(Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers; just Anwen)
(Authors Note: Hello dear readers, I'm delighted that you're loving this story so far because it has certainly been a treat for me to work on. As I've mentioned on multiple occasions, I've been working on my other FF's in my spare time as well as taking some personal time to enjoy my other hobbies. For some reason, I seem to knit best when I've got Pride and Prejudice playing in the background. Don't ask me why for I do not have an answer. LOL. Anyways, I hope you all continue to enjoy this story and I look forward to posting more content in the future. Until next time, stay safe, stay warm, and stay awesome.)
(Warning: this chapter contains dialogue in regards to feminine bodily issues, so if you don't like it, then don't read.)
"English/French"
'Mental thoughts'
"Flashbacks" (and sometimes sarcasm)
{Cybertronian}
::Sparkbonds::
:Speaker talk:
::Comm. Link::
Chapter 8
-The next day-
Anwen awoke to a familiar yet painful cramping in her uterus, to which she immediately got out of bed and made a beeline for Maggie's bathroom. In doing so, the Aussie woke up and sleepily asked, "You okay, Anwen?"
"No," her voice was slightly muffled by the closed door, but still audible. "I started my period."
Hearing this, Maggie climbed out of her bed and approached the door, "Do ya need me to get you a change of undergarments from your apartment?"
"No, I made it in time. Merci for asking."
"Of course. By the way, there should be some tampons and liners underneath the sink in case you forgot to bring some."
"Merci. I have a few in my backpack but I forgot to grab one before I rushed in here." There was a flushing sound followed by running water, to which after a minute, Anwen stepped out. "Sorry for waking you."
She waved it off with a smile, "No worries, I understand. If the roles were reversed, I'd probably do the same thing. Now, with all that aside, what would you like for breakfast? I can make us some pancakes or would you prefer waffles?"
"Hmm...Pancakes sound good," she casually replied before a painful cramp rolled throughout her lower abdomen, "Merde (Fuck), I hate this time of the month…"
Maggie offered her a sympathetic look and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Why don't I start breakfast and you lay back down for a while longer. I'll holler when it's ready, okay?"
"Merci, Maggie. I'm so sorry about this. I must be a pitiful sight."
"No Anwen; you don't need to apologize. And you're not pitiful. You're just like many other girls out there when this sort of thing happens. It's perfectly normal to feel shitty during your period. Hell, I feel crook whenever I get my monthly curse. It'll pass."
She nodded before sluggishly crawling back into bed and pulling the covers over her head, encasing herself in their welcomed warmth. Right now, all she wanted to do was sleep the pain away.
XXXXX
Once breakfast was ready, Maggie stepped into her bedroom and approached the mass of covers with an amused smirk lining her face. Sure, Anwen's current predicament wasn't something to laugh at, but she was just so damn cute whenever she made a burrito of herself. At the moment, all she could see of her was the top of her curly, red head, while the rest of her body was rolled up in the sheets and comforter. With the utmost gentleness, Maggie shook her, "Wake up, Anwen. It's time for breakfast."
"Mmmmph," she groaned and wiggled out from her blanket burrito before tiredly asking, "What time is it?"
"Nearly 0800," the Aussie replied with a smirk before opening the curtains. "It's a little overcast outside but I don't think it'll rain. I figured we could go for a walk along the beach after breakfast and then stop by the store to pick up a few things for tonight's dinner. I was planning on fixing us some meat pies but I completely forgot to pick up mushrooms when I went grocery shopping the other day."
*yawn* "That sounds great. Although, we'll have to swing by my apartment first so I can put on a bra and grab a few things."
"That's fine. By the way, I've got some hazelnut spread if you'd like to smear some onto your pancakes."
"Yes, please," she slowly climbed out of bed and followed Maggie into the kitchen where she was met with a heavenly sight: there was a hefty stack of pancakes in the center of the counter along with a bowl of sliced strawberries and bananas, syrup, Nutella and orange juice.
Both girls loaded up their plates and topped their pancakes with the chocolate hazelnut spread and mixed fruit before adding the syrup and pouring themselves a glass of orange juice. Upon taking a bite of heavenly deliciousness, Anwen's face took on a blissful expression. "Mmmm, so good! I can't tell you how much I love your cooking."
Maggie chuckled as she cut up her breakfast, "I'm glad you like it. Although, I don't think I'll ever be as good as Mama Rosita."
"No one will be as good as Mama Rosita. She's a wizard with a spatula. Remember the time she made mini chorizo tacos with homemade queso sauce? Oh mon Dieu (_ my God), they were so delicious."
"Ooooh, now you're making me crave tacos."
"De rien (You're welcome)," she smirked before taking another bite of pancake.
"You know, it's been awhile since I had some of your cooking, Anwen. I absolutely loved that split pea soup you made the last time I slept over. It was so creamy and comforting. And those nanaimo bars? God, they were heavenly!"
"Oui, they are pretty tantalizing. I'm just sad that I can't make you some traditional poutine. If I had access to some cheese curds then I could properly make it; but unfortunately, the store here doesn't carry any. If we were in Canada or even the U.S., then I could grab some. But as we are currently stranded here in Diego Garcia, that's not likely to happen anytime soon."
"Which is a shame because I'd love to try it."
"I know," she took another bite of pancake before speaking once more, "I could probably fix you some bannock, provided that the weather is nice enough for me to cook the bacon outside over an open flame."
"Oh, that sounds delightful."
"Indeed. It's been a while since I've cooked anything outdoors. Having an indoor kitchen has kinda spoiled me in that sense."
"Didn't you have a kitchen when you were living in your van?"
Anwen shook her head while casually cutting up her pancakes, "Not really. I had a two burner gas camping stove that I would assemble and place on a wooden TV tray. However, I could only cook outside; so if the weather was shitty, I usually ate dry foods or cold cuts from my small chest cooler. Now, I didn't see the point in investing in an electric fridge because I didn't buy a lot of groceries that required refrigeration. When I did, I'd fill the cooler with ice from the cafeteria and everything would stay cold for at least five days."
"Nice. So, did you have to run your van's battery to charge your laptop and phone?"
"No; I had a portable power station that I used to charge all of my electronic devices. I also had a portable solar panel to charge the charging station when I wasn't using it. My whole setup wasn't much in terms of luxury or style, but it was practical and comfortable enough for my needs at the time."
"I would've loved to see your van setup. I bet it was nice."
"It was. The model itself was a 1996 Ford Econoline, and while it wasn't the prettiest vehicle to grace the streets, it was the best I could do in the situation I was in. Plus, for the price I paid, I'd be a fool to pass it up."
"You said you bought it from some friends of yours, correct?"
"Oui. Andy and Toby were both aspiring mechanics. When I asked why they were selling their van, they said that it was taking up too much space inside the garage and they needed room for the '87 Mustang they were restoring. Thankfully, they had a large driveway and offered to let me park it there while we worked on it."
"How long did it take you all to convert it?"
She took a sip of juice and answered, "Nearly all summer. Whenever I wasn't working, I was fixing up my van so that I could live in it."
Maggie gave her a sympathetic look, "I'm still sorry you had to resort to such measures."
"There's nothing to apologize for. I did what was necessary because I needed to get out of the situation I was in. Besides, living in a van isn't as bad as you might think: With it, I could take my home pretty much anywhere I wanted and I didn't have to worry about a mortgage or rent fees."
"Now there's a bonus."
"Indeed," she smirked before taking another sip of juice. "Also, living in a van is certainly a better option than sleeping on the streets. At least it provided me with shelter from the elements and offered an additional layer of protection from creeps and animals."
XXXXX
-0945-
Both girls were currently heading up to Anwen's apartment so she could properly dress for the day. Sure, her current outfit was comfy, but that wouldn't be enough for their walk along the beach. If she intended to spend more time outside than she was accustomed to, then she would need the proper gear.
Upon entering the unit, Maggie seated herself on the couch and waited while Anwen stepped into her bedroom and removed a black sports bra from her dresser, to which she momentarily removed her flannel and tank top so she could adorn the wretched thing. Afterwards, she switched out her periwinkle booty shorts for a pair of denim ones before slipping on a durable pair of pool shoes and grabbing a beach towel from the bathroom closet, to which she placed it inside her backpack before applying some sunblock to her exposed legs, chest, ears and face. Thankfully, it wasn't greasy, so she didn't have to worry about feeling nasty afterwards. She already felt disgusting as it was with now having started her period; she certainly didn't need to look like a greased pig on its way to the slaughter house. Eww.
Mentally shaking her head of that disturbing thought, Anwen then stepped into her closet and pulled out a wide-brimmed sun hat before heading into the living room where Maggie was responding to a text message:
"Ready to go?"
"Just about," she grabbed her sunglasses from the kitchen counter and slipped them on with a smile, "Okay, now i'm ready."
"Excellent." Maggie placed her phone inside her own bag and followed her out the door and over to the elevator where they rode it down to the lobby.
Once they exited the building, both girls waited for the shuttle bus, seeing as how it would be nearly a half hour walk on foot. Sure, the long walk wouldn't normally bother them, but because Anwen's monthly curse had struck, they decided to take it easy. That, and their upcoming walk along the coast and the following trip to the store would likely be all the young ginger could handle for today. Thankfully, the bus arrived about five minutes later, to which they requested to be taken to the beach.
The ride itself was short and pleasant as the road was smooth and free of bumps, 'Thank goodness,' thought Anwen. Within minutes, they got off at their designated stop and casually began walking towards the shoreline in hopes to find some interesting shells that may have washed up during yesterday's storm.
As they walked, Maggie spotted something in the near distance, "What's that washed up on the shore?"
Anwen looked in the direction she was pointing and gasped, "It's a shark!"
Immediately, they rushed over to see if it was still alive and were relieved to discover that it was. Thankfully, there was just enough water to keep it wet and partially submerged, but it couldn't make it back into the ocean on its own due to its current location. From their observation, they immediately recognized it as a juvenile blacktip shark. "Crikey, it must have gotten stuck when the tide receded."
Knowing the poor thing would die unless they intervened, Anwen removed and tossed her backpack onto the dry sand before cautiously approaching it. "Maggie, help me carry it back into the water," she stated as she gently began picking up the helpless creature.
"Oh, this is absolutely insane," she jokingly retorted as she set her tote off to the side and stepped over to help. Together, both women gently lifted the young shark off the shore and waded out into the deeper surf where they released it back into the water. Once it was free, the shark swam off and disappeared into the ocean depths. "I can't believe we just did that. It was amazing!"
"Oui, and so rewarding," she agreed as they waded back to shore. "I just hope he avoids swimming too close to the shoreline from now on."
"We'll see." A frown appeared across her face as she glanced down at the state of their attire, "Ugh, so much for having dry clothes."
"They'll dry in time," Anwen smirked and squeezed out her flannel ends before grabbing her backpack and slinging it over her shoulders. Thankfully, she was only soaked from the waist down, so her back was mostly dry, which meant her bag wouldn't get wet.
Seeing that there weren't any other stranded ocean creatures to rescue, the two of them resumed their search for shells. Within minutes, both girls found over a dozen intact seashells and were now deciding on which ones to keep.
Looking down at her feet, Anwen spotted a small hermit crab in obvious need of a new shell. With a smile, she placed one of her seashells on the ground as an offering to the tiny crustacean, to which it happily accepted the gift and transferred itself out of its current shell and into the new one before scuttling off.
"You're so sweet," Maggie stated with a smile as she observed the whole exchange.
At that, the young ginger playfully rolled her eyes, "What? The poor thing needed a new home. I didn't want to see the little guy homeless." She then placed her other shells on the ground for other crustaceans to move into. All except two. Both were unfit to be used as mobile homes due to the fact that they came from a large shellfish as big as her face. Anwen admired the opal-like shine to their interiors and wondered if Sunstreaker and Sideswipe would like them. A small blush dusted her cheeks as she thought about the twins, which was then followed by the familiar tugging sensation in her chest.
With a mental shrug, she removed her backpack and took out the towel she packed, to which she dried off her seashells before placing everything back inside her bag and adorning it over her shoulders once more.
XXXXX
As they made their way back onto the sidewalk, Maggie and Anwen froze as a cold breeze hit them. "Maybe we should head back to the apartment and get out of these wet clothes before we go grocery shopping."
"Good idea," Anwen agreed through chattering teeth. She certainly didn't want to catch a cold and add it to her current state of misery. Her monthly curse was more than enough to make her feel crummy.
With that in mind, the two women began the near thirty minute walk back for they were unsure when the shuttle bus would appear and didn't feel like waiting. Once they finally reached the apartment building, they entered the lobby and rode up to their designated floors after deciding that it would be best to shower in their own separate units and meet back downstairs within half an hour.
Anwen unlocked her door and entered her apartment with a groan: Her entire body ached from her uterus cramping and having to walk all that way. It wasn't that she couldn't walk, but her implants sometimes made it difficult on long treks. No matter. She'd be wearing her blades on this next outing.
With that, she removed her beach towel, set her backpack, sunhat, lanyard and shades aside, and removed her pool shoes where she placed them on the drying mat beside the door. Afterwards, she stripped out of her clothes and tossed them into the washer with the towel before stepping into the bathroom and grabbing her bikini and pool towel from yesterday, where she too threw them into the washer and started a load of laundry.
XXXXX
-Twenty minutes later-
Anwen stepped out of the bathroom feeling clean and ready to get back to her weekend visit with Maggie. Looking down at her arm, she noticed that her bruises were still there but now had a hint of yellow mixed with their purple hue. Yuck!
Slipping on a clean pair of panties, socks and her heather grey bra, Anwen then stepped into her closet and donned a pair of dark denim short shorts and her retro TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) long sleeve, crew neck tunic.
Once dressed, she headed into the living room and adorned her rollerblades, shades, helmet and backpack before grabbing her lanyard/keys and heading out the door (locking it behind her) and down to the lobby to meet back up with Maggie.
Upon reaching the ground level, Anwen noticed that her Aussie companion wasn't there yet, so she took the opportunity to check her mailbox and see if her brother had tried contacting her. Unlocking the small, metal box, she peered inside and saw that it was empty. *sigh* "Bien sûr c'est (Of course it is)," she sadly frowned and closed it up once more. She wanted to stay positive and hope Liam was okay, but every day that passed without a call, text, e-mail or letter from him was another day of internal worry for the young ginger.
XXXXX
Meanwhile, Sunstreaker patrolled the island in silent contemplation as he replayed yesterday's events in his processor over and over and over again. He knew he'd have to work hard to get Anwen to fully trust him and see him in a new light, but he was willing to do whatever it took to remain in her good graces. Admittedly, he was still confused by the whole spark situation but knew such matters were not to be taken lightly.
As he continued on his patrol, his private Comm. link activated, notifying him that his brother was calling. ::What is it Sideswipe? Did Ratchet finally weld you to the ceiling?::
::Now why would you assume that, Sunny?::
::Don't call me Sunny! And you know why: You're always pranking him or getting on his nerves.::
::True; but that's not the case. I actually had an idea that I wanted to run by you.::
::And what might that be?::
::Well, I was thinking we'd invite Anwen to hang out with us next weekend.::
He suddenly stopped in his tracks as he thought about that prospect before finally asking, ::You really think she'd want to?::
::I don't see why not.::
::We'll see what she has to say about it. I don't want you to get your hopes up if she declines your invitation,:: he stated in a bitter tone. He and his brother were all too familiar with being stood up by femmes in the past. Sure, they had their share of one-night-stands, but none of them ever wanted to stay afterwards or even share in a meaningful conversation. It was always about fragging and bragging rights to their friends. However, they did have some short-lived relationships where a femme would fall for his rugged and gruff personality or his brother's sensitivity and flirtatious attitude. But upon learning that they were a packaged deal, they'd bail out, claiming that it was too much to handle, or that they only wanted to be bonded to one but not the other. It was sparkbreaking.
::Hey, Sunny, you still there?:: Sideswipe's voice chimed in, bringing him back to reality.
::Yes, I'm here.:: He tried not to let his emotions bleed through their bond, but figured his twin knew what was going through his processor.
::It'll be okay, Sunny. Anwen isn't like those other femmes.::
::I got that, but can you blame me for being cautious?::
::No. But you shouldn't let the past control our future.::
He mentally rolled his optics, but knew his brother was right. ::I sometimes wish I had your optimism.::
::Aww, Sunny, was that a compliment I just heard?:: There was an obvious smirk in his voice which caused Sunstreaker to growl in irritation.
::Don't call me Sunny!::
::Aw, I love you too, bro.::
::Frag off, Sideswipe.:: There was a chuckle from the other end before the Comm. link disconnected. Primus, his brother could be so annoying. But despite it all, Sunstreaker did in fact care for and love his twin. Although, he hated to admit it.
