage. It was a rather serious affair. A mech would be careful in choosing, especially since, in most cases, the mech ended up spending his whole life-savings for a specific femme. So, a mech made sure that she was kind, loving, and… beautiful.
The Iaconian Palace wasn't very much on the outside. A large glass dome was the only thing that set it apart from the rest of Iacon's building designs. No, it was the inside that made it so different. The walls were painted a brilliant gold and a royal purple. The furniture was made finest metals. Paintings by the most famous artists filled the hallways. The most famous spot, though, was the balcony outside the ballroom. It was the only spot in Iacon where one could see the stars perfectly, as it was shielded from all the lights of the city, and it overlooked an small garden that was created by cloning a few of the crystals from the Helix Gardens. The thing that made it so popular, though, was the fact that there was no door to the balcony. Only the reigning Prime and sometimes his successor knew how to get to the balcony.
I studiously ignored the staring optics as I strode into the palace. Mechs stared open-mouthed at me, shocked by my audacity at showing up here, and femmes scowled at me, angered at the very thought of my meeting the Prime. They knew as well as I that he wouldn't choose me. Why would he? I was just a freak. A weird femme that nobot liked or wanted. I grimaced as I watched my creators break apart, off to greet their friends. Arcee moved in Chromia's direction while Springer moved over to talk with Ultra Magnus. I was stuck in the middle of the ballroom, in no way ignorant of the glances tossed my way. Without waiting, I started toward the wall to my left. It was the wall that cornered the balcony, and there were a lot of bots there. It would be easy to get lost in the crowd, which would make slinking into a shadowed spot easier. I grimaced at the small comments I picked up as I slipped through the crowd.
"What is she doing here?"
"I bet none of the femmes will let her near the future Prime."
"I hope the future Prime avoids her. She might bewitch him. She always acted like a witch."
"She's so weird. I bet Orion would never go for dumb cybercat audios like hers."
I forced myself to ignore the painful comments. I already knew that the future Prime would have no interest in me. Did they really have to rub it in? I was almost to my haven, my corner in the darkness, when she appeared in front of me. Elegantly painted in royal purple and sunburst gold, she was the picture of confidence. Red optics connected with my blue ones, and I felt my spark stutter at the femme's dark glare.
"Well, well, well. Look who dragged herself out of her hole," Thunderblast taunted. My audio amplifiers pressed downward at her words. "Why are you even here? Do you honestly think Orion will be interested in a little piece of scrap like you?"
"I believe that is for Orion Pax to decide, not you, little femme," a deep voice snapped. Thunderblast jumped, as did I, and we both turned to gaze up at Sentinel Prime, who had somehow managed to sneak up on us, despite his immense size. "You will not address my ward with such familiarity again, femme. You do not know him anymore than he knows you." Snorts and chuckles rose from the crowd around me. "And on another note, I do not believe my ward invited you to this ball. Guards, why don't you escort Thunderblast out."
I watched, amazed, as two Enforcers strode up and grabbed Thunderblast's arms. She kicked and shrieked angrily as she was dragged from the ballroom. Never before had I seen Thunderblast forcibly dragged from a room. On top of that, there had never been a party that Thunderblast hadn't been invited to. Why was it that the future Prime invited me, but not Thunderblast?
"You are Arcee and Springer's femme creation, correct?" Sentinel asked in a gentle voice. My optics moved back to his face as it clicked in my processor. Of course! I had been invited as a favor to my creators. My optics met his, and I immediately looked away. It was disrespectful to meet optics with the Prime unless you were on his social level. I was only a military-build, a Wrecker, and I had no business meeting his optics like that.
"Yes, sir, I am," I replied, my optics locked on the ground. I could hear no sound around me aside from the sound of the musical instruments playing a gentle song.
"I have heard a great deal about you," Sentinel Prime continued. "You are quite different from the other femmes here, aren't you?" I felt the tell-tale prick of tears behind my optics and quickly flicked my visor down to cover them. I didn't see Sentinel Prime's confused and slightly disappointed look.
"My apologies," I said shortly. "My optics can't take this bright light."
"I completely understand. I heard you had to make quite a few adjustments to your frame to catch up to your newly developed senses. I hear it's a rather fascinating story," Sentinel Prime stated. I frowned. Was he hinting about wanting to hear about my past? Why would he care? It's not like he was going to ever see me again. The future Prime would choose a mate to purchase, and I would go back to being the little nobody that hid in the shadows of the closest corner.
"It's nothing I couldn't handle," I said quietly, not really sure what answer the Prime was looking for.
"Ultra Magnus and Springer are always raving about you. I hear you are quite the intelligent femme," Sentinel tried again. I wondered why he was trying to get me to talk to him. I was nobot special. I looked up at him with a grim smile set to my faceplates.
"I do not doubt that my predecessors brag about my intelligence. After all, it is all that they can really brag about when it comes to me," I said plaintively. I ignored his shocked and confused look as I continued speaking. "I understand that you are interested in my upgrades. In honesty, every bot I come in contact is. I am different, and those who do not fear that which is different are instead fascinated with it. However, you interest in unfounded. I am just an ordinary femme with a weird frame. I apologize for causing a scene, despite it not being of my cause. I thank you for your time and your patience. I gather that your guests desire an audience with you. If you'll excuse me."
Without waiting, I fled. I moved easily through the large crowd, my visor pinpointing the movement of other bots before they made it. I didn't want the negative attention that I had been receiving from the bots around me as I spoke to the Prime. Bots had stared open-mouthed as I spoke to him. Was it that strange that the Prime would stand up for and speak to a femme like me? I slipped into the shadows and backed into the corner, seeking out the shadows of the long curtains that would hide the balcony during the day. I wasn't expecting to step on a foot. I heard a quiet, "Ow!" and jumped forward a bit, spinning around as I did.
"Sorry!" I exclaimed quietly. I had to keep from gasping when I caught sight of the mech. His was a bit taller than me and was covered in red and blue armor that was just a bit too big for his frame. His optics, which were locked on my audio amplifiers, were deep blue, and I felt I could get lost in them. My spark seemed to speed up in my chassis, and I realized my spark was calling to his. A spark match.
"It's… quite alright," he said dazedly. I scowled when his optics didn't lower past my cybercat audios.
"Hey, take a picture!" I snapped, irritated by his open staring. I already knew I was a freak. Didn't his creators ever tell him not to stare at bots who are different than you? "It lasts longer."
"I apologize," the bot said quickly, moving his optics to my face. He seemed to freeze again, staring strangely at my lip components. He probably caught sight of my fangs. They tended to elongate when I got frustrated. I flicked up my visor to give him a full glare. Maybe that would scare him off. I was shocked when I received the opposite effect. If anything, his optics grew wider, and his processor seemed to glitch.
"Umm… Cybertron to mech?" I asked slowly, a frown setting on my faceplates. Had my ugliness really thrown him off that much?
"I apologize," he repeated, then he scoffed at himself. "Normally I am more eloquent than this."
"I'm sure you are. Tell me, are you here for a reason, cuz I can go over to the other corner if you are trying to keep away from being the center of attention," I offered. The bot shook his helm.
"You do not need to leave on my behalf," he said quickly. "I doubt the bots around me will pay me anymore attention just because you are here." I gave him a pitying smile. He was either very nice or very obtuse.
"I don't think you wanna be around me if you are trying to avoid attention. I kinda draw stares," I said bluntly.
"No kidding," he said in awe, staring again. My audio amplifiers drooped against my helm again, and my shoulders sagged as my visor flicked down again. I took a step back and turned to leave his company. Was there anybot here that wasn't going to tear me down? "Wait! Don't go yet," he called after me. I ignored him as I waded into the crowd. He began to follow, but was intercepted by a group of twittering femmes.
'Idiots,' I thought bitterly to myself. I'd shoot myself if I ever became that infatuated with a mech.
"Ah! It appears my ward has finally made his appearance!" Sentinel Prime's jovial voice rose above the din. The crowd grew silent, and all optics turned to the blue and red mech I was running from. Horror flooded me as Sentinel pulled the mech into a side hug, proclaiming, "Allow me to announce the arrival of my ward and future Prime of Cybertron, Orion Pax!"
The crowd cheered as I felt a deluge of horror and disgrace wash over me. I had just slighted the future Prime of Cybertron. How could I do that to my creators! What would Opiluk say? What would Danniluk say? Now, my chances for a real match were over, especially once the future Prime called me out.
"Hey! Femme with the cybercat audios!" he called out, easily spotting me from the crowd. I winced, hating that I was, once again, the center of attention. My tail flicked anxiously as Orion Pax, future Prime of Cybertron, strode to my side, long legs eating up the space between us.
'Oh, Primus! Wha' do I do, wha' do I do, wha' do I do?' I thought frantically.
"I wish to speak with you privately. Sentinel Prime has already gone to fetch your creators. Why don't we head to the sitting room?" Orion Pax said with a smile. I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. His smile widened as he held out a hand. I hesitantly took it, and allowed him to lead me through the large crowd that parted down the middle for us.
"That's not fair! It's always the pretty ones that get the good mechs!"
"I bet she barely even had to polish her armor!"
"I thought for sure she wouldn't show up after Thunderblast's jealous taunts."
"I wish he wouldn't have chosen her. I had just worked up enough credits to ask her mech creator."
"Oh course, the future Prime would take interest in the femme we normal mechs don't have a chance at getting."
I was stunned. They must not be talking about me. They all knew that I was ugly, weird, a freak. No doubt, Orion Pax and Sentinel Prime were only doing this to humor my creators. Nobot would want to pay credits for me, especially not the future Prime.
The room Orion Pax led me into was extremely elegant. There was a single chair that sat opposite a couch, and a short table held an energon dispenser in between the pieces of furniture. There was no windows, and the room was painted a deep blue. Stars and moons were painted on the ceiling, giving it an surreal atmosphere. Orion must have noticed my amazement, because he spoke.
"It is beautiful, is it not?" he asked gently, his deep voice making my spark flutter.
"Quite. Our housing unit isn't very detailed at all," I replied evenly, still looking up.
"Then it is a good thing that you likely not be returning to it," Sentinel Prime stated as he entered the room, my danniluk and opiluk following behind him.
"I don't understand," I confessed, looking at the four bots around me. Orion Pax smiled as he led me to the single chair in the room and gestured for me to sit down. I hesitated before following his silent command. I was shocked and horrified when he knelt down before me. "No, my future leader, you should not be lower than I," I protested. I was surprised when he placed a single finger on my mouth in a sign to be silent. I complied.
"Moonstrike, seven vorns ago, I sent a few spies out into the Cybertronian schooling system in an attempt to get first-hand information on which femmes I would be likely to mate with. I asked for names, hobbies, personalities, and appearances. If I was to mate a femme, I wanted to get to know her as soon as possible.
"The information of prospective mates was overwhelming, and I was rather intimidated by the knowledge that I had to pick a perfect femme from all these different potential mates. Then, a spy that was my best friend came back with information of a different femme. A special and unique femme." I was unable to look away when he stared into my optics, even though I knew he couldn't see them through my visor.
"Jazz told me that she was kind, smart, and fun if you could get through her defenses, but he told me that those defenses were very high. He told me that she had been in an accident that caused her to have heightened senses and a unique frame upgrade, and though she was still extremely beautiful, she no longer thought she was. A femme by the name of Thunderblast was especially jealous of the femme's new, exotic looks and convinced all the other femmes to talk down to her. They didn't want her to know just how smitten the mechs around her were. So they tore her apart, taunting her, insulting her, and making fun of her in any way possible.
"It got to the point that the mechs joined in because they wanted to be part of the 'in crowd', so they joined in the teasing, even though most of them were still saving their credits to ask her mech creator for her spark. The femme was unaware of these mechs' affections, though, so she withdrew into herself, accepting that she was ugly and would never mate. Though she did not realize it, the mechs around her stopped teasing her when they realized that they were slowly killing her spirit with their words. Maybe if they offered for her spark, she would forgive them. They did not take into consideration that your mech creator might say 'no' to their mating offers.
"Springer had seen his femme's creation's beauty, and he had seen and heard the mechs and femmes tearing her down, so he bluntly refused every offer. He knew that they did not deserve her, and he would not give his creation over to a mech that had caused her so much pain. Eventually, mechs quit offering for her, convinced that Springer simply was not going to accept any offers for her spark." Orion Pax hummed lowly as he cupped my left cheek, wiping away a tear that I hadn't realized had fallen.
"When I heard about you, I had to see for myself, so I had Jazz sneak me out, and I forced the poor mech to help me blend in. We ended up painting my armor black and orange, and we went to your schooling unit. I must admit that I was shocked when I saw you. You were beautiful, but you were so sad. It seemed wrong for you to be sitting in the back corner as the other femmes giggled and gossiped. I hated knowing that I could not take you from that environment at that very moment, knowing that they would likely start tearing you down simply for being there. It was spark breaking, but I knew that you deserved to be proposed to in a more private setting, somewhere where those femmes' taunts could not get to you any longer.
"So I contacted your mech creator and gave him my offer, and I sent Jazz to join your schooling system to give you a friend. I must admit that your mech creator was quite stubborn about my offer. We spoke many times, as he did not believe that my offer was sincere. He worried that it was a kind of prank, and he was certain you would not be able to handle anything more. Jazz told me about your thoughts and that he worried about your contemplating suicide." Orion Pax trailed off with a shudder.
"I could not risk waiting any longer. You needed to know that the world had been lying to you all these vorns. So I finalized my offer to Springer and informed Sentinel of my plans to mate with you. After receiving his blessing, we arranged this soiree so that all the mechs could see what they had just lost due to their idiocy. And we finally reach the end of my explanation with a single question:
"Moonstrike, would you be willing to be my sparkmate?"
I stared at him in awe. What could I say? No? Yes? I wasn't sure. This was what I had wanted my whole life, but could I do this to him? Could I force him to be shackled to me until one of us died?
"You… want this? There is no turning back, Orion Pax, future Prime of Cybertron," I warned him. Orion Pax smiled gently at me.
"Just Orion, and yes, I want very much to bond with you. If you say 'yes', we can have the ceremony next solar cycle," Orion Pax replied. I stared at him for a few more kliks, trying to find the humor in his optics, waiting for him to break into a grin and say, "Ha! Just kidding!"
But he didn't. He simply sat there with a patience that I couldn't understand. Why was he being so patient with me? Why would he wait for… me? Of all the femmes, why me? As I gazed at him, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time: acceptance. He didn't mind my upgrades, even thought them pretty. A small smile rose to my lip components, and my visor flicked up so that he could see my optics.
"Yes, Orion Pax. I'll be your sparkmate," I stated with wet optics and a smile. Orion exhaled heavily and gave a relieved smile before pulling me into a tight embrace. He stood, pulling me to my feet as he did. He didn't release me as he turned to the three older Cybertronians.
"Wrecker Springer, Wrecker Arcee, creators and guardians of this femme. I respectfully lay claim on your femme creation's spark, that no other mech may try to take her for his own. Know that from this moment, she leaves your care and becomes my intended. With this vow, know that I will care for your creation as if we were already bonded," Orion said formally. Springer nodded with approval.
"I accept this claim. Know that with this vow, I give my femme creation over to your care. It is expected that you defend her, aid her, and love her as if you were already bonded." Springer's optics went hard. "And if you hurt her, understand that I got a whole Wrecker contingent under my command." Orion winced a little, but his face remained serious, as if he were in a meeting with the Senate. He released his hold on me to face my creators more fully. He grabbed my hand, though.
"Thank you, sir. I will get her settled in. Springer, Arcee," Orion continued, bowing formally to each in turn. When he turned to his mentor, he was pleased to see the pride shining in Sentinel's optics. "Sentinel Prime." This bow was much lower, and I dropped into a low curtsy on instinct.
"Rise, my two wards. I give you my blessing. Treat her well, Orion Pax," Sentinel said gently. Orion rose and grinned at his mentor.
"Yes, sir," he replied. "Come, Moonstrike. I'll show you where you're – Ow!" Orion cut off when Sentinel cuffed him upside the helm. Orion sent his mentor a mild glare. "You just had to do that in front of Moonstrike, didn—did you not?" Orion mumbled, correcting the next contraction when Sentinel raised his hand to cuff him again.
"I don't understand," I whispered, looking back and forth between Sentinel and my intended.
"Sentinel Prime hates contractions," Orion replied quietly.
"A Prime is the face of his planet. His words must reflect his wisdom and knowledge, and his expressions must be controlled. A sloppy Prime means a sloppy Cybertron. Contractions are sloppy. Orion knows this," Sentinel Prime stated. "Now, take your femme to her room."
"I was going to do that anyways," Orion mumbled as he pulled me to the door. I couldn't hold back the small giggle at the situation. Orion paused and gave me another dazed look before continuing forward. The door hissed open, and I allowed Orion to lead me into the hall.
"Orion, am I the first femme you've ever interacted with?" I asked with a grin. Orion's cheek plating turned a bright blue as he shook his helm, slowing so that we walked side-by-side.
"No. Sentinel tried to get me to bond with another femme by the name of Elita. She was a sweet femme, but my spark didn't call to hers. We broke it off with mutual feelings. This is the first time I have experienced a spark-call," Orion admitted. My grin softened.
"If it's any consolation, this is the first spark-call I have ever encountered as well," I claimed. Orion smiled at me.
"This is it," he announced, moving toward a closed door that looked exactly like every other closed door we had passed. He typed in a short code in the keypad beside the door, and the door hissed open to allow us entry.
"Oh, I can't stay here!" I exclaimed as I walked around the room. It was beautiful. The walls were painted gold, and the furniture was white with gold accents. A couch with a matching table that held a few historical datapads, along with an energon dispenser. I wondered if Jazz told Prime about my love of history. A window seat was situated on the far wall and gave a beautiful view of the city lights. The berth was created by a new metal that was softer than other metals, a creation founded by Sentinel Prime himself! I looked at Orion, who had been following me around the room. "I can't live in a place this beautiful. Orion, I'm not –"
"You are good enough, Moonstrike. If anything, you are better than this! So beautiful," he murmured as he cupped my face again. My optics dimmed as I leaned into the touch.
"How did I get so lucky?" I whispered. Orion pulled me into his arms again.
"I am lucky, my femme," Orion replied gently.
"And you're sure of this?" I asked again, wanting to give him the chance to back out. Orion pulled away and bent down a little so that we were optic-to-optic.
"We will be sparkmates, then we will have many sparklings. Laughter will return to this palace. Our life will be perfect, and nothing will change that."
"Promise?" I whispered. Orion smiled.
"Promise."
Two vorns later, Moonstrike would have her first sparkling, and she would designate him Bumblebee.
As I said, weak ending.
TheUltimateSacrifice: Aw, thanks! I found the stats surprising, too, but it makes sense. Did you know American culture was the first to ever introduce dating into the world, then other cultures followed it because of female rights? Back then, though, there were few emotions involved, and they didn't date for "fun". They dated to see if they could get along with the girl they wanted to marry. Times have changed, and our culture has led us to believe that there's such a thing as romantic love. I think that it's physical attraction that grows to companionship, that grows to love. No such thing as love at first sight. DB gave us a whole lecture on it too. :D Sadly, though, there's no turning back now, so DB is teaching us how to properly use dating to find a... mate...
Angel897: Thanks! Glad you liked it.
D-RockxIronhideForever: Yup! I always loved putting Sunburst together with the twins. I was gonna add in Sunstreaker, too, but dealing with just Sideswipe made it quicker to write. :)