I'm glad there's still people out there enjoying this! I know it's going kinda slow right now, but here in a couple chapters the drama is going to pick up. The next one has a little bit of a cliffhanger that you guys will either love or hate me for, and if I can get at least 7 reviews for this chapter I'll go ahead and post the next one even if I get all the reviews today.
Thanks to Princessbm, Knight 56, GoShrks7, and my furture husband is edward for reviewing the last chapter!
By the time Mikaela woke up the following morning, Sam had already gotten all of his boxes unpacked and everything put away. She was surprised because she had expected Sam to avoid doing it until she got tired of seeing the boxes and ended up doing it herself. When she was glancing around the room to see what all he'd done, she saw a picture on the desk and got out of bed to go look at it. A big smile lit up her face once she realized what it was. The picture had been taken at Will Lennox's house on base after they'd all made it back to the states. As a way to relax and recoup from the vicious battle they'd all fought in, Lennox's wife Sarah had thrown a party. It had been a joyful night that lasted well into the morning but nobody really minded because they needed to just let go. Even now, Mikaela still had no idea who had taken the picture of them nor did she know at the time that someone had even taken a picture. Sam was standing in front of Mikaela with his hands holding her waist and she had one hand cupping his cheek. She remembered that moment exactly. It was the second time they'd said they loved each other, but the first time both were calm and coherent. Of course she'd been the first to say it, again, but it didn't matter anymore.
"What are you doing?" The sound of Sam's voice broke her away from her thoughts.
"Remembering," Mikaela said simply as she turned around. "I'm surprised you're already completely unpacked. I figured you'd leave it until I got tired of it and did it myself."
"It's time I grew up and started being more responsible," He shrugged as if it was no big deal. "We can't afford for me to be immature and cost us our scholarships."
"Not that I thought you weren't already responsible, but I'm proud of you baby," She gave him a loving smile and kissed his cheek.
"That's all I get?" He pouted.
"Until I brush my teeth, yes," Mikaela was already halfway up the stairs to the bathroom on the main floor.
Sam found Leo half hidden in a cabinet in the kitchen searching for anything to eat. It was amusing for him to see a grown man desperately searching for a crumb in a house he knew had no food. Even funnier was when Sam said Leo's name which in turn caused him to jump and hit his head on the top of the cabinet. Leo threw a plastic bowl he'd found in the cabinet at Sam but Sam had expected such an action and was able to jump out of the way. Taking pity on his friend, Sam volunteered the guys to do the grocery shopping and promised Leo to feed him before they started their shopping. They left once Leo was dressed appropriately enough for Sam to be seen in public with him.
While the guys were gone, Mikaela and Christian decided to take advantage of the rare hot fall day and sunbathe in the back yard. They alternated between girl talk and lazing around just enjoying the sun's rays. The guys seemed to be the main topic of conversation, as expected, and their excitement that all four of them were living together and no longer had to worry about curfews. After a while, Christian asked Mikaela about the war and the most recent battle. She'd always been curious, but the other three never seemed to talk about it so she'd avoided asking. Mikaela put her hands behind her back and told the story starting with Sam's leaving. She left nothing out. The memories replayed in her mind as she spoke and every emotion she'd felt bled through until it was clearly reflected in her words. Christian remained silent, only interrupting when she didn't understand, knowing that Mikaela likely needed to tell the story as a form of catharsis. Their war was not a typical one, and they did not come out unscathed.
Neither woman noticed when Sam and Leo returned. They heard Mikaela's story when they had come out to let them know they were back, but had silently gone back inside so as not to disturb them. In the kitchen, they put away the multitude of groceries that had been bought and then began to make lunch for the four of them. Sam hadn't been able to help the laugh that escaped him at the sight of the girls' shocked faces when they had come back inside and found that Sam and Leo had been back long enough to be halfway done cooking lunch.
The meal was a hilarious affair. Christian took it upon herself to tease Leo for acting like a little baby and for the way the Autobot twins were constantly calling him on it. She'd heard Mikaela and Sam make fun of him a time or two before but now that she knew the whole story, she had to give him hell which led to the other two picking on him as well. Leo, of course, tried to vehemently deny it but had quickly realized it was pointless so he then resorted to pouting.
The four friends fell into a routine as the days went by. Their classes were getting more intense as the semester wound down, and each of them had gotten a job now that they were required to pay rent and everything that came along with not living on campus. It was rare that they were all home at the same time for very long unless they were sleeping and even that wasn't a guarantee. Mikaela, naturally, was working as a mechanic at a nearby repair shop. Christian worked at a national bookstore as a cashier. Sam and Leo had both gotten jobs at a sports bar called The Sideline, Sam as a bartender and Leo as a waiter. Sam never made it home before midnight and on nights when he didn't have a class the next morning; he didn't get off work until close to three.
Both couples made it a point to have the same day off so they could spend a day with each other since they had so little time together the rest of the week. Sam and Mikaela had Tuesdays off, aside from each having morning classes. Neither Christian nor Leo worked on Thursdays, but Christian had a class in the morning and afternoon while Leo had one in the afternoon. It was a nice little break where they could relax and simply enjoy each other's company.
It was the week of Thanksgiving before it dawned on Sam that Halloween had already passed by. There had been a party at Andy's they'd all gone to, but he'd been so consumed with trying to keep his grades up even though he didn't have nearly enough time to study because he was always working. That was why Sam was still up at five in the morning sitting at the kitchen table studying for an algebra test he had at 10. Mikaela usually slept in his room unless it was one of the nights he didn't get home until three and then she would sleep in her room. She was a light sleeper so he decided to study in the kitchen to keep from waking her up. He was exhausted, but couldn't afford to make a bad grade on the test. Tomorrow night would be the same since he had a government test the day after.
Mikaela and Sam would leave immediately after his test to fly back to California to spend Thanksgiving with his family. Sam figured he'd end up sleeping through most of the break because he was so run down. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with his parents, but at the rate he was going he could probably sleep half a week without waking up. As long as he aced his tests, he wasn't worried about the exhaustion.
Mikaela was worried about Sam. He'd been walking around like a zombie for the last couple days and even now sitting on the plane he was half asleep. Sam's parents had surprised them with plane tickets because his mom couldn't wait any longer to see her baby. Bee would meet them in California sometime late the next day. It made it easier because all they'd had to take on the plane was a change of clothes for that night and something for tomorrow. Everything else had been thrown in the backseat of the Camaro.
The flight attendants weren't even halfway through their customary speech about how to use the masks or that the seat bottoms were flotation devices and Mikaela was starting to think Sam wouldn't be able to stay awake long enough to hear the rest of the speech. She knew he stayed up studying after he got off work the last couple days instead of falling into bed like he typically did, but wasn't aware of just how little sleep he had gotten.
Ever since the meeting with Secretary Keller after they had been kicked out of the dorms, Sam had been like a different person. He was amazingly driven and motivated. He still believed he was the biggest reason for their eviction, and was determined not to let his irresponsibility effect the other three in such a way again. His grades had even improved despite the fact that his lowest grade had been a high B before. Sam was still the same goofy person, but had matured immensely. His changes only strengthened Mikaela's love for him because everything he'd done had been for her, for Leo and Christian, rather than for himself. He was driving himself into the ground to make sure that the rest of them were okay.
Knowing that he desperately needed the rest, Mikaela sat back and let her hand roam through his hair. The flight would be long and boring with him asleep, but at least it was nonstop and she'd remembered to grab a book and a couple magazines. She would be fine once they got into the air. Taking off and landing were the worst parts of flying, but it was only one way fortunately. They would drive back and make it just in time to get to class Monday morning. The advantage of having a car that happened to also be a robot was that neither of them actually had to drive it and could sleep most of the way back.
Sometime over the Midwest, Mikaela raised the armrest between them and curled up against Sam the best she could and fell asleep. Both slept through the remainder of the flight. She was jarred from her sleep when the plane touched down and woke Sam up when they reached their gate since he was still dead to the world. How he managed to sleep through the entire trip was beyond her. They walked slowly through the terminal and Mikaela had to jump out of the way when his mom tackled him in a hug after they'd come through the security checkpoint. Not that sidestepping his mom did her a whole lot of good because Judy engulfed her the second she'd let go of Sam.
Judy and Ron, his dad, took them out to eat for dinner and then they all went back to his parents' and spent the rest of the evening watching movies and being lazy. Both Sam and Mikaela were too tired to do anything else and his parents were content to simply spend time with their only child. They told his parents all about their time at college, minus the part where they weren't living in the dorms anymore. Mikaela started bragging to his parents about how good his grades were and how responsible he was becoming. Sam blushed from the praise his parents lavished on him after Mikaela told them and she grabbed his hand and squeezed.
"Mikaela, it's late and I know the flight wore you two out. Why don't you stay here tonight?" Judy suggested as she and Ron got up to go to bed.
"And don't forget we're in the house too. I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night and hear that damn bed squeaking," This time it was Mikaela's turn to blush at Ron's comment and she hid her face in Sam's chest.
Ron's laughter could still be heard as the couple made their way upstairs to Sam's room. Mikaela slapped at Sam's chest when she heard him chuckling about it but he couldn't help it. She was adorable when she blushed. Not bothering with propriety, she started changing into pajamas as soon as Sam shut the door. The sight of his girlfriend shirtless and bent over digging in their bag lit a fire in his belly and the next moment Sam was behind her, his lips attacking her neck. Mikaela turned around in his arms and their lips met in a kiss that told of their need. Moments like this were rare because they were both so busy with school and work.
She hastily reached for the hem of his shirt and yanked it over his head. He growled at her forcefulness and trailed his lips to her collarbone as he ripped open her pants and shoved them down. Without taking his lips away from her neck, he picked her up and carried her to his bed using one arm to support her and the other to undo her bra. Mikaela held on to him when he tried to lay her on the bed and pulled him on top of her. She put her hand under his jaw and tilted his face up until they locked eyes and his lips crashed down onto hers.
"So help me God, Sam, if you don't have a condom I'm going to kill you," Mikaela said breathlessly against his lips. He reached into his back pocket for his wallet and brandished the foil packet he had stowed in there.
Sam had one arm on both sides of her body supporting his weight and she used her hands to tear his jeans off with the same force he had used on her. He kicked his jeans all the way off and groaned involuntarily when she shimmied against him as she pushed her panties off. Their need intensified and Mikaela flipped them over so she was on top. Once he was sheathed, she straddled his hips and had to bite her lip to keep from making any noise as she slid down onto him.
Sam's hands had a tight grip on her hips as they started moving. They both knew this wouldn't be slow or loving. The need had consumed both of their bodies and it was going to be hard and rough and intense. Mikaela arched her back and put her hands on his thighs for support. His hips were thrusting upwards and the sheer force he was using turned her on in a way she had never felt before. He was always so gentle, so attentive to how she felt and what she wanted that this animalistic side of him was a complete surprise. The hold he had on her hips was so tight she expected it might bruise, but she couldn't feel the pain. All that she was aware of was the feel of him inside her and the sounds of their breathing.
Likewise, Sam's arousal was leaps and bounds more intense than anything in the past. There was nothing hotter than the sight of his girlfriend on top of him arching her back and biting her bottom lip to stay quiet. Mikaela wouldn't be able to hold back her moans much longer, he knew, so he rolled over until he was on top and leaned down to kiss her. Sam shuddered when she moaned into his mouth. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her name tore from his lips. Her nails raked down his back which only made him quicken his pace. He knew she'd reached her climax when she tightened around him. Sam pulled himself back and watched the look of ecstasy on her face as the tremors passed through her every nerve. It was all too much for him and he felt himself let go.
For a long time, the only audible sound was their heavy breathing. They were both still caught up in the passionate moment and Sam had to slide off of her to the side because he couldn't hold himself up anymore. He used one arm to prop his head up and the other was on her stomach where his fingers traced patterns.
"That was…" Mikaela trailed off when she couldn't think of the right word.
"Amazing," Sam murmured.
"It was hot," She added. Sam got up and swept all of their clothes into a pile by the closet before reaching in their bag for a t-shirt and pajama pants.
"Here, put this on," He handed her the t-shirt after he'd put the pants on. "Just in case my mom or dad comes in here in the morning while we're still asleep."
He crawled back in the bed next to her and pulled the blanket up over them. Mikaela smiled when she felt his fingers in her hair. It was just like Sam to be rough and animalistic one minute and then gentle and loving the next. She turned on her side so that she was facing him and put her hand on his cheek.
"I love you," Mikaela whispered.
"I love you too," Sam replied. "I'm really glad you're going to spend Thanksgiving with me."
"We had a deal, remember? You were with me and my family last year, and I'm with you this year."
"I know, but it would be okay if you wanted to spend it with your family since you haven't seen them in three months."
"I want to be with you. Or are you trying to get rid of me so you can bring your other girlfriend?" Mikaela joked.
"Oh, I'm gonna get you for that," Sam grinned evilly and started tickling his girlfriend.
"No, Sam, don't! That tickles stop it," She laughed as she tried to wiggle away from him. He let her go and looked at her.
"Do you feel that?" He put her hand over his heart. "That is you. No other woman could even compare."
"Good, I'm glad because I don't want anyone but you," She leaned in and deeply kissed him.
Mikaela snuggled in closer to him. His lips grazed against her temple and she heard him whisper good night.