Mikaela collapsed on her bed the second they'd walked into the room. Sam let out an amused chuckle and immediately moved to the end of the bed and started massaging her feet. She did this every single time. The two girls literally shopped until they were half a second away from dropping. This was one of the ways Sam was so totally opposite any other guy Mikaela had ever dated. No other guy was so attentive to the way she felt or cared enough to do something so simple as rub her feet after she'd been out shopping for hours.

She saw Leo follow Sam's lead and put Christian's feet on his lap and pay the same attention to hers. Christian sighed audibly and Mikaela understood the way the other girl felt. She'd done the same thing the first time Sam rubbed her feet.

"I told you there was a reason we keep them around," She said to Christian.

"Man, if I had known, I wouldn't have waited so long!" Christian gave Leo a sweet smile when he looked at her and pouted.

"That hurts my heart," He put his hand over his heart to prove his point.

"You get used to it after a while," Sam quipped and laughed when Mikaela kicked his thigh.

Sam's phone rang and she groaned because it meant he had to stop so he could answer the phone. He saw the sad look on her face and held the phone between his ear and his shoulder so he could continue massaging her feet. Mikaela closed her eyes when his hands started moving again. There were no sounds other than Sam talking on the phone. He hung up a few minutes later and was telling them it was Andy inviting them to another party at his house that night when his phone rang again. Mikaela looked at him questioningly when he got a confused look on his face once the other person started talking to him. She heard him tell whoever it was that he would be right there and slid off the end of the bed to put his shoes back on.

"Sam, what's going on?" Mikaela asked.

"I don't really know. I'll let you know when I get back," He said distractedly.

"Where are you going?"

"Where are my keys?" She pointed to her purse and he dug them out.

"Where are you going?" Mikaela repeated.

"I'll be back in a little bit and I'll explain everything," Sam gave her a quick kiss before leaving.

*************

Sam was at a complete loss as to why the Dean would want to speak with him especially on a Friday when it was just after five. All he really knew was that she needed him to meet her in his office to tell him something important. As far as he knew, he hadn't done anything wrong to warrant a meeting with the Dean but he had learned not to be surprised by anything. He got to his car and drove around to the building where the Dean's office was. He could've walked but it was a big campus and Sam didn't want to have to make the Dean wait on him. Sam quickly walked in the building and took the elevator to the third floor where the office was. The secretary saw him coming and instantly told him to go into the Dean's office.

"Mr. Witwicky, thank you for coming on such short notice," Dean Miller told him once he sat down in a chair on the other side of her desk.

"It's no problem, Mrs. Miller."

"I have some bad news, I'm afraid, and I hope you will understand the position I'm in."

"What's going on?" Sam was starting to freak out. He'd never been in this particular situation before, but he could only imagine that it definitely wasn't a good thing when the Dean told him she had bad news.

"There have been some complaints about the special treatment you, Ms. Banes, and Mr. Spitz have received since returning to campus," the Dean said.

"Special treatment?" He asked confused.

"Yes, Mr. Witwicky, special treatment. We allowed you to keep your car at the request of Defense Secretary Keller and the government, even though we have an explicit policy that does not allow freshmen to have cars. There are also the instances of the three of you and Ms. Ryan sleeping in each others' rooms. Other students would have been disciplined for allowing someone of the opposite sex to stay in their room overnight the first time, and eviction from the dorms after the third. The four of you have never been reprimanded for your actions because of your connections to some very important political figures. However, as I said before, there have been several complaints from other students and some parents because we turned a blind eye to your activities."

"Okay, so we'll start following the dorm rules and not stay in each others' rooms anymore. None of us realized that other students knew we did it. As long as we were discreet about it and didn't let it become public, we figured it would be okay. I know it's against the rules, so I will accept whatever punishments you need to hand out to all of us. I was the one that started it," Sam said sheepishly.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that, Mr. Witwicky. The board has fielded several complaints, and they won't let this go anymore. There is proof that it has happened a number of times with no disciplinary action taken. I have tried everything I could to avoid this, but there has been threat of legal actions on grounds of discrimination, and I have to take action," Sam had a sinking feeling he knew what was coming.

"As per campus policy, the four of you will have give up your rooms and move out of the dormitory. You will not be allowed to live on campus for the remainder of the year, and your applications will have to be approved by the board before you can live on campus again. You have 72 hours to remove yourself and your belongings from your rooms, and anything remaining after that time period becomes property of the university and it is at our discretion whether those items are returned to you or not," Dean Miller looked sadly at him. "I'm sorry Mr. Witwicky, but your choices have left us no other option."

"I understand, and I apologize that our irresponsibility jeopardized the reputation of the university. We never intended to take advantage of our situation and who we know," Sam stood and shook the Dean's hand. "I assure you we will be gone by Monday and there will be no more trouble from us."

"One more thing, Mr. Witwicky. Mr. Keller has been apprised of your situation and is not happy about it. He personally met with the board to try to diffuse the situation, and wants to meet with you to determine whether or not to rescind Ms. Banes' and your scholarships," There was a knock on the door as if on cue. The Defense Secretary walked in, and Sam knew he was in trouble.

"Mrs. Miller, thank you for lending me your office. I assure you this won't take long. Sam, stay seated," He shook the Dean's hand and shut her office door before taking a seat in the chair she had just vacated.

"Mr. Keller, I'm extremely sorry about this. We were irresponsible and didn't think about the repercussions."

"To say that I am disappointed is an understatement. However, I cannot in good conscience allow you and your friends to have no place to live, not after what you've done for this country and the rest of the world," He pulled a set of keys out of his suit pocket. "I am not condoning your behavior nor will I bail you out again. Any other incidents and both of you will lose your scholarships. Consider this your one warning. You and Ms. Banes are now on probation through the end of the year. One more mistake, Sam, and you will lose your scholarships and be expelled."

"Yes, sir. This will not happen again," Sam said guiltily.

"The house is furnished but you will have to go buy a few things. The four of you are required to pay the rent and all bills. If you are late on your rent or any of your bills, you will have to find your own place to live. The only reason I have not rescinded your scholarships is because of your service to this country, but you will not take advantage of my generosity again."

Sam thanked the Defense Secretary and then left to go back to his car after getting the address. He was disgusted with himself for taking advantage of the privileges given to him, and knew that everything that had happened was because of him. The other three merely followed his lead. Calling Mikaela as he drove back to their dorms, he told her to get the other two and meet him outside because they had to go somewhere. Sam also let her know that they probably wouldn't be able to make it to Andy's party that night.

Mikaela, Christian, and Leo were waiting for him when he pulled up and he didn't miss the worried look on his girlfriend's face. Bee drove them to the house because Sam didn't know where it was nor was he really in the right state of mind to be driving. He was too angry with himself to even be talking to anyone else much less operating a vehicle. Mikaela tried to talk to him and find out what was going on, but he didn't trust himself not to take his anger out on her so he stayed silent. Knowing she was upset at his ignoring her, he intertwined his fingers in hers and sent her a small smile.

It took them 20 minutes to find the house. The neighborhood was decent, not too rundown and not too nice. Sam could feel the confusing looks the other three were giving him as he walked right up to the front door and unlocked the door. Inside the house, his first thought was that it was perfect. He saw a manila envelope sitting on the dining table in the kitchen and looked inside to see that it was the lease papers. The contract reminded him of how they'd come to be in this house, and he threw them back down on the table before turning to look at his girlfriend and their roommates.

"Welcome home," Sam said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes before he turned and walked away.

He heard Mikaela chase after him as he toured through the house. Overall, it was a perfect house for the four of them except for the circumstances that led them there. Sam was grateful for Mikaela's silence even though he knew she was curious to understand what was going on. They made their way to the living room and saw Christian and Leo coming from the other side of the house.

"Obviously, I need to explain what's going on," Sam started sarcastically. "Basically, what it's come down to is we've been kicked out of the dorms. I guess we weren't cautious enough because there were a bunch of complaints that we were staying in each others' rooms but we never got in trouble for it. Somebody got pissed about it and threatened to sue for discrimination, so the Dean and the board had no choice. It's campus policy that the third strike is an automatic eviction and there was proof that each of us had broken the rules more than three times."

"Are you serious?" Leo asked disbelieving.

"No, here in a minute a bunch of cameras are going to pop out and someone's going to tell you you've been punked," Sam said and rolled his eyes.

"Sam, calm down. You have to realize you disappear without telling us what's going on and then when you come back you bring us to this house and still don't tell us anything. Then all of a sudden you're like "welcome home" and we're supposed to know what the hell is going on?" Mikaela said agitated.

"I'm sorry. I'm still trying to digest it all and then I had a meeting with Keller. He's the one who got the house, but we have to pay for it," He looked at Mikaela. "We are now on probation. Anything else happens we lose our scholarships and get expelled. If we even pay the damn water bill late, we're through. We can't live on campus anymore unless the board approves our applications, and that's probably not going to happen!"

"Has anyone else noticed this house only has three bedrooms?" Christian chose that moment to point out the obvious.

"There's a finished basement. I'll take it," Sam said tiredly. The last hour had completely drained him.

"Guys, it's almost six. We have a house with no beds. We've got to find a store before they're all closed and we're stuck on the floor," Mikaela suggested.

Each of them took a certain part of the house and looked to see if there was anything else they would have to have before they could stay there. The only other important things they could think of that were considered necessities were food and toilet paper. At least those two things were relatively cheap when compared to the four brand new beds that would have to be bought. Sam called Andy to let him know why they couldn't make it to the party at his house that night and to ask to borrow his truck. Leo, knowing they would need more than one truck, called one of his buddies to see if he could meet them at the store and help them get it all back to the house. As soon as they got all the logistics sorted out, the four friends raced to get to the furniture store before they closed.

*************

By some miracle, they were able to get all of their stuff out within a matter of hours. It was just after two when Sam and Leo took Andy back his truck. The party was still in full swing, but neither had the energy to hang out nor did they want to do it while their girlfriends were back at the house unpacking. Both men went in search of their girlfriends as soon as they got back in the house.

"Hey beautiful," Sam said leaning against the doorway.

"I'm breaking up with you Sam," Mikaela said unconvincingly as she hung up the last of her clothes and saw the amused grin on his face when she turned around.

"I love you."

"Oh, now you say it when you're supposed to," She joked.

"It meant more that I said it when I did for the first time."

"Yeah, except that you almost died before you could say it," Sam saw the pain in her eyes as she remembered that fateful day in Egypt so he rushed to change the subject.

"We're fate, remember? That means I couldn't die that day," He pulled her into his arms. "Besides, it all worked out just right. All Witwicky, all the time."

"I love you," Mikaela kissed him. "Now let's go get your room done."

They went to the basement hand in hand. She reached for a box to start unpacking his stuff but Sam kicked the box out of the way.

"That can wait until tomorrow. Tonight, you're gonna scream my name," With that, he put his hands on her ass and picked her up. He took her to the bed and laid her down.

The first thing he did was kick his shoes and socks off and then join her on the bed. Reaching for her shoes, he kissed the side of her knee as his fingers rubbed up and down her calf, their skin barely touching. His mouth followed the paths his fingers left behind. Sam looked up into Mikaela's eyes and could already see her start to breathe deeper. Once he got the first shoe off, he moved to her other leg and repeated the same process keeping eye contact with her the whole time. He then slid his body up hers, making sure his body touched every part of hers, and leaned in to softly bite the skin underneath her jaw. Mikaela's neck was one of the most sensitive parts of her body, and he planned to exploit it as much as he could. She would do the same to him, he knew. Sam moved his legs so that they were placed on each side of her body and he was straddling her hips. A crooked smile adorned his face and he grabbed her bottom lip with his teeth. So close to her mouth, he could feel every sigh and hear every breath.

Sam alternated between sucking her bottom lip and nipping at it. Using one hand to support himself, he placed his other one on her side and slid it under her shirt. His nails raked up her side and because he was still teasing her lip, he felt the shudder that ran through her body. It blazed through every nerve in his body, and he had to keep himself from groaning. As a result, he'd had to let go of her lip so he could clench his jaw so in return he leaned back on his haunches and used his other hand to lift her shirt to expose her stomach. Sam slid his body back down so he could place feather light kisses around her belly button. Mikaela's stomach muscles tightened from the pleasure and he took it as a sign to continue. His hands had a tight grip on her waist because the power he held over her turned him on. Her body started to shake when he kissed his way up to just under her breasts. A trail of light kisses was left under the wire of her bra.

Mikaela had yet to make a noise aside from breathing, but when he looked into her eyes he knew she was crazy with desire and fighting to stay silent. With his eyes locked on hers, he slipped his hands under her shirt and this time, pulled it all the way off. Placing his hands on her stomach, he slid them slowly up and over her breasts and then down her arms. When she arched her back, he laid his lips on the skin where neck met shoulder and slowly applied more and more pressure to the sensitive spot. The combination of his two acts resulted in a barely audible moan escaping her lips. Her hand fisted his hair so he grabbed both of her hands in one of his and held them above her head. The fingers on his other hand were tracing the cups of her bra across the swell of her breasts. That same spot was the next destination for his lips and tongue. The way her chest rose and fell told him he was about to win. He mistakenly stopped his attack to give her a smug grin and she used his hesitation to take control.

Mikaela had been half a second away from screaming his name because she couldn't take the torturous pleasure any longer but his cockiness had allowed her to turn the tables. Since he'd been first to tease, she had the advantage because he was already so turned on. She rolled them over so he was on bottom. Using the same tactic of attacking the most sensitive spot, her lips quickly found his ear. Teasing him had long been a favorite activity of hers, so she knew to suck on his ear lobe for several moments before dragging her teeth along the shell of his ear. As she continued teasing his ear, Mikaela let her hands travel underneath his shirt. Her fingernails scraped over his belly button and she heard him exhale a shaky breath. His shirt was quick to come off thereafter. She flashed him her own cocky smile as she trailed her nails over his nipple. Sam's eyes closed and his head tilted back.

Sam's Adam's apple was quickly captured by her lips and she lavished it. Every so often, Mikaela would pull her lips away and softly blow on it, knowing the cold air mixed with her saliva would make him tingle. She let her body rest on top of his so her bare skin touched his bare skin. From experience, she knew what their skin touching would do to him. Her lips left his Adam's apple and slowly, sensually made their way down to his collarbone where she nipped at the skin. Almost painfully slowly, she guided her lips to his belly button where she sucked on the skin just above it. When she made her way back up his stomach, she kept her body low enough so that her breasts would rub against his skin. Another shaky breath escaped his lips. He reached his hands down to her waist for something to grab onto. Like he did, she held both of his hands above his head. Mikaela made eye contact with him and then grinded her hips into his. Her confidence soared when she heard him start panting. However, she hadn't expected him to grind his into hers in return and this time the moan tumbled from her lips. She leaned in to attack his neck again when Sam found his own opportunity to wrest back control and grabbed her ear with his teeth when she turned her head.

They went back and forth like this for a while. Just as one was about to win, the other always managed to find the perfect opportunity and regained the control. In the end, though, it was Mikaela screaming out Sam's name. He had driven her to the brink of insanity and she had no choice left but to fall.

Sam was on top when a winner had been declared. He'd had to lower himself to his elbows because everything she'd done had left him feeling as if his limbs were jelly. His head was resting on her shoulder as he struggled to catch his breath when she pulled his head up to capture his lips in a mind blowing kiss.

"You never lose, huh," Sam smirked.

"I'll lose like that every fucking day," Mikaela said breathlessly.

"You can't beat the master," She reached up and swatted at his shoulder.

Sam rolled off her to his side and climbed off the bed. She watched him curiously until he started digging through his laundry basket and figured out what he was doing. He pulled out a tank top and two pairs of shorts. The pants he was wearing fell to the ground and he stepped into one of the pairs of shorts. Once he was done, he moved to the side of the bed and did the same to Mikaela. He gently pulled her skirt off her legs and replaced it with the other shorts before lifting her to a sitting position and slid the tank top over her head and shoulders. Mikaela put her hand on his face and stroked his cheek with her thumb before bringing his face down to hers and kissing him in response to his sweet gesture.

Mikaela scooted to the middle of the bed so he had room to get in after he'd flipped off the lights. She loved the way his arms would almost instantly snake their way around her every time they were this close. Even after dating for two years, there was still no other place in the world she would rather be. Sam brushed a lock of hair out of her face and she smiled adoringly at him. His lips grazed against her temple and she snuggled closer to his chest.

"You know, I never expected to fall in love," Mikaela said quietly after a while. She started playing with one of his hands and felt his eyes on her.

"With me?"

"No, not just with you, I never expected to fall in love at all. At least, I never expected anything like this. I mean, my mom took off when I was little because she loved crack more than she loved me," This was the first time Mikaela had ever told Sam why her mom left. "My dad was caught up in stealing cars, and then I ended up involved in all of it. When he got sent to prison, I self-destructed. I couldn't handle knowing that my mom didn't love me and my dad was so addicted to the rush of stealing cars that he let it tear his family apart. I came from the wrong side of the tracks, and the only reason I was who I was in school was because of the way I looked. It was all fake. The guys wanted to sleep with me and the girls pretended to like me. I accepted that I was going to be on my own. It hurt, but I had to accept it in order to survive."

Sam wanted to interrupt her and tell her she was worth more than all of her so called friends combined, but he knew she needed to get it all out.

"Nobody gave a damn about me and I knew it. Instead of calling anyone out on it, I just let it go on. It was easier to pretend that they did than to be alone. Every guy I dated wanted to sleep with me. It was like it was some fucking game to see who could have sex with Mikaela Banes. Every time one guy broke up with me because I wouldn't sleep with him, five more would start hitting on me. They all wanted to be the one to say they'd had me first. After a while, I started playing the same game. I'd lead them on and make them think they would be the one I slept with but then at the last possible second I would tell him no. I knew I was nothing more than a fucking conquest and that's not how I wanted to lose my virginity. I didn't think I was ever gonna fall in love so it wasn't like I was waiting for the right person but I knew I didn't wanna look back on my life and know that I had sex for the first time with a guy that only wanted to be able to say he'd been Mikaela Banes' first. It was degrading, and with every guy that came along it just made me feel less and less worthy. All I could think was that there had to be a reason why I only dated jackasses that just wanted to fuck me. I didn't think I was good enough for anyone to fall in love with me."

With every heartbreaking word that tumbled from Mikaela's lips, Sam wanted more and more to tear apart each and every one of those jackasses.

"Then you came along and offered to give me a ride home because Trent was a jerk despite the fact that we had never talked before and I didn't even know who you were. I remember you looking at me when you dropped me off at my house in a way that no other guy had. It was obvious you had a crush on me and you were so sweet. Then you got caught up in everything with Optimus and Megatron and all that, and somehow I ended up involved too. You were the first boy to treat me like a person and not a piece of ass but I was still convinced I would never be more than a quick fuck so I wouldn't let myself feel anything. You were supposed to be a friend, but it all changed when you made Banachek and Simmons clear my record before you would help them. There was just something about you and the way you made me feel special when I was around you. I hadn't expected it to ever happen, but every wall I'd built around my heart was crumbling all because of this strange boy I'd known all my life but never met. It was the first time we kissed that I realized there were actually good guys out there even if I still didn't believe I was worth it."

"Baby, you are worth it. Absolutely, completely worth it," Sam wiped away a stray tear from her cheek and fell silent as she opened her mouth to continue.

"I remember the day you left for college. I wanted so bad to tell you that I loved you, but I knew I would never say it first. I'd already let you so far into my heart that I couldn't risk saying it and then you not saying it back. I knew we were serious. I mean, by then we'd been together for two years and you still wanted to be together even though you were moving to the other side of the country but I still couldn't say it first. That night in Egypt I think is the first time I realized that you did but we were both too scared to say it first. I remember you laying there the next day and I thought you were dead and I was so fucking pissed at the both of us for being cowards before because now we were never gonna get the chance. I didn't know if you were ever gonna hear it, but I knew I had to tell you. I needed you to know that I did love you, and then you finally woke up and that's when I knew without a doubt in my mind there would never be anyone I could ever love as much as I loved you. That's the moment I finally let my heart go because I knew there was someone else out there that wouldn't break it."

Sam lay there silently taking in everything Mikaela had told him. This was probably the most heartfelt she'd ever been with him, and there was so much he wanted to say to her but words escaped him. He gently wiped away her tears and wrapped his other arm tighter around her waist. She wanted him to say something, he knew, so he tried to find the right words to say to let her know everything that was in his heart. His eyes met hers and he knew it didn't matter what he said because it was obvious how he felt by the look in his eyes but he was damn well going to try to put it all into words.

"'Kaela, you are everything to me. It took me a long time to tell you how I felt, but I've loved you since the day you got in my car. I don't care what anyone else thinks, you are worth the world. There is nobody in this world worth more than you. Don't ever let other peoples' stupidity make you think otherwise because if they can't see that you're the most amazing woman in the world then they're the ones that aren't worthy. Everything I am right now is because of you. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you. Nothing else matters next to you. I love you and I will spend every day for the rest of my life proving that to you until you can see what I see and what I see is that you're perfect. I'm not saying you're perfect in the literal definition of the word but you're perfect for me."

Mikaela smiled through the tears that had started falling again when he'd opened his mouth and poured his heart into every word he said. She tilted her head and kissed him. It wasn't a passionate kiss because they already knew the physical and sexual attraction was there. The kiss was merely a means for them to bare their soul in ways words couldn't express.

"Stay with me tonight," Sam softly requested.

"Baby, there's no place I'd rather be," Mikaela laid her head against his chest over his heart.

Sam ran his fingers through her hair until they both quickly fell asleep. It was no surprise that neither of them laid there for very long because dealing with the dormitory evictions along with the little game they had played had completely wiped out whatever energy they may have had.

I know the part about Keller getting them a house even though they were kicked out of the dorms for breaking the rules seems a little unreal, so let me explain my whole thought process behind it. The assumption I get from what we see of Keller in the movies is that he takes care of his own. The entire world owes everything to Sam and Mikaela for saving the world. Keller knows this, and the type of person he is couldn't live with himself if he allowed them to be thrown out on the streets. They are still just teenagers who graduated high school and moved off to college, but at the same time they are so much bigger than that. I hope that makes sense to everybody.

If anyone else noticed the confusion over what rooms they were in in the last chapter besides Princessbm, sorry about that! That was one of the middle chapters I had to rewrite when I took out a big chunk, and I kept confusing myself (that's probably not a good thing though, is it?) because this chapter was already written so they had already moved into the house and then I had to remember to use the dorm rooms instead of the house. It's definitely not fun to rewrite middle chapters because you have to go back to the mindset you were in when you were at that point, and I kept trying to throw in stuff that hadn't happened yet. Shouldn't be anymore of that though because anything after this chapter is past the part I took out and rewrote.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

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