Okay, I'm horrible I know--it's been FOREVER since I updated. I've had this chapter written, but it's a big one so I wanted to make it perfect and that's where I kept getting stuck. Not only that, but I haven't hardly been home more than to shower and brush my teeth. I don't hardly sleep at home these days. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It's definitely the longest by far! As always, I don't own Transformers or any other brand name mentioned in this chapter. I'll try not to wait so long to update the next chapter, I promise!

Please, please, please review!!

Mikaela was jarred awake Christmas morning by Judy banging on Sam's door and hollering at them to wake up. Thank God they'd at least remembered to lock the door this time since all she was wearing was one sock. How that sock managed to stay on when the rest of her clothes were thrown all over his room she didn't know, but the sight of it made her laugh softly.

"Samuel James Witwicky!" Judy pounded on the door a little harder. "Mikaela! Wake up! We're leaving in an hour!" Mikaela looked at the clock and 9:04 glared back at her in bright red numbers.

"I'm up Judy," She yanked on Sam's shirt and boxers before cracking open the door.

"Oh good morning Mikaela," Both women tried to pretend it wasn't an awkward situation for Mikaela to be opening Judy's son's door wearing his clothes.

"Morning. I'll wake Sam up."

"Okay, good. We're leaving at ten."

"We'll be ready," She told his mom. Judy turned to leave and Mikaela shut the door before going back to the bed. Sam groaned and rolled over when she shook his shoulder, so she picked up her pillow and started beating him with it.

"Fine! Fine, I'm awake!" Sam looked at his girlfriend groggily. "What the hell?"

"You've gotta get up Sam. We're leaving at ten."

"Please tell me it's not really nine o'clock in the morning," He whined. Not that she blamed him, of course, they had only had about two hours sleep.

"Come on Sam get up," She threw his legs over the side of the bed and pulled him into a sitting position.

"You look sexy as hell wearing my clothes," Sam pulled his girlfriend down into his lap. "Especially when I know you're not wearing anything underneath."

"Not gonna work," Mikaela smiled and gave him a quick kiss. "Go take a shower."

They showered together. The idea had been Mikaela's, but only because they were short on time. Neither of them even tried to do anything sexual in the shower even after Sam's earlier comment. In all honesty, both of them were entirely too exhausted to think about having sex in the shower. The most intimate moment had been washing each other's hair.

Sam brushed his teeth before relinquishing the bathroom to his girlfriend so she could do her hair and makeup. He found a turquoise and white striped polo and a pair of Hollister jeans and pulled them on. Why he needed to get up an hour before they left when it only took him maybe 20 minutes to get ready, he didn't know. Digging his boots out of the bottom of their bag, Sam slipped them on and tied them before checking himself out in the mirror. A cocky grin lit up his face when he was pleased with his appearance. By no means was he self-centered or overly arrogant, but Mikaela had built up his confidence enough to the point that he knew when he looked good.

In the bathroom, Mikaela was just finishing her make up when her boyfriend walked in. Not really paying any attention to him, she just smiled and went back to what she was doing. Sam leaned against the wall and watched as she added the final touches to the makeup he didn't think she even needed.

"Well, hello handsome," Mikaela smiled appreciatively and kissed his cheek when she finally took notice of his outfit.

It was an hour and a half drive to Sam's grandparents' house in Canyon Lake, a small town northeast of Los Angeles. Both teenagers were asleep before Ron had turned off of their street. Judy let them sleep knowing they would need it so as not to make the rest of their family suspicious as to why they were so exhausted. For Judy and Ron to know why was one thing, but the rest of the family questioning their tiredness was completely different. Sam's mother knew it would mortify his girlfriend if his extended family knew the couple had stayed up all night having sex especially when it would be only the second time she had ever spent time with them.

They were the last to arrive, which was expected since the rest of the family all lived in Canyon Lake. Mikaela woke up before Sam and spent the last few minutes fixing her clothes and checking her makeup so that it wouldn't look like she'd just woken up. Sam had it easy. All he'd had to do was smooth out his shirt where she'd leaned against him.

Ron and Sam carried in the gifts they had brought with them. The family had a tradition of bringing gifts for each of their nieces and nephews, or grandchildren in the case of Curtis and Julianne, and they also did Secret Santa. Names for the Secret Santa gifts had been drawn back on Thanksgiving . Mikaela had decided not to join in the Secret Santa this time since it was her first Christmas with Sam's family, much to his dismay. He'd begged and pleaded with her to do it, but she told him she didn't want to jump right into his family's traditions. To them, she was his new girlfriend despite their dating for two years.

Just like at Thanksgiving, the women were in the kitchen and the men were in the living room watching an old football game. Cousins were scattered all over the house. The younger ones were in the kitchen with their mom or playing with toys in the living room floor. Some of the older boys were in the den playing video games. The few girls who were in junior high and older could be seen with their eyes glued to cell phones constantly text messaging friends or boyfriends.

Sam took one of Mikaela's hands in his and led her to the den. His cousin, Luke, had brought his Wii and they were currently taking turns racing each other on Mario Kart. Kyler, Drew, and Jacob greeted Mikaela like they were old friends and Sam was secretly grateful for it. She hadn't admitted it and he hadn't asked, but he knew she was still nervous about spending time with his family.

In typical boy fashion, they all soon became caught up in their video game. Mikaela sat back on the couch and watched in amusement. Sam was so focused on the game and trying to beat all of his cousins that he became oblivious to his girlfriend, which was fine by her. He saw her every single day; he saw his cousins only a handful of times a year and even less than that now that he was living in Philadelphia. It was obvious how close they all were, who was she to take that away from him?

So far, Sam was on a roll. He'd beaten Jake his first turn, then Drew and Luke, and was now half a lap away from beating Kyler. The only ones left to race were Toby, Shawn, and Brady. Beating them would probably be fairly easy since Brady was the oldest at 15, but Sam knew better than to underestimate them. From experience, he knew the younger boys lived for video games since they were too young to drive and go out with friends. Then there was also the fact that his grandpa had beaten Drew and every other one of his grandsons that he'd played when they all got together at Thanksgiving. Even still, he was confident nobody else could beat him.

Just as he thought, his younger cousins didn't stand a chance. All three of them lost badly against him. The closest of any of them was Brady finishing third, neither Shawn or Toby could finish any higher than sixth. Sam was so busy gloating about his domination of Mario Kart against his cousins that he didn't notice the gleam in Jake's eye when he saw Mikaela rolling her eyes at her boyfriend.

"Mikaela, it's all up to you babe," Jake said teasingly. "Somebody needs to knock him off."

"Jake, why you wasting your time man?" Sam taunted. "Nobody has beat me yet."

"If she can put up with your dumb ass for two years, beating you at Mario Kart should be a piece of cake."

"Yeah, Sam, you scared of losing to a girl?" Mikaela joined in on the teasing.

"Honey, I just don't want to embarrass you," Sam smirked.

"You can't beat the master," She slid off the couch to sit next to him on the floor. "Just admit it."

"Why, Ms. Banes, that sounds like a challenge to me."

"It's a challenge, alright, Witwicky."

Jake handed Mikaela his wheel and the guys sat back to watch their cousin go head to head with his girlfriend.

Since they had to race four races, Sam decided to go with the hardest first and do Rainbow Road. Mikaela wanted to slap him for choosing that course; he knew how much she hated it because she always seemed to fall off constantly. This time, however, she was determined to beat him in front of his own cousins. In a way, it would be retribution for each one of them losing to him in succession.

The first race was close. Sam just barely beat Mikaela by a couple tenths of a second, and wasted little time in beginning his gloating. He wanted to get in her head, but she knew him too well. He was going to get so focused on trying to psych her out that he would just end up getting overconfident. All she had to do stay calm and wait.

They raced the second race on the Bowser's Castle course originally from the Nintendo 64. It was his all time favorite course to race, and she knew he'd be tough to beat at this one. One night at Andy's, Colton had raced him for an hour and a half straight trying to beat him at Bowser's Castle and had never been able to do it. Mikaela wouldn't publicly admit it, but she'd played Mario Kart on her old N64 for months. Truthfully, she wasn't even sure if Sam knew that or not. It just wasn't something that had ever come up.

Mikaela had the race in the bag, until that stupid spiny blue shell hit her just as she was making the last turn. She tried to jerk the wheel up and down to lessen the effects of the weapon, but didn't time it right. Sam passed her just as she'd started to accelerate and once again won the race, this time by half a second.

Sam let her pick the next course, which was her favorite: Waluigi Stadium. Nobody had ever beat her on that course, and she was determined to keep it that way. She had to beat him this time or she didn't stand a chance of winning overall.

"Come on baby, you're making this too easy," His taunting intensified her motivation, determination, drive. There was no way he was beating her this time.

Mikaela had held the top spot since taking it from Sam just after their third race began. For the first two laps, they'd both fought hard. Several times he had come close to taking first from her, but she'd always been able to pull away at just the last second. When the race was over, he came in fourth thanks to some timely weapons from their computer opponents. Mikaela could see the wheels start to turn as he realized he had to finish ahead of her or she would win the trophy.

"I've got you right where I want you, baby," She smiled confidently.

They agreed on Wario's Gold Mine for the final course. It was a favorite of both of theirs and one they were equally good at. Sam knew this was his last chance to win. If she stayed out in front of him, he would fall short of the trophy.

Mikaela absolutely dominated the first two laps, but the final lap was an intense back and forth affair. One second she would be in the lead and pulling away, and the next Sam had passed her. As they came down the final straightaway, she worried for the first time that he might actually come in first overall. They crossed the finish line at almost the exact same time, and everyone in the room waited anxiously for the times to flash across the screen to find out who won.

"Not quite a piece of cake," Jake laughed and slapped hands with Mikaela. "But at least somebody finally shut him up."

"I don't know if I should be happy that someone finally knocked Sam off his high horse, or pissed that it took a girl to do what us guys couldn't," Kyler grumbled but there was a smile on his face.

"Can't beat the master," Mikaela gave her boyfriend a cocky smile before leaning in and kissing the pout off his face.

Competitive nature took over and the next thing she knew, she was racing against his cousins trying to beat all of them too. Kyler, Brady, and Toby went down in humiliating defeat, but the boys didn't give her time to gloat. As soon as one was done, the wheel was immediately passed to whoever was next in line and they started all over again. Shawn had given her a little bit of trouble in the first two races, but she pulled away in the final two and beat him as well. Drew had so far been her hardest competition, always right behind her and constantly threatening to take the lead from her.

Sam pulled Mikaela into his lap after she beat Drew. The only one left to try to defeat her was Jake, and he knew his cousin would be her toughest competition. Among his cousins, Jake had always been the best at Mario Kart and Sam knew the only reason he'd beaten him today was because he had played on a Nintendo Wii more than Jake had and knew the steering wheel better. It wouldn't take him long to get the hang of it though, and Jake would give her a run for her money.

Mikaela felt Sam's lips on her neck in the middle of the second race. She knew he was trying to distract her so she would mess up. It would make the boys look bad if they all lost to a girl, and he was trying to salvage what little pride they had left.

"Hey no cheating Sam!" She laughed.

"That's not cheating," He breathed into her ear before taking her ear lobe in his teeth and teasing it for a second. "That is cheating." Sam went back to what he was doing and Mikaela clenched her jaw to fight the sensations. She could hear the guys around her sniggering at what Sam's ministrations.

It took everything she had to ignore what he was doing, but she managed to focus on the race and beat Jake by a hair. It was the closest finish she'd had out of all the races she'd won, and they took it to mean Sam was having a bigger effect on her than she would let show.

He ran his hands up and down her sides along with kissing her neck on the next race. Sam knew he was turning her on by the way her breathing changed. Nobody else around them had noticed because she was hiding it fairly well but he was so close to her that he could hear it.

Mikaela knew Sam knew what he was doing to her, and she was determined not to let him win. In fact, it made her want to beat Jake's ass that much more. At the end of the race, she turned around and planted a quick kiss on his lips.

"Baby, you're not gonna win," Mikaela said softly against his lips.

Jake chose the Rainbow Road for their final race, and she groaned inwardly. It was hard enough to win that race without any distractions, but with Sam's lips on her neck? Winning would be a miracle.

Sam looked around to make sure his younger cousins were watching the TV, and then let his knuckles graze the underside of his girlfriend's breast. He heard her inhale sharply and smirked to himself. Mikaela shifted to get away from his wandering hands and his own breath caught when her hips ground against his own. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her smile and knew she'd heard him.

"Damn it!" Jake threw the controller down when the race was over. "Fine, Mikaela, you are officially the master at Mario Kart!"

Mikaela gloated for several minutes before she handed both controllers to Brady and Shawn and let the younger boys race each other. She and Sam, along with Kyler, Drew, and Jake, made their way to the other side of the den and started talking amongst themselves. It was obvious the wit and sarcasm ran in Sam's family because his cousins were easily as funny as Sam and Ron were. Jake was especially funny with all the crazy voices he kept making.

A while later, Sam's Aunt Brooke leaned her head in the door and hollered for them to come eat. As always, the meal was sure to be a good one. Mikaela had learned at Thanksgiving that the women in Sam's family were amazing cooks. Christmas and Thanksgiving were the only two times of the year where simply enjoying the food was all that mattered. Diets, calorie counting, and all around health consciousness were pushed to the back of the mind for 24 hours.

She was content just to curl into Sam's side when she finished eating. He didn't even complain that he suddenly had to eat one handed when his right arm wrapped around her and his fingers traced patterns into her side. Julianne smiled as she watched her grandson place a tender kiss on the top of his girlfriend's head. Only one other time had she ever seen such a strong love between two people, and that was her and Curtis. As long as they remembered to follow their hearts no matter what, they would someday be watching their own grandchildren falling in love. Of that, she was completely certain.

"Alright kids, who's ready for presents?" Curtis asked his grandchildren some time later when the sun had started to set. The little kids who had started to fall asleep from the combination of the good food and excitement were suddenly wide awake again. Sam and the older boys got up to hand out the gifts to their cousins from the adults that were under the Christmas tree. After they were all handed out, he noticed that his family had even included Mikaela in their gift giving and shot his aunts, uncles, and grandparents a grateful smile for their thoughtfulness. She had an almost embarrassed grin on her face, unable to say a word, but her appreciation and thanks were communicated through her eyes. Tenderly, he took her hand in his when he sat down on the arm of the chair next to her.

As always, they started with the youngest first. Rather than going around in a circle with each of them opening one present at a time, they had decided a few years before to let one kid open all of their gifts before moving on to the next. Each of them had six gifts: one from their five sets of aunt and uncles and one from their grandparents. It was a good 45 minutes before it was finally Sam's turn since he was the third oldest out of 16 cousins. His Uncle James and Aunt Renee got him The Ghost and Mr. Chicken on DVD since they knew it was one of his favorite movies of all time and remembered that he and Jacob used to watch it all the time before DVD players became popular. From other aunts and uncles he received the latest football and baseball games for his Xbox and gift cards to Hollister and various other clothing stores. His grandparents gave him Gone in 60 Seconds, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Taken, Gridiron Gang, and the Fast & the Furious collection all on Blu-Ray. They were some of his favorite movies and he was excited to see what the action movies would look like on his new TV.

Mikaela was absolutely blown away that his aunts and uncles and grandparents had included her in their gift giving. It was, after all, only the second time they had met her. She looked each couple in the eye after opening her gift from them, hoping that they could see in her eyes everything that her heartfelt "thank you" couldn't portray. Dale and Jody also got her a gift card to Hollister. After hearing about how much of a movie buff their nephew and his girlfriend both were, Ron's brother Danny and sister Allie that they and their spouses, Brooke and Todd, had decided to give the young woman a surround system as a joint gift from both couples. The youngest of Ron's siblings, Haley, and her husband Ryan got Mikaela a gift card to American Eagle. The last gift from the siblings was all four books of the Twilight series from Ron's older brother James and his wife Renee, who had used Jacob and Sam's closeness to find out what to get their nephew's girlfriend for Christmas. Julianne and Curtis's gift was easily the most personal of them all. At her mother in law's request, Judy had given Julianne copies of several pictures of the young couple and a scrapbook had been made. Quotes from Mikaela's favorite romance movies, Casablanca and The Notebook the two most dominant, were scrawled on each page and surrounded with photographs. Seeing this, tears immediately clouded Mikaela's eyes and she gave her boyfriend's grandparents an emotional hug before thanking the family profusely one more time. Sam also hugged his grandparents, deeply touched by their gift as well.

Wrapping paper was cleaned up and thrown into a large empty box and then everyone went their separate ways to grab their Secret Santa gifts before meeting back in the living room a few minutes later. Mikaela took her same seat, but sat back and watched as the family that so easily adopted her as a permanent part of their lives after meeting her only once traded gifts. Sam had drawn Kyler's name at Thanksgiving and bought his cousin a LA Dodgers t-shirt and baseball cap. Judy got Weston, Allie and Todd's four-year-old son, a Hot Wheels race track and two packages of Hot Wheels cars. Ron drew Danny and bought him a new barbeque set, knowing how much his oldest brother loved cooking out on the grill. The youngest of the cousins, Jamie, was Sam's Secret Santa and had, with the help of his mom Haley, made him an adorable little pot. Haley's love of pottery was well known among the family, and it was already in the three-year-old's blood. Mikaela's heart swelled at the way Sam acted like the colorful pot was the greatest gift he'd ever received and the resulting ear to ear grin on the little boys face after hearing that. She kissed his cheek when he reclaimed his seat on the arm of the chair and he joined her in watching the interactions. Luke had gotten Judy and, after advice from Sam, bought her a couple of cookbooks that she had been wanting. Curtis was his son's Secret Santa this year and gave him some landscaping books along with a few tools.

Ron, Judy, Sam, and Mikaela left not long after the gift giving was over. It was already after six, they had an hour and a half drive home, and the two teenagers were exhausted and slowly starting to crash. Sam carried Mikaela's sleeping form up to his room when they got home before helping his dad carry in all of the gifts from the back of the Expedition. He wished his parents good night before traipsing up to his room, unbuckling his belt and taking off his shirt as he made his way up the stairs. Just inside the door, Sam kicked off his shoes before changing into a pair of pajama pants and grabbing a tank top and shorts for Mikaela.

"Hi," She smiled sleepily when he pulled her into a sitting position. Mikaela lifted her arms so he could take her shirt off and slide the tank top on. Sam crawled in next to her after her shorts were pulled all the way up.

"Hi baby," A kiss was pressed to her temple and she scooted closer to his body.

"It's not even nine yet," Mikaela laughed softly. "And we're exhausted. Sammy, we're turning into an old married couple and I'm not even legally old enough to drink!"

"'Kaela, we're tired because we only got a few hours of sleep because we stayed up all night having sex and then we had to spend the whole day with my family pretending we weren't exhausted. That's definitely not old married couple," Sam shook his head and smiled as he finished his last statement.

"Good point," She tilted her head up and kissed him. "I love you baby."

"I love you too," Sam wrapped his arms tighter around Mikaela and listened to the sound of her breathing slow before he drifted off to sleep.

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

Mikaela and Sam left on the 29th to head back to the East Coast so they could make it to the New Year's party on the base in New Jersey. They picked Leo and Christian up from the airport in Amarillo, where they flew in from Houston, so the four of them could all go to the party together. The quartet was excited for their cross country road trip. It was just them, no games and no drama. Memories would be made on this trip they would carry with them the rest of their lives and reminisce about when they were older. All they had to worry about was whether or not they wanted to stop for the night and sleep in a hotel and where they were going to eat next. Other than that, they could let go of their inhibitions and just...be.

Sam had decided he was never going on a road trip with Christian and Mikaela ever again. If he had to listen to them belting out *NSYNC or Britney Spears for another six hours he was going to lose his mind.

The first hour hadn't been so bad but by now they had gone through every CD the two artists had ever made. Twice. He felt like he could sing along and not mess up a line. There wasn't even the option of tuning them out by talking to Leo because the jackass had been asleep for the last four hours. It blew Sam's mind that he was able to sleep through the girls singing and not be jarred awake once.

"Mikaela baby I love you but can we please listen to something else? Anything else I don't care," Sam begged.

"Aww but Sammy," She pouted and stuck out her bottom lip knowing Sam couldn't refuse her. "We're having so much fun!" He shook his head and sighed in defeat.

"Fine have your fun. But you so owe me," Mikaela happily smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

Again Sam shook his head but didn't say a word as Circus by Britney Spears started to play. He knew there was really no way he could deny his girlfriend her fun. It had been a while since she had had that carefree smile on her face. Mikaela deserved to let loose and be silly after all she had been through in the last month. He was proud of the way she'd kept her head up and stayed strong throughout everything that had been thrown at her.

Once they got closer to Philadelphia, Mikaela begged Sam to stop by the house so she could see her new car. He'd been keeping it at Andy's house and after they left Andy had taken it to their house and put it in the garage for him. Of course, once she saw it she wanted to drive it. Sam couldn't tell his girlfriend no when she had that excited look on her face, and when they got to New Jersey they arrived in two separate cars. Leo and Christian had taken Bee, who had finally let Leo drive only because the Autobot had known Mikaela's excitement through his scans of his charges.

"What the hell is this?" Will Lennox asked when he saw the second car.

"Will!" Mikaela jumped out of the driver's seat and ran to give him a big hug.

"Sugar Bear!" He picked her up and spun her around. "Hey Sam."

"Good to see you, Will," Sam greeted.

"What the hell is this?" Will repeated after he'd set Mikaela down.

"It's my new car," Mikaela said. "Sam gave it to me for Christmas."

"Damn boy," Will laughed. "You're putting the rest of us to shame!"

"Will, man, it's been a while," Leo joined them and shook the older man's hand.

"Hey Leo," Will finally noticed Christian. "And who is this?"

"This is Christian, my best friend and Leo's girlfriend," Mikaela introduced. "Don't worry, Will. She knows about the big boys."

Will took them around the hangar where the party was, introducing them to anyone they hadn't already met and catching up with the ones they did know. Secretary Keller hadn't arrived yet, and Sam would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous to see the man. The last time they had spoken, they'd just gotten kicked out of the dorm rooms and Keller had been pissed. Maggie and Glen were glad to see them, and Will had to wait on them as they stopped to chat with the other two. Maggie and Glen were both working for the government thanks to all the help they'd been when the Decepticons had hacked the national system before they blew up Mission City. Sam gave them an edited version of the more recent fight in Egypt since they hadn't been involved. Promising to catch up more later that night, Sam and the others moved on to see Robert Epps and his wife. Mikaela heard him say they were expecting their third child, and as a result everyone present took a shot of some kind of liquor to congratulate them since there was no champagne available.

Epps and Will disappeared to the grill a while later. It was blatantly obvious that everyone involved, aside from Epps's wife, would drink way too much alcohol that night so they were grilling hamburgers and hot dogs to make sure they all ate enough to absorb some of the alcohol and keep people from trying to get drunk on an empty stomach. Sam, Mikaela, Christian, and Leo stood by the entrance of the hangar occasionally talking to their two friends while the cooked.

"Don't get too drunk tonight," Sam's breath caught at the sultry smile on Mikaela's face. "We've got a new backseat to break in."

"Ms. Banes, is that really proper language for a young lady such as yourself?" She immediately reddened when they heard the voice behind them. They turned to see Secretary Keller standing behind them.

"Secretary Keller...I...uh...well...um..." Mikaela sputtered before pivoting and quickly ran off to hide behind Christian.

"Am I going to have to keep an eye on the two of you tonight?" Sam saw the twinkle in the older man's eye and knew he was teasing. It was a rare sight to see the Secretary of Defense so relaxed and easygoing.

"As you wish, sir, but you may not want to," Sam quipped and they laughed when Mikaela hissed his name from her hiding place.

"Mr. Witwicky, may I speak to you for a moment?" Keller was instantly back in his more formal role. "This will only take a second, and then we can get back to the party." The two men moved a few feet away from where everyone else was standing.

"Is there something wrong, sir?"

"On the contrary, this is a happier conversation than the last time we spoke," Keller reached into his jacket pocket and handed the younger man a check.

"I don't understand," Sam said in confusion.

"That is for the rent and utilities you have paid since moving into the house. It was never intended for the four of you to support yourselves. That was more for the dean's benefit. I wanted to see how you all would respond to the evictions before I decided whether or not to reimburse you. I have to say, Mr. Witwicky, I am impressed by your resiliency."

"Thank you, sir," He said slightly embarrassed.

"As long as you are in college, you are welcome to live in that house for however long you like. I will personally cover any essential utilities. Satellite, internet, telephone, or anything of the like, you will be responsible for."

"Thank you very much, Secretary Keller. I don't even know what to say."

"No, Sam, thank you. Consider it a late Christmas present. For what you've done for your country, it's the least I can do," Keller smiled conspiratorially. "Besides, I know the homeowner. He's more than willing to allow me to help you."

Sam shook Keller's hand and they went their separate ways. Mikaela hit Sam in the chest for his lewd comment to the older man, and then he recounted the conversation they had just had. Predictably, the other three were just as shocked as Sam was to hear of Secretary Keller's generosity. It wasn't every day that four college students got to live in a rather nice house rent free.

Will snuck away from the grill long enough to tell Mikaela that the rest of the Autobots would be back in an hour or so. Once Will went back to the grill, Mikaela, Christian, and Maggie resumed their conversation about fashion and hot male celebrities. The guys quickly tuned them out once the squealing started and debated over the upcoming NFL playoffs and how they thought their team would do. Leo couldn't help ragging on Glen for his Washington Redskins' poor season while his beloved Dallas Cowboys had won their division easily.

The food was finally ready, and they all laughed at the amount of food Sam put on his plate. Mikaela again subtly reminded him not to get too drunk, to which he replied that it was for stamina and not to absorb the alcohol. Her eyes blazed with desire and he wanted to take her right then, but instead moved back a few feet to gather his thoughts. A smirk appeared on her face when she realized her effect on him, but didn't push it any further.

Back at the table, they joined in on the lighthearted conversation and teasing banter that only existed between close friends. Even though they hadn't seen Maggie or Glen since Mission City, once they were all together it was as if they'd never been separated for any length of time. The battle had forged a tight bond between the four of them that stood the test of time. Mikaela and Maggie talked about how much they wanted to keep in touch now that they'd seen each other again, and traded cell phone numbers because they knew they would forget once the alcohol started flowing.

Christian sat back and watched the way her roommates interacted with everyone. There was a calmness about them she hadn't seen before, and knew it had to do with the way they were able to let their guard down here. Despite the openness of the second battle, what with the worldwide hacking and all, it was still all considered classified and as such, the other three had to be careful of what they said. A big part of Sam and Mikaela's lives had to be kept secret, and also Leo too. To see them be able to talk freely about the Autobots, whom she had yet to meet aside from Sam's car Bumblebee, was an interesting sight. Even their faces were more relaxed, and the childish look on Leo's face was adorable. For as much as he talked to anyone and everyone, it was hard for him to keep a secret and yet he was forced to with this.

They all finished eating, and heard the roar of the engines of a group of several different cars. Instantly, Sam and Mikaela were on their feet and waiting for the other four to join them. Maggie and Glen were a lot like Christian in that they were nervous about meeting the big boys. The only one they'd really ever had to deal with before was Bee. Mikaela was the first outside, and soon joined by the other five of them. They waited to approach them until the Autobots transformed out of their car modes.

"Ratchet!" Aside from Bee, she had always felt closest the mechanic of the Autobots.

"Hello, Mikaela," Ratchet bent down and reached his long metal fingers out to her to hug. "How have you been?"

"It has been good," She answered. "Staying busy with school, that's for sure."

Her attentions turned to Ironhide, who kept playing with his cannons, and chatted with him for a moment. Sam was talking to Optimus from the hand the leader of the Autobots had lowered to raise him up to his chest. Christian and Leo were talking to the twins and from what Mikaela could see of Christian's amused face and Leo's annoyed one, the twins must be making fun of him just like they did in Egypt. From Ironhide, she made her way to Optimus who picked her up in the same hand that held Sam and she curled into her boyfriend's chest. Maggie and Glen took her place talking to Ratchet, and poor Glen looked like he wanted to faint. He still couldn't get used to the existence of the Autobots. It was too comic book fantasy for him.

They all made their way in a circle, taking time to talk to each bot individually. Before long, everyone had formed a circle and were talking about everything and nothing all at once. The humans wanted to know what their Autobot friends had been doing for the last five months, and the bots wanted to know how the fleshlings were handling school or their jobs. The group was an interesting one: the two gorgeous model types, Mikaela and Christian, the dorky boy, Sam, the sci-fi fanatic, Leo, the stunning hacker, Maggie, and the geeky hacker, Glen. Oh, and don't forget the robots either. It didn't matter the paths of life each person had come from, there was a bond between the six of them that couldn't be broken.

"Primus, Mikaela's pheromone levels are off the chart," Ratchet piped up during a lull in the conversation. "They spike every time the boy touches her." Both Mikaela and Sam reddened considerably at the medic's revelation. The four others laughed hysterically at their embarrassment. They had all heard the story of the first meeting between the two teenagers and the Autobots, but it paled in comparison to actually seeing it happen firsthand.

"Ratchet, do you always have to do that?" Sam exasperatedly asked.

"I am trained to warn of abnormalities when I do a health scan."

"I assure you, it is no abnormality," Christian supplied and was rewarded with a dirty look from Mikaela. "What? Everyone here knows you two shag like rabbits. It's written all over your face."

"And when I get that feeling, I want sexual healing," The voice of Marvin Gaye flowed through Bumblebee's speakers.

"Damn it, Bee, do you have to egg them on?" A new round of laughter sounded at Mikaela's embarrassed tone. Bumblebee smiled in that way only a robot could.

Fortunately, nobody poked fun at Sam or Mikaela anymore after that. The party was full swing inside, and they soon joined the rest of their friends inside. Seeing Secretary Keller with a beer was a shock initially, but they'd learned by then not to be surprised by anything that man did. Just when they had him figured out, he threw them a curveball and they had to start all over again.

Somebody had a football and, as per usual with a bunch of guys, there was soon a fierce six-on-six game in progress. Mikaela knew if Ratchet scanned her now he would throw a fit at her pheromone levels. Watching Sam play football and getting all sweaty was an insane turn on. It wasn't something he did that often so it was a thrill to see. Christian kept giving her knowing looks from the chair she was sitting in next to her.

"Hell, Mik, you're such a horn ball," Christian laughed. "You want him so bad I can hear your thoughts."

"Do me a favor, Chris," Mikaela smiled evilly. "Keep everyone away from the car. And don't let Ratchet do any more scans!" She waited for the guys to stop playing momentarily before she grabbed Sam by the sleeve of his t-shirt and told the others to find someone to replace him.

"I didn't do it!" He exclaimed thinking he was in trouble for something.

"That's why you have a guilty conscience?" She waited until they were around the side of the building where the cars were before she pushed him up against the wall and pressed her lips to his. His mouth enthusiastically responded and she felt him tremble when her tongue sensually slid across his bottom lip.

"I'm all for making out with you," He smiled sheepishly. "But what brought this on?"

"I want you," Mikaela leaned in and kissed him one more time before dragging him off in the direction of her Camaro.

"Now?" Sam's voice cracked and she would've laughed if she wasn't so preoccupied with getting him in the damn car.

"It's dark. Nobody will come to the car," She looked back at him wickedly when she stopped at the door to unlock it. "And you know you want it."

"You realize everybody knows why you dragged me away?"

"I don't give a damn," Mikaela shrugged and unceremoniously pushed him into the backseat.

"Ooh, I like it when you're rough," Sam wasn't kidding if the bulge in his pants was any indication.

The door was barely shut before she was on his lap trying to undo his belt. When it became clear she was too impatient to slow down, he pushed her hands out of the way and undid his belt. He stopped her before she pulled his pants and boxers to his knees so he could get the condom from his wallet and slide it on while she yanked his pants down. At least she was wearing a skirt. That part made it easier. It was when he slid his hand up the inside of her leg and realized that she wasn't wearing any underwear that he knew this had been planned.

Mikaela wasted no time in hiking her skirt up just enough that she could lower herself onto him and he hissed at the quickness. The last time they'd made love, Christmas Eve night, had been both slow and fast but not this rushed. It was like she thought she'd die if she didn't have him right then. He hadn't been lying when he said he liked her roughness. There was nothing Sam liked more than her taking complete control the way she was now. All he had to do was hold onto her hips and let her do the rest.

One look in his eyes that were alight with want and need had her lips crashing down on his almost painfully. Mikaela grabbed his lip with her teeth to make him part his lips and her tongue greedily found its way into his mouth. Sam could feel in her kiss that she was so turned on there was no way this would last long. He kissed back with just as much fervor and felt her moan. Her hands found the top of the seat and held on as she began to move faster on top of him.

"Mikaela," He rasped. The sound of his voice traveled down to her core. She felt him begin to move against her and threw her head back in pleasure. Moonlight shone inside the car and lit her face up in such a way when she tilted her head that Sam almost lost it. Lips instantly attacked her neck, drawing those sexy little mewls from deep in her throat that drove him insane.

"Oh, Sam," Mikaela let go of the seat with one of her hands to weave her fingers through his hair and tug just enough that he growled against the sensitive skin on her neck. His own pace increased just as she felt her orgasm overtake her and her walls tightened around him. She continued to ride him until his muscles tensed and he let out a guttural moan signaling his own release. Still she rocked against his hips until both of them went limp and she fell against his chest.

"I can't believe we just did that," Sam said huskily.

"Couldn't help myself," Mikaela smiled tiredly and kissed him one more time.

"We need to get back," Not that he wanted to leave the position they were in, but better to leave now than have someone come looking for them. She leaned over the center console to get some tissues along with a thong, further reinforcing that she'd had this all planned out. While he cleaned himself off and took off the condom, she slipped the skimpy underwear on and readjusted her shirt. His pants were soon back up to his waist and buckled, and they both stepped out of the car. Knowing grins were on the faces of everyone at the party when they went back around the side of the building.

"So much for keeping an eye on the two of you," Secretary Keller rolled his eyes in mock exasperation and caused the whole party to go into an uproar.

"In all fairness, I did say you probably wouldn't want to," Sam joked.

"Samuel James Witwicky, I know I raised you better than to talk about your sex life with the Secretary of Defense of all people!" Judy spoke from behind the couple.

"Uh..h-hi mom," Sam smiled sheepishly. He could see Mikaela try to slink away out of the corner of his eye and slid his arm around her waist. If he had to go through this awkward conversation, she was going to stand by his hide and suffer through it as well. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Will called. Said we should come to the party too," He caught his mom's knowing look. Mikaela's head was still buried in his shoulder from embarrassment and he was relieved that she missed the look.

Since the guys were done with their football game and it was dark out, the party migrated inside the building where someone had hooked up a stereo and set up a makeshift dance floor which was just a big square area blocked off by four chairs with a rope tied through them. Christian and Mikaela shared a smile and pulled both of their boyfriends to the dance floor when a popular top 40 song started playing. He pulled her back to his chest and their fluid movements took over any thoughts they may have had. So in tune with each other were they that there was no need to wonder what the other was thinking. Sam always knew when she was going to grind her ass against his crotch like she was doing right then and Mikaela could always tell when he was about to lift one hand to the hair on the back of his head and then cover her other hand with his own and run it down her chest through her breasts to rest on her hip. She turned so they were standing chest to chest and slid down until her ass almost touched the floor and then lifted herself back up just as slowly.

When the song was over, neither of them moved for several minutes while they waited for their racing hearts to slow down. Sam knew if they kept at it like this he would be the one dragging her to the car. Epps came up to them seconds later and asked Mikaela to dance since they hadn't had much of a chance to talk to each other one on one and catch up. Sam handed his girlfriend off to the Master Sergeant and kissed her cheek before going off in search of Will.

Mikaela was happy to spend time with Epps. He was a great guy and always made her laugh. She wished his two kids were there because his little boy and little girl were the most adorable kids she'd ever seen. If there was one boy she'd dance with all night, it would be his little boy, Adrian. He was telling her all about them and the hilarious things only kids could do. She was listening intently, loving the cute stories, until she saw Sam walk back in the hangar to where he and Will had been standing. She hadn't even realized he had left. Intrigued, she watched them talk among themselves. Whatever they were talking about must have been something important nobody else was meant to know because they were standing far away from anyone else and close enough to each other that it was obvious they were talking softly to keep from being overheard. Sam handed something to Will, but she couldn't tell what it was because they were careful to keep it hidden. They tried not to be obvious about glancing over at her, but she was watching them intently and noticed every time they did.

"Go on, girl," Epps laughed when the song was over. "Go back to your man. I know you haven't heard a word I've said in the last few minutes." Mikaela smiled apologetically before walking over to her boyfriend and Will.

"Hey baby," She snuck up behind Sam and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Maggie, I told you not here. Mikaela might see," Will's eyes bugged at Sam's annoyed tone and the look accompanying shocked look on Mikaela's face. Sam turned around and caught his girlfriend's eyes before a crooked grin appeared on his face. "Don't look at me like that, 'Kaela. You know I love you."

"You jerk," She laughed and pecked him on the lips. "What are you boys talking about?"

"School," Sam said at the same time Will said "football." They looked at each other trying to silently communicate what they were supposed to say.

"Both of you are horrible liars."

"It's just guy stuff, Mikaela," Will finally answered. She didn't believe him, but knew she wasn't going to get a better answer from either of them. "Come dance with me, Sugar Bear. It's not much longer until midnight and then you can be with your boyfriend."

They stopped to talk to his wife on the way to the dance floor while they waited for the fast song that was currently playing to end. Mikaela hadn't yet talked to Sarah that night, and they soon got carried away with all the things girls talk about. Will joked that if they didn't hurry up he would be the one kissing Mikaela at midnight, a tactic he knew would get them to stop talking.

"How are you doing, Mikaela?" She didn't like the serious tone of his voice. "Sam told me everything that's happened since Thanksgiving."

"I'm doing okay. Sam's been amazing through it all."

"You should've called me after the party. I would've taken care of it."

"I know, Will, but I just wanted to forget about it."

"That bastard should've gotten far worse than just his ass kicked."

"Will, it's okay. Really. Sam stopped him before anything happened."

"Just promise me you'll be more careful," The look in his eyes was pleading. "I know it wasn't your fault, but still."

"I promise, Will," Mikaela felt him look over her shoulder.

"You know he hasn't taken his eyes off you the whole time we've been over here," He laughed at the shy smile on her face and turned their bodies so she could see for herself. The song soon ended and Will led her by the hand back to where Sam was standing and Sarah came and joined them as well. The two women picked up where there earlier conversation left off.

Twenty minutes later, Epps shouted over the music that there was only ten minutes left before midnight and ordered everyone to come closer. A tight circle formed and red and blue jell-o shots were passed around. Mikaela was curious when Sam refused his, but didn't say a word. She thought back over the night, and knew he'd only had one or two beers early on but nothing except water since. He shrugged when she looked at him, but wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. Everyone but him raised their shots in the air and said a cheer for a happy New Year before tossing them back. Again she saw something pass between them, this time from Will back to Sam, but she still couldn't tell what it was.

Anticipation hung in the air as the clock ticked closer to midnight. One of Will's guys had finally turned on the TV they'd brought in and hooked up so they could watch the ball drop. Mikaela clung to Sam's stomach as they watched. Her favorite part about New Year's was getting to kiss Sam. The fact that they had run off to have sex earlier didn't even matter. She was ringing in the new year by kissing the man of her dreams. What could possibly be better than that? Sam pulled her in closer to him when the clock hit 11:59. He played with her hair as they both stood there waiting.

Sam tenderly held Mikaela's face in his hands as all of their friends began to count down the final ten seconds.

"10..."

"9..."

"8..."

"7..."

"6..."

"5..."

Sam looked down into the bright blue eyes that made him melt every time.

"4..."

Mikaela stepped forward so there was less than an inch between their bodies.

"3..."

He brushed a lock of hair from her face.

"2..."

She smiled lovingly up at him.

"1..."

He dropped to one knee.

All around them people were shouting "Happy New Year's!" and couples were sharing their first kiss of the new year, but all Mikaela could focus on was Sam reaching for her hand. She gasped when she realized this was really happening. Everyone turned to see what was going on, but all the couple saw was each other.

"You're my first everything. My first crush when I was seven. My first girlfriend. My first kiss. My first time. My first love. Mikaela baby, I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone. These two and a half years with you have been the best of my life. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, start a family, and grow old together," Sam pulled a velvet box from his pocket and opened it to show her the most gorgeous ring she'd ever seen. "You've been my first everything, and now I'm asking you to be my last. Mikaela, will you marry me?"

"Oh my God Sam," Tears fell down her cheeks from his proposal. "Yes, you doofus, yes!" Sam slipped the ring on her finger before getting back up and giving her the biggest smile she'd ever seen on his face. Her arms flew around his neck and she tilted her head up to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and twirled them around.

"I love you," He pressed a quick kiss to her lips after each word and finally set her back down.

"I love you too," The need to touch him overcame her with such force it almost knocked her to her knees. Her fingers found his face and trailed over every inch of it.

It was then they heard the cheers and the clapping that surrounded them. Mikaela saw Christian's face first, then Leo's, then Epps's, and finally Will's. Everyone else faded in around them. There were looks of surprise and happiness on each face with the exception of Will. His face glowed with happiness for the woman he considered his little sister.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Will spoke up in that commanding voice he had. "Allow me to introduce to you the future Mr. and Mrs. Sam Witwicky." He reached under one of the tables and brought out two bottles of champagne that had been stored on ice and hidden from view. Before long, glasses of champagne were raised in the air as everyone congratulated the couple on their engagement.

"You knew, didn't you?" Mikaela sidled up next to Will and Sarah.

"Yep," Will answered. "Sam told me what he was planning when he called last week to let me know you guys would be here."

"That's why he wanted to be the one to call," She winked at Sam who was watching her from where he stood talking to Secretary Keller.

"Mikaela!" Christian tackled her in a big hug. "Oh my God, Mik! Congratulations!"

"Thanks Chris," She hugged her best friend back with just as much force. Christian grabbed her hand to look at the ring and whistled. The ring itself was simple but gorgeous, and exactly what Mikaela had always dreamed her engagement ring would look like. It had a single 1/4 carat diamond with ten smaller diamonds set into the band itself, five on each side of the center stone.

"Wow, he really nailed it didn't he?" Both girls had spent many a night talking about their dream wedding, thus Christian knowing exactly what Mikaela wanted.

"That's my baby," She gave her friend one more hug. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've been away from him long enough." Sam's eyes lit up when Mikaela came back to him. Without pausing in what he was saying, her body soon melded to his and her head rested against his shoulder.

"Sammy, I'm so proud of you!" His mom ran up to them and Mikaela was just barely able to jump out of the way before Judy wrapped her son in a tight hug.

"Thanks mom," Sam kissed her on the cheek and then gave his dad a hug when Judy moved to Mikaela.

"Will called us, and told us you were planning to propose," Judy smacked her son on the chest. "You didn't think it was important to tell us?"

"I'm sorry. I was so busy trying to think of the perfect way to ask her. I meant to ask you and then I completely forgot."

"I figured you would, that's why I called," Will joined their little circle. "I remember what I was like when I was about to propose to Sarah, and thought you might be the same way."

They talked with Will and his parents for a little longer until the adults decided to give Sam and Mikaela time alone. The effort was futile, however, because they weren't alone for very long. Mikaela played with the collar of his shirt while he talked to Eric and Joe, a couple of guys on base with Will, about the pros of having a robot for a car. They couldn't imagine the advantages of having a car that never had to be worked on and didn't need gas. Sam managed to share a few of the downsides of a car that had a mind of its own. The incident when Bee had played the wrong type of love song when he asked Mikaela to dance came to mind, and the guys laughed uproariously when Sam shared the story.

Soon the guys congratulated the happy couple and stepped away to let them finally be alone. Sam told her to go talk to Christian again for a second before excusing himself and jogging out to the car. Mikaela stared after him in confusion, but went back to where Christian and Leo were sitting anyway. She shrugged her shoulders when Leo asked where Sam ran off to, but didn't say a word. Leo turned back to his girlfriend and they went back to talking about whatever they had been before she'd momentarily interrupted them.

Sam came back a couple minutes later and pulled Mikaela to the now empty dance floor. He stopped to put the CD he'd gotten from her car in the stereo and then led her to the center of the floor. The chords of a song she'd never heard before flowed from the speakers as he put his hands on her waist.

I've seen the storm clouds in your past

But rest assured, 'cause you are safe at home at last

I rescued you, you rescued me

And we're right where we should be when we're together

Mikaela swayed along with him as he softly sang the words to her. The pure emotion in his eyes was enough to make her knees weak, but his strong arms held her up.

I know the questions in your mind

But go ahead and ask me one more time

You'll find the answer's still the same

It won't change from day to day for worse or better

Will I promise to be your best friend

And am I here until the end

Can I be sure I have been waiting for you

And did I say my love is true

Baby I will, I am, I can, I have, I do

His eyes never wavered from hers as they dance. Sam still couldn't believe she had said yes. The times they had talked about it, Mikaela had always promised her answer was yes but it was always something they'd talked about as part of their future. Now it was their present, their now, and he still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that this beautiful, amazing, stunning woman wanted to marry him.

I know the time will disappear

But this love we're building on will always be here

No way that this is sinking sand

On this solid rock we'll stand forever

Mikaela had never been happier in her life than she was at that moment standing in his arms. The whole night she'd been looking forward to kissing him at midnight, and she'd never imagined that instead of kissing him he'd be down on one knee asking her to spend forever with him.

"You know, you're wearing your lucky boxers," Mikaela teased as the song ended.

"I needed all the luck I could get," Sam grinned sheepishly.

"Baby, you didn't need luck," She stood on her tip toes to peck his lips. "You had my heart."

"And you have mine," He looked into her eyes. "Forever."