Lesson in Living

Chapter 7

PART THREE

By Starath

Casey hustled to keep up with the twins as they darted between tables in the food court. Her constant giggling made it hard to keep her breath at the same time. She spotted Megatron's silver head first and took the opportunity to make faces behind his back. When she rounded the corner, Kari saw her and waved. Casey waved in return. Rumble and Frenzy were leaning on their father's shoulders by the time she arrived at the table.

"Here she is!" announced Frenzy with a grin.

"We found her by the Transformers toys." said Rumble, also grinning.

Casey tried to hold her breath, choked, and ended up laughing all over again.

Starscream arched a dark eyebrow. "Is there some joke you'd like to share with us?"

She shook her head, struggling to compose herself while everyone stared. "I'll… tell you boys later. Hi Stephan. Hi Kari."

"Casey!" Kari tackled her in a hug. "It's been FOREVER since we went shopping together! Why didn't you tell me you'd be here?"

Casey staggered and cast a glare at Bryan and Megatron. "This wasn't planned."

Bryan inspected his pile of Taco Bell wrappings. Megatron just smirked.

"So I heard." Stephan laughed, a tinkle of merriment that could have come from a fairy, not a young man. "I was discussing some shopping with your friends here."

While she hugged Kari, Casey looked over the Decepticons. Except for Soundwave, she could tell they were confused by Stephan's presence. Not that she could blame them— Stephan took some getting used to. Today he looked much like he had the day Kari introduced her to him: His hair was dyed purple, for starters, and it was hardly contained under a bright red hat. He had a chain connecting a lip ring to his right ear for reasons Casey never understood. As usual, his clothing was a strange (yet fashionable) combination of a short-sleeved button-up shirt, dress pants and fish net gloves.

"Shopping?" She asked.

"Yeah! Guy shopping. I thought I could take your friends for awhile so you had time with Kari and Bryan."

"Uh… what would you go shopping for?"

Stephan shrugged. "I dunno. Something fun." He eyed Megatron. "I'm thinking black leather for you, Micheal."

Megatron frowned. "Really…?"

"I don't think that's a good idea." said Casey.

Stephan pouted. "Why nooot?"

Because I'm not letting Decepticons loose with someone they don't know! "I'm not sure these guys would be interested in clothes shopping." She kicked under the table. "Right, Bryan?"

He jumped. "Ow! Oh, er, yeah. They might like army surplus shopping better."

Starscream snorted. "Is that a feeble joke?"

"If it's army stuff they like, I'm sure we could find some." said Stephan. "We are at the Mall of America, after all!"

Casey's mind whirled. She planted both feet down and pulled away from Kari's hug. "Seriously, I don't think—"

Megatron sat back from the table. "We'll go."

Automatically Starscream and Soundwave stood with him. Stephan bounced up, clapping his hands with excitement. "Terrific! I know just where to start. Kari, I'll call you when we're done. Come along, guys!" He flounced off without waiting for them.

"Hey, what about us?" The twins demanded at the same time.

Soundwave paused and fished a twenty-dollar bill out from under his raggedy blue hat. He gave it to Rumble. "Remain with Casey and her friends. Do not utilize that all at once."

"Cool! Real money!"

"Thanks Dad!"

Casey felt the ground tilt and held onto a chair for balance. The soft taco she'd eaten earlier threatened to show up again. With focused effort she marched after Megatron and grabbed the corner of his gunmetal grey jacket. "Now wait just a minute!"

He turned so quickly he might have struck her if she hadn't moved out of the way. "Do you have issue with my decision?"

"Yes! Of course I do!" Luckily Casey's frantic voice could hardly be heard over the noise of the food court. Soundwave and Starscream had already followed Stephan down the main walkway. "You don't know Stephan and I don't trust you to be in public without me!"

"You don't trust me? What could we possibly do here?"

"I don't know! You're Decepticons! You need supervision!"

Megatron exhaled loudly and spoke slowly, as if speaking to a small child. "Setting aside all other instances we have been in public without you, we are not as reckless as you think, nor are we sparklings. And whether or not you trust me is immaterial. This 'Stephan' human merely intrigues me."

"You're doing this to spite me."

The all-to-familiar smirk returned. "Possibly."

Casey shut her eyes to block out the sight of the moving floor. She started to sway but forced herself upright. "Just… please behave."

His smirk lessened a bit. "If it eases your panic, I give you my word of honor that we will behave."

"Hey leader, we're waaaaiting for you!"

Of course Starscream's voice would carry so clearly over the crowd, Casey thought, and opened her eyes in time to see Megatron leaving her.

"And yes, I do have my honor," he said over his shoulder. "On occasion."

As they left the food court, Casey kicked an empty water bottle. It rolled across the carpeted floor and thumped against a bench. As she walked by it, she scooped it up and dropped it into a recycling bin.

"I can't believe I let him go."

Bryan slid up beside her and gave her a nudge with his elbow. "Hey, they'll be okay. What's the worst that could happen?"

"I can think of a few million things. Stop saying that. You're tempting fate."

Frenzy pushed his way in between them, nonchalantly bumping Bryan out of the way. "Don't worry Baby, if Meg- er, Michael gave you his word, it's good."

Bryan frowned at him, adjusting his glasses back in place. "What he said."

Kari rubbed her chin in thought. "Something bothers me about your Uncle Mike."

"Besides his ego?"

"Well, yeah. Besides that. It's just that… listening to him earlier, I realized he sounds familiar."

Casey stopped in her tracks so fast Rumble ran into her. She traded startled glances with Bryan and the Cassetticon twins. "He does…?"

"Uh huh. Maverick too. Walker… sort of. I can't pinpoint it."

Frenzy opened his mouth to say something, then snapped it shut when his brother shook his head and made the 'closed zipper' imitation.

"Maybe it's a coincidence?" suggested Bryan.

"Yeah, but all three?" Kari turned so she could walk backward, facing her friends while occasionally looking over her shoulder to see where she was going. She pointed at the twins. "You too, now that I think about it."

"Er… we're nothin' special." said Rumble quickly.

"Yeah! Just two perfectly ordinary, ah… identical twins!" added Frenzy. He hopped up to reach Casey's ear and whispered, "Does she know about us?"

She nodded and kept herself from dragging a hand down her face. She had been the one who introduced Kari to Transformers when they met two years prior. Kari had become an instant fangirl. Normally this wouldn't be a problem. In fact, it was quite fun. Casey was known to be a fangirl herself, but actually living with Decepticons had worn the shiny finish off any idealistic daydreams she used to have. Reality had a way of doing that.

"Howcome you two are so identical, anyway?" Kari asked them.

"Uh…" Rumble looked at his brother.

"Dad musta gotten lucky!" said Frenzy.

"Yeah! He takes good care of us."

"'Cept for the whole 'Eject' and—"

"COUGHtoomuchinformationCOUGH." interrupted Bryan.

Frenzy halted mid-sentence and zipped his lips shut again. Kari stared at them.

"What? I had something in my throat." Bryan coughed for emphasis.

A sweet scent ran up and smacked into Rumble's nose. It startled him at first, but his eyes widened. He followed it to the entrance of a candle shop. Poised on the threshold, he breathed in a hundred smells at once, suddenly interested in them all. Frenzy's nose was also assaulted by a scent that seemed to have sought him out. He joined his brother at the store's entrance. They lifted their sunglasses at the same time. Row after row of candles in every imaginable color lined the walls and display bins. A few customers looked at them in distaste for sniffing so loudly.

"Whoa! So many smells!"

"They all smell so good!"

"I'm getting hungry for some reason!"

Kari blinked. "It's just a candle shop, guys."

Rumble stopped sniffing long enough to face her. "We've never been in one before."

"Really? You can go in, you know."

They needed no further encouragement. Casey and Bryan watched the twins go from bin to bin, smelling every candle that fancied their nose. While Kari looked at candles that interested her, Bryan spoke to Casey.

"Why are they so excited?"

She smiled. "Human senses are still new to them."

"Bro! This green one smells like all those trees we got stuck in that one time!"

"Oooh, it does. This one smells like Star's strawberry jam we put on toast!"

"Wonder if they taste good too?"

Kari plucked the red candle out of Frenzy's hand. "No, they don't. Candles aren't for eating. Don't you know anything?"

"Aw, then why's it smell so good?"

Bryan laughed. "So they've been discovering stuff like this since they got here?"

"Pretty much. A warm meal and a fuzzy blanket were novelties to them. They all get interested by things we take for granted."

"Have they had dreams too?"

Casey delicately sniffed a candle scented like lilacs. "Megatron has. I don't know about the others."

"Hey Star?" called Rumble.

"Yes, uh, Elwood?"

"There's lots of them that smell like food. Is there a pizza one too?"

She giggled. "Doubtful, but you can ask."

Frenzy approached them, holding a blue candle in one hand and a yellow candle in the other. His amber-brown eyes sparkled. He could have been a child in a candy store. "Star, howcome the smells match colors?"

"Huh? Oh, it's because certain colors are associated with things that smell like them. That's why this blue one—" she took it from him and sniffed it, "smells like the ocean. Because the ocean is blue too."

"And this one? It smells like that fruit we pretend to shoot each other with?" he shoved it under her nose.

She gently pushed his hand away. "Yellow like a banana, yes. Be sure to put that back where it belongs."

"Okay!"

Bryan flashed off a picture when Frenzy joined his brother by the wall display. "This is fun to watch."

Kari joined them in watching the twins. She tossed her hair and cocked her hips so she could lean against the table.

"What's with these punk teens? You'd think we were in a porn shop, not a candle store. Elwood really did ask if they had a pizza-scented candle. It's like they've never used their sense of smell before."

"Maybe they haven't?" suggested Casey, and added a half-truth. "They're used to big city living, so this kind of thing is new to them."

"What, have they been living in a box?"

"Maybe." said Bryan, "If by box you mean cassette player. Then yes, they have been living in a box."

"Whatever…"

Casey choked on her laughter and willed a straight face. "Hey boys, hurry up, okay?"

The twins were huddled around a particular display, debating with each other. Eventually an agreement must have been reached, because they selected a small brown candle in a glass jar. Rumble went to the check-out counter with it. Kari frowned and brushed hair out of her eyes.

"See, this is weird. They're buying a candle."

Bryan grinned behind his camera as he took another picture. "Guys can like candles too."

"Star! Hey Star!"

"Look what we got!"

Casey moved outside so they wouldn't annoy the customers anymore. Everyone followed her out. Rumble and Frenzy bounced from side to side, too excited to keep still. She couldn't stop smiling at them. Who could guess that these two happy teenagers were Decepticon warriors?

Frenzy opened the lid to the candle's jar and held it up for everyone to smell. "Isn't it good?"

Casey, Bryan and Kari didn't need to get very close to get a whiff of the scent. It was the kind of sweet smell that settled into your mouth and made your teeth fall out.

"Oh my," said Casey. "Very good. Like cookies."

"It's cinn-a-mon and sugar." Frenzy read the label and beamed proudly.

"When we get home can you make cookies that smell this good?" asked Rumble.

"Um, not today," said Casey, and hugged them both when their beefy shoulders drooped. "Maybe someday soon, though."

"Awesome! I bet Dad will like them."

"Screamer too."

"I dunno if the Boss will like them. Would Megatron like cookies?"

Kari made a strangled noise. She backed away from the twins, her eyes growing round and as big as Peterbilt truck tires. She did a frantic dance in place with her hands clasped to her chest. "That's IT!" she squealed.

The twins froze. "Oops…"

"You two are— you sound like— OhmyGod— what are the Cassettes called— Laserbeak and— nowait— Rumble and Frenzy!" she wheezed. "OhmyGOD you're REAL!"

"Uh…"

"It makes sense now! Your Dad is— um— Shockwave?"

"Hey, it's not ol' one-optic, it's Sound—"

"Soundwave! That's right! I get them confused."

By now Kari had attracted attention from fellow mall-goers, who were thinking she was either inventing a new dance routine or having a seizure. Casey grabbed her arm and pulled her against the wall.

"Kari, cool it. You're scaring people, and this isn't the place to freak out."

"Yeah, they can't be—" Bryan started to say, but logic couldn't stop a girl in full swing of a fangirl spazz. Kari's face drained of all color.

"OhmyGod. Oh. My. God. I can't believe it. I threatened HIM."

"Who?"

"Your Uncle Mike! He's— OhmyGod— he's Megatron, right? When he made you upset last week I threatened him! But oh God, he's Megatron! He's not going to kill me in my sleep, is he?"

"I don't think so…" Casey helped her friend stand up. "What'd you threaten him with, anyway?"

"Um…" The color in Kari's face came back as a healthy shade of red. "I made an analogy that involved removing important nuts from bolts."

"…You didn't."

"I did!"

The Cassetticon twins staggered against each other, their candle forgotten on the floor as they howled with laughter.

"You shudda seen the look on his face, Star!"

"She was dead serious and he believed her!"

"No wonder he apologized," Casey said dryly. She rapped on Bryan's arm. "Stop laughing. I need you to maintain order."

"You threatened Megatron?" He managed to ask, "And got away with it?"

"I didn't know who he was at the time! I thought he was Casey's asshole Uncle!"

This inspired even more laughter. People walking by frowned or smiled at them. A few were annoyed to have to walk around them. Casey gave up trying to keep Kari quiet and leaned against the wall, suddenly too tired to find anything amusing at all. Sure, they could laugh at it… but they didn't live with the real Decepticons. Kari startled her with another sound that was some sort of combination between a squeak and a giggle-fit.

"Wait… then Maverick is—" Kari looked at Casey with the most disturbing set of pleading eyes she'd ever seen. "Is he really—?"

"Yes," Casey sighed, and plugged her ears. "He's Starscream."

"OHMYGOD EEEEE!"

The Cassetticons abruptly stopped laughing to hug each other for protection. Kari bounced around in circles, squeaking and flailing as she did so. Bryan wiped his eyes clear of tears and replaced his glasses.

"Seeker fangirl?"

"Seeker fangirl."

"Aren't you one too?"

"I used to be. 'Til I met the guy."

Frenzy retrieved the dropped candle and put it back into its shopping bag. "Star, is she one of those crazy people you told us to stay away from?"

"Yeah. But she's mostly harmless." Casey felt like sitting, so she did, right on the floor.

"OhmyGOD ohmyGOD I get to meet Starscream! Technically, I already met him!" Sparkling pink stars flew around Kari as she clasped her hands together, talking to the ceiling. "He's soooo handsome as a human! Why didn't I see it before? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it was supposed to be a secret. Keep your voice down, please."

"Bryan, did you know about this already?"

"Uh, yeah. But only because Megatron answered her phone."

"Did you freak out too?"

"Kinda. I certainly confused him, anyway."

Kari seemed to finally realize that Casey was sitting on the floor instead of standing. "Why are they with you?"

"I'm their comrade-in-arms."

"Huh?"

Frenzy slid his sunglasses back over his eyes and frowned at her. "It's a secret."

"Yeah, no more questions about that." Rumble mirrored his brother's movement and expression. They stood on either side of Casey like bodyguards, immediately all business.

Kari's excitement subsided and she stepped back. "Okay, okay. Gee Casey, you've been looking after five Decepticons all by yourself?"

"Yeah…"

"Wow."

"That's what I said," Bryan nodded in shared sentiment.

"You poor dear! No wonder you've been so tired." Kari snapped her fingers and offered her hand to help Casey up. "Come on. I know just the thing to cheer you up."

Casey didn't move. "Do I have to? I'm comfy."

"Yes, of course silly. C'mon, up! Otherwise I'm sure the boys will carry you."

She quickly stood when they leaned down to grab her arms. "Alright, I'm up."

"Great!" Kari bounced in place. "Follow me. On the way there, I want to hear all about this situation of yours. This would make a great fanfic, you know!"

"Yeah, but who'd believe it?"

By the time they got to the mall's first floor, Casey had hardly covered her first meeting with the Decepticons. She found it strange that they had come into her life only two weeks ago, but for some reason it felt like much longer than that. Following the train of thought, Casey realized that the Decepticons weren't as bad now as they had been when she met them. If not for their true origins, they would have been like five normal people. Of course, they weren't normal, by any stretch of the imagination. If they had been, there would have been no reason for them to be with her in the first place. But did that mean that these Decepticons— Transformers from another planet— were just like regular people from Earth? Casey mulled over the idea, watching Rumble and Frenzy tease Bryan by stealing his camera. Yes. They were. Take away the need for war (and their ability to transform) and the Decepticons were just like everybody else, in a way. She found the idea comforting.

It made dealing with them more manageable when she thought of it that way. They had caused her a great deal of stress during these past two weeks. Some of it was because of personality issues with Megatron, but most of the stress came from taking care of robots who simply didn't know enough things about being human. But they had learned quickly enough. Now it was just a matter of interacting with them on a daily basis. They were active, ambitious people to begin with. Well, most of them. Soundwave was always the exception since he seemed content most of the time. A question came to her: Would she have been better off without them? Casey surprised herself by tossing the thought aside. Considering that was not an option. Despite all the trouble, she wouldn't trade these experiences for the world. They'd certainly made her life more interesting, at least. Kari was of the same mind.

"If you ask me, you needed some excitement in your life. You never do anything fun."

"I'm a working college student. There isn't time for fun."

"Nonsense! Look at us now. Isn't this fun?"

"I guess. Aren't you going to tell me where we're going yet?"

"Nope! Close your eyes. We'll lead you the rest of the way."

"Kari…"

"I could carry her for you." volunteered Frenzy. "Backwards. So she can't see ahead."

Casey's mouth opened in protest. She ran behind Bryan to hide when Frenzy took a step toward her. The twins chuckled mischievously. She huffed, shut her eyes and held onto Bryan's arm.

"Fine. Just don't let me run into any garbage cans."

A few minutes later Casey heard Rumble (or maybe it was Frenzy) say, "Hey, we've been here before."

"Shhh!" Kari took Casey's hand, pulled her forward, and positioned her friend just the way she wanted. "Okay, you can open them now. We're going to help you make one."

Casey did so and gasped. She read the Build-a-Bear Workshop sign over five times before she started squeaking in glee. "Really? I can have one?" Her squeaking stopped. "Won't it be expensive? I made one once and it cost—"

"I don't care. I'm buying." Kari shoved her through the entrance. "You're going to have some fun and forget about everything for awhile."

Luckily it was that time of day when the waiting line wasn't very long. The twins lifted their sunglasses and perched them on top of their heads. They examined the store's displays and brightly colored walls. It was kind of odd that Starflight would like this place if she was an undercover Decepticon agent. But then, she was a femme.

"So… What's this place for?" Rumble asked.

Casey squirmed with impatience. "You make your own stuffed toy here. You pick which one you want, get it stuffed, dressed up, and bring it home."

"There's sound effects too," Bryan said, pointing out the red and blue display full of little cupboards with numbers on them.

"Yeah, but I prefer toys that don't talk to me."

The line moved closer to the toy bins. A little girl in front of them eagerly chose a white and brown puppy. She told her mother that the puppy's name was Daisy, and that she was going to be a ballerina.

Frenzy made a face. If this made Starflight happy, he'd go along with it. "Which one do you want, Star?"

"Um…" She moved from bin to bin, scrutinizing each toy that sat on a pedestal above its matching bin. She liked the puppy, but its proportions were awkward. The leopard was the wrong shade of yellow-brown, now that she saw it up close. The husky was cute, but its head was cocked at an odd angle. The frog was… too green and weird. She went back and forth, trying to decide. Frenzy noticed she lingered over one bin in particular. He pulled out a limp form of a black teddy bear.

"What about this one? You like bears, right? You have a hundred in your room."

Casey frowned. "And how would you know that?"

"Uh… your bedroom door was open once."

"Funny, because I always keep it shut." Casey ran her fingers over the black bear's velvety nose. His eyes were spaced perfectly apart and he had a nice smile on his brown muzzle. She took the floppy toy from Frenzy and hugged it. "I'll pick this one."

He puffed up and smiled as if he had given her the universe's greatest gift. Rumble just sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Hey Elwood?"

"Uh, yeah?" He blinked at Casey. She pointed to a basket attached to the machine that put the fluff into the toys. The basket held small hearts inside colored in red, pink, or red-and-white checkers. White fluff rolled over and over inside the machine like a miniature cyclone made of cotton candy.

"Want to pick out a heart for my bear? It's supposed to make it more special."

"Sure." He approached the basket and paused, trying to decide which one to take. He didn't think it really mattered until a flash of inspiration hit him. He came back with a red heart.

"Like the color of Decepticon optics." He said.

"How fitting!" Casey giggled when he gave it to her. She let out a contented, squeaky sigh.

"Are you going to dress him up too?" asked Bryan as he took another picture. He checked his camera's digital display and whistled. His memory chip had space for only a few more pictures.

"I don't know. I always thought it was kind of silly."

"So you'd rather leave him naked?"

She blushed. "No! Kari, be careful. There are children here."

"Aw, come on. How many of your toys are dressed up?"

"My Paddington Bear is. I'll decide after this one is stuffed, okay?"

The young woman sitting beside the stuffing machine waved to Casey. "Your turn."

"Here you go." She gave up the bear reluctantly.

"Did you pick out a heart?"

"Oh, here. My friend did."

"I know you might be a little too old for this, but I have to ask: Did you make a wish on it yet?"

Casey turned the heart over in her palm. She glanced back at her friends, two of whom weren't supposed to be human. I wish for a good friend, like the ones I have now. She slipped the heart through the hole in the bear's back. The worker shoved the toy onto a short pipe and rhythmically pushed down on a pedal. The machine hummed pleasantly. Tufts of white stuffing material floated through the air around the toy. The bear's limp body sprang to life as its limbs puffed up and took shape.

"Is that enough? Check him for huggability."

She obediently hugged the bear. She felt like she was eight years old again, when this sort of thing was important. "A little more, please. So he gives firm hugs."

"No problem." A few more pushes on the foot pedal and the bear was done. The woman put it facedown on her knee. She pulled the strings taught on its back, sealing up the hole. She snipped off the loose strings. "There you go! Have fun."

Casey took back the bear and held it up with some reverence. "Thank you." She hitched the bear onto her hip and carried it to the other half of the store where all the toy-sized clothes were. Bryan, Kari and the twins were waiting for her.

"He's so cute!" Kari tweaked the bear's ear.

"Do all toys have to be cute?"asked Rumble.

Casey pouted, rubbing her nose against the bear's. "He doesn't have to be… Maybe we can pick out clothes for him to make him a tough guy."

Bryan laughed. "You want a bad-ass teddy bear?"

"That'd be the best kind!" Casey began hunting through the clothes. They were grouped according to occupation: A policeman, doctor, and ballerina were there, among others.

"Here we go. He'll need a Harley jacket." Bryan found one two rows over from the policeman outfit.

"And boots!" Kari wiggled the pair of rubbery-plastic toy boots so they would clack together.

"Pants are important too." Frenzy found a pair and brought them to Casey. "Like we learned at Wal*Mart."

"Oh, don't remind me…"

It took some work to dress up the bear properly. It had no trouble staying still, but it seemed to protest the idea of wearing pants and boots anyway. The last thing to do was give the toy a name. Casey couldn't think of one, so she settled for the simple name of Mr. Bear. Her friends chided her for lacking originality, but she didn't care. On the way out of the store she wouldn't put Mr. Bear into one of the cute box-shaped houses to bring him home; she insisted on carrying him.

"Friends don't put friends in cardboard boxes." She said defiantly.

And she had to admit that Kari's scheme had worked— her spirits were lifted and she hadn't thought about her task of caring for Decepticons for a whole hour. She squeezed Mr. Bear and nuzzled her face into his soft black fur. He was worth it.

"I'm thirsty." announced Frenzy.

"Me too." said Rumble.

Rather than complaining about their constant appetite like usual, Casey agreed. "Me three."

"Oh, I know." Bryan knew one way to please Casey. "I'll get you guys Icees. My treat."

Her eyes grew round. "You will?"

"What's an Icee?" the twins asked in one voice.

"Only the bestest, most awesome thing ever! I saw some up at the food courts. Let's go!" Setting Mr. Bear on her shoulders, Casey bounded for the nearest escalator.

"There! She's acting like herself again." said Kari with satisfaction.

Once at the North food court again, Bryan insisted that Casey sit and wait for him to bring her the frozen treats. Not to be outdone, Frenzy refused to wait until Bryan got back too. Bryan thought better of arguing when the Cassetticons cracked their knuckles at the same time. They had a scary habit of being in sync like that.

"I want a blue one!" Casey called after them. She bounced Mr. Bear on her knee. Rumble lost count of how many times the toy bobbed up and down.

"So… howcome the stuffed toy makes you happy?"

"I dunno. It just does. I like cuddly things."

"Why?"

Casey suddenly realized he was studying her through his sunglasses, much like Soundwave tended to do. Her knee stopped bouncing. She started to say something when Kari interrupted.

"She just does. There's nothing complicated about it."

She closed her mouth and nodded in agreement. He shifted his weight, leaning his chin into his cupped hand. The movement sent a flash of light streaking over his sunglasses. Casey couldn't see his eyes anymore, but felt the gaze intensify.

"Mm-hmm," was all he said in reply.

She wiggled nervously, glancing between him and her teddy bear. Did he know?

Frenzy appeared out of nowhere carrying two Icee drinks. "We're back! I got a blue one too, Baby!"

Rumble flinched and sighed. Bryan sat down next to him.

"I thought red would be a good flavor for you," he said, sliding a tall cup in front of the Cassetticon. "Kari, here's your disgusting Cola-flavored one."

"Yay!" She took a long sip from the straw, then jolted out of her seat. "Eeep!"

"What's your malfunction?" asked Casey. She savored a long drink from her blue raspberry treat.

"Just my phone on vibrate. Oh, it's Stephan! Hel-looo," Kari's face broke into a huge grin. "You are? Great! Where do you want to—? Ah, okay. Yeah, we're upstairs too. We'll be on our way in a few. Byes!" She snapped her cell phone shut. "Stephan's done shopping with the guys. They want to meet us by the Rotunda."

Casey's cheerful mood vanished faster than her beloved Icee. "Oh, joy."

"Now don't you get all gloomy!" Kari shook her finger at her. "It'll be exciting! I'll get to talk to Starscream…"

"Oh, we can show Dad our candle, Bro."

"Yeah. We'd better finish our drinks."

The twins each took a big gulp of the flavored ice slush and swallowed. They stiffened. Instantly they grabbed their heads, groaning in pain.

"Oooowww!"

"What's wrong?" asked Bryan.

"My head!"

"It's gunna explode!"

"Too c-cold!"

"I'm gunna die!"

Casey snorted into her straw. "You drank it too fast and got too much ice. It's just brain-freeze. It'll pass."

"Ow ow ow ow…"

"This is like an energon overcharge!"

"All in my head!"

Moments later the brain-freeze did pass, much to their relief. They took much smaller drinks now. Kari drained the last of her Icee and tossed her cup in the garbage. She got up and pranced behind the others impatiently.

"Come on, come on! I wanna see Starscream!"

Casey finished her drink too. "You've seen him before."

"This is different! I know who he is now!"

"Just don't scare him with your fangirlling, okay?"

"I can't promise anything!"

Frenzy peered into his cup and grinned evilly. Unlike he others, he left his drink unfinished.

Stephan's bright red hat made him easy to pick out in the crowd. He stood against the railing on the far side of the Rotunda, looking out into the theme park. A pile of shopping bags sat beside him. Two very well dressed men— Decepticons— leaned on the railing as well. As Casey approached them, she rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Bryan let out a low whistle. The twins dashed ahead. Kari walked three more steps, then, unable to contain herself, she ran. Casey shook her head and proceeded to take her time.

"Dad! Dad!"

Soundwave stirred to life and tipped up his brand new cowboy hat. A flicker of a smile crossed his face. He hardly had time to do much else before Rumble and Frenzy thumped into him with Cassetticon-sized hugs. He allowed them a few moments of contact before peeling them off.

"I trust you have caused no trouble."

"Of course not!"

"You know us!"

"Affirmative. That is the reason for my query."

"Hey, you gotta see what we got!" said Rumble. He pulled out the candle he and his brother bought. "It smells real good."

An eyebrow lifted above Soundwave's sunglasses. He bent down to smell the candle. It did smell good. He'd have to ask the boys why they'd bought the candle later. Surely that wasn't the only reason. They backed up so they could get a good look at their makeshift father.

"You look good, Dad."

"Yeah, like one of those cowboys from TV."

In fact, Soundwave did look like a cowboy, or more accurately, a professional rancher. In addition to his grey-brown cowboy hat, he wore dark brown cowboy boots, denim jeans and a navy blue button-up dress shirt. His new belt buckle sparkled. Somehow his sunglasses still went with the outfit, though.

"Like it?" Stephan slid up beside them, grinning. "He was the hardest one to find a wardrobe for. I was at a loss until he mentioned he worked at a night club that has country music twice a week. It works for him in that rugged sort of way."

"Wardrobe?" Frenzy scratched his head.

"Of course! The best thing to shop for!"

The twins frowned, confused. Soundwave shrugged.

"I was not going to protest."

"Good thing you didn't." Frenzy sloshed the remainder of his Icee around in its cup. "Hey Screamer, I've got something for you."

"What is it, pipsqueak?"

Frenzy handed him the drink. "It's real good stuff. Have a taste. But be sure you take a big mouthful."

"Does it taste like energon?"

"Just like it. Better, even."

Starscream snagged the cup and swirled the blue ice slush twice. "It's the wrong color. But whatever." He did as Frenzy suggested.

And had a massive case of brain-freeze a moment later.

"OwowOW! What did you do to me? My head! My head!"

"Gotcha!" Frenzy shouted. He and Rumble laughed together like demons. Starscream's pained screeches took a sharp edge.

"It's going to kill me! Ow ow OW!"

"No it's not, ya big baby."

Starscream's head began to thaw out. He squeezed his eyes shut and was able to see clearly when he opened them. His hands balled up into fists.

"Why you little cretins—" His attempt to pursue them was cut short when he bumped into Soundwave. The larger man folded his arms.

"Revenge is not advised."

"Out of the way you lump!"

Kari suddenly screeched to a halt in front of Starscream. She appeared so fast it actually startled him. She stood on tiptoe, staring up at him with watery, adoring eyes. If he squinted hard enough he could sort of see pink and yellow sparkles orbiting above her head. He ran his fingers through his black hair in an effort to regain composure.

"Can I help you?" He finally asked.

Her answer just about knocked him over the railing. "OHMYGOD it IS you!"

"Yes… who else would I b— OOOF!"

He squawked in alarm. The next thing he knew he had a fangirl attached to his middle. She squeezed hard enough to make it difficult for him to breathe.

"OhmyGod ohmyGOD EEE! You're real! And so awesome!" Kari pulled back a fraction. "You do sortta sound like a girl, though."

"What? Release me! You are wrinkling my new clothes!"

Soundwave was about to help remove Kari from Starscream's person when Casey arrived with Bryan.

"It's okay, guys. She just knows who you really are."

"Who they… really are?" repeated Stephan.

"I'm sure Kari will tell you later."

Starscream pushed her away as roughly as he dared. "The last time I saw you you wished to kill one of us for upsetting Casey. Explain yourself."

The cloud of sparkles intensified and nearly choked him. He looked down into a face that held only pure adoration.

"I would never, never hurt you! You're the Air Commander!"

"Oh?" Starscream blinked, and his disposition changed as understanding dawned on him. He straightened his tight red button-up shirt and smirked. "I see. You're a… fan." The smirk literally shined.

Kari's squeal could have overloaded a Transformer's audios. "You're sooooo cool!"

Casey picked white fuzz off the top of Mr. Bear's head. That's right, she thought, go ahead and inflate his ego. Like he NEEDS it…

"Yes, I am. I'm glad someone recognizes my greatness. Do you like my new outfit?"

She had to be honest. Even though Casey didn't like pretty guys, he did look good. He looked like he had just walked out of an Abercrombie & Fitch clothing commercial. Judging by the brand names on some of the bags nearby, that's exactly where they had gone. His entire outfit probably cost more than one of Casey's paychecks. Stephan's disposable income was nothing to sneeze at. He'd kept his black flight jacket and boots, which gave him some sort of a relaxed military look.

"You look wonderful!" said Kari, somewhat predictably.

Bryan's camera clicked and flashed. "So… Am I the only one wondering where Michael is?"

Casey immediately felt a chill. "He's not standing behind me, is he?"

"Negative." Soundwave's head tilted a little to the left. "But he is coming."

She squeezed Mr. Bear and turned around. Like usual his silver head appeared first, but a strange phenomenon came with it. The crowd in the way of the Decepticon leader's path parted by a few feet on either side. He strode forward without needing to swagger. Except for a white sleeveless top, black defined his new outfit: A leather jacket fit snugly over his shoulders and covered the waist of his tight jeans. His gloved hands were tucked into his pockets or threaded through his belt loops. Casey could already hear the clomping of boots that had the biggest buckles she'd ever seen. And he was grinning. That was the worst part. But he wasn't grinning for the hell of it. The man had a bad-ass vibe that could knock over somebody's grandmother.

"Close your mouth, dear." Whispered Kari. "You look like a fish."

Casey snapped her mouth shut and looked away. Starscream hailed him.

"Mighty impressive, Leader. Having fun scaring the other shoppers?"

"A little bit, perhaps." The clomping of boots stopped behind Casey.

"Damn." Bryan nodded in appreciation. "Only you or a biker gang could pull this off so well."

"You think so? I find it very appropriate for one of my origins. Casey, why not face me? It's not like you to be shy."

"I'm not," she mumbled, hugging Mr. Bear face-first against her chest. Kari leaned in.

"Are you blushing?"

"NO!"

"What have you got there?" asked Megatron.

Stephan also leaned in. His lip-to-ear chain jingled when he straightened up and laughed. "How exciting! Twins!"

"Huh?" said Rumble and Frenzy.

"Not you two. Oh, that reminds me." Stephan dug around in one of the shopping bags and revealed two matching black hats. "For the real Blues Brothers. Walker insisted we find some."

Soundwave took the hats and put them on the boys' heads. They bounced in place, then took a serious pose, like they were sitting in a car.

"It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses."

"Hit it!"

They dissolved into giggles. Casey heard the sound of stretching leather.

"What are you hiding?" asked Megatron, definitely curious this time.

She glanced over her shoulder. He had his hands on his hips and that stupid, infuriating smirk again.

"Alright, fine!" Casey turned around and held out Mr. Bear. "See?"

His black eyebrows furrowed. So it was a stuffed toy? Why was she so… he took a look at himself and realization struck. He looked exactly like her teddy bear. Everyone else stared at the toy, then at Megatron. Starscream clamped a hand over his mouth. Laughter leaked out anyway. Kari clasped her hands together and sparkles flew again.

"You really do have your Mr. Bear!"

"Aww!" said Stephan.

Casey's face became bright red. "Ew no! This is just a really unfortunate coincidence!"

"Is it really?"

"The author of my life story must have a sick sense of humor, I swear."

"Are you suuuure?" Kari nudged her.

"Absolutely. Put your fangirl sparkles away."

"Hey, I want to do some group pictures." said Bryan.

"YAY!" Instantly Kari was attached to Starscream again. This time he didn't panic, and rewarded her with a hug.

"Eee! I could die happy right now."

"You too, Casey. Maybe you ought to stand by Walker and his boys."

"Stand closest to me, Baby!"

She glanced at Megatron and shuffled to Frenzy's side. "Anything to avoid the alternative…"

Bryan took a few pictures. He lowered his camera. "Stephan, could you step out of the shot now? Kari, if you could let go of Maverick for a minute, I think Casey deserves one with the guys by herself."

"Awww…"

"No problem!"

When they left the group, there was a hole where Stephan had been standing.

"Scootch together, guys."

Casey didn't move. That meant standing next to Megatron. Bryan chuckled.

"He doesn't bite."

"He might. You don't know that."

"You don't know that either. Now scootch."

Megatron solved the problem by moving instead. He and Starscream watched her squirm.

"Now now, if you keep moving the picture will blur." He put a hand on her shoulder.

Stephan scratched at his hat. "Why does she look so terrified?"

"I'll explain later." said Kari. "Casey, smile! Show us Mr. Bear!"

"Okay then. Everybody look awesome and say 'Transform!'"

The camera's flash went off. Casey ducked away from Megatron and hid behind Bryan. He backed up a step and nearly fell over her.

"Whoa. How'd you get over here so fast?"

"Could it be that you like him?" asked Stephan with a mischievous grin.

"Ew, no! He's my uncle!"

"Oh. Nevermind, then."

"Aw, c'mon Casey…" Kari seemed to have picked up Starscream's brand of evil smirk.

"No. I don't like him."

"She likes me!" Frenzy squeezed her nice and tight. "Isn't that right?"

"Let go, dammit!"

"Love you too Baby!"

"I dunno…"

Casey wedged Mr. Bear between herself and Frenzy. She pried the Cassetticon off with the powers of Fluff and Desperation. "Would you drop it already? Besides, he's old."

"I beg your pardon?" Megatron suddenly towered over her. "I am not old!"

"Yes you are. We've had this conversation before."

"By Cybertronian standards I'm—"

"If you say 'in your prime' I'll laugh at you."

"My age is irrelevant. I am the most powerful Decepticon there is. No one can best me in anything."

"Oh, please. It's not the size of the engine, it's how well it runs."

For a moment all sound vanished. Casey glanced around to her friends and the other Decepticons. Everyone, including Soundwave, had their mouths hanging open. She hitched her teddy bear onto her hip.

"Well, it's true. I'm not so easily impressed, and it's mostly talk anyway."

Frenzy ran and hid behind his father and brother. "It was nice knowin' ya, Star."

Sound returned to Casey's ears. She swore she heard thunder rumbling along with normal mall noises. Leather moved behind her.

"Is that so?" growled Megatron.

Lightning struck. Or maybe that was Bryan's camera going off again. But it couldn't have been, because he was frantically pointing. A thick arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her off the ground.

"What the—!"

"Decepticons, we are finished with shopping. We're going home. Bring the bags. I have mine."

Megatron not-so-gently slung Casey over his shoulder. She squealed and dropped her teddy bear. She saw the ground moving from several feet up.

"Oh my GOD!" she screeched. "Put me down! Put me down right NOW!"

Kari stuffed the toy into one of the shopping bags Soundwave had picked up. Casey couldn't see her wave, but she did anyway.

"Bye! Have fun with your Mr. Bear!"

Somewhere from her right, Starscream cackled. "If she lives long enough…"

"MegaTRON!" She pounded on his back. "You put me down RIGHT NOW you lousy bucket of bolts! NOW! This is humiliating!"

The beating didn't bother him at all. Her screaming hurt his ears a bit, but he was used to screeching from Starscream. He adjusted her on his shoulder so her weight was more comfortably sitting there. "Exactly the point, my dear." He patted her round little behind.

"Oh my G— you did NOT just— Bryan! DO something!"

He was having trouble keeping up with the Decepticons. "I would, but I'm outnumbered."

Several stores away, a mall security guard heard a woman yelling obscenities at the top of her voice. He hurried to the main walkway and spotted a silver-haired man carrying a young woman on his shoulder. He'd pinned her legs down so she couldn't kick him again.

"Sir? Ah, Sir!"

Bryan didn't want to leave her once they'd reached Casey's apartment, but the Decepticons had thwarted his every excuse. Frenzy hadn't been too happy about the way they'd left the Mall, though, so he would probably protect her. One of these days Casey was going to have to think before she spoke aloud. Bryan started down the stairs when he remembered something.

He knocked on Casey's door, number 348, and hastily stepped back when Megatron opened the door.

"My Optimus Prime helmet." He blurted. "I forgot it on the fridge."

Megatron smiled. "Ah yes. I'll get it for you."

Bryan waited nervously until he came back. He held out his hands to accept the helmet. Megatron jerked it back and smashed his fist through it. The plastic shattered and collapsed. A few pieces of blue plastic fell on the floor. Megatron handed him the remains.

"There you are. Have a nice day." He said, and slammed the door in Bryan's face.

--

Wow, chapter 7 is finally done, OMG. There was a lot more I wanted to put into this chapter but I had to cut a lot out to keep the story moving. Maybe I'll revisit the Mall of America some other time. Until then, see you in chapter 8!