(Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers; just Anwen and any other OC's I have drifting about here and there.)

(Authors Note: Hello dear readers! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story and I'm glad you're all enjoying it thus far...or at least I hope you're enjoying it. I certainly enjoy writing it for all of you and I enjoy reading your comments. Your positive feedback is always welcomed and appreciated, so thank you for the good vibes and awesome comments. I shall continue to write more and will hopefully post another chapter soon. Of course I still need to post new content for my other stories for I feel like I've neglected them. I hope to right that wrong soon. Anyways, until next time, stay safe and stay awesome!)

"English/French/Spanish"

'Mental thoughts'

"Flashbacks" (and sometimes sarcasm)

{Cybertronian}

::Sparkbonds::

:Speaker talk:

::Comm. Link::

*:Phone calls:*

Chapter 12

-0500-

Anwen awoke to the familiar chiming sound of her alarm and lazily rolled over to turn it off. With a yawn, she slipped out of bed and limped over to the bathroom to relieve herself and freshen up for the day. Granted, she'd finish getting ready for work after breakfast, but she still had her standards. There was no way she was leaving the apartment with disheveled hair and morning breath. Absolutely not!

Once finished with her feminine business, Anwen washed her hands and face before attempting to brush out her unruly curls. She loved her hair, but it was often a pain in the ass to maintain, especially in the mornings when it had a tendency to stick out in every direction. No matter; a bit of gentle brushing from the ends to the roots always helped in controlling its wild nature...most of the time.

After taming her unruly locks, she brushed her teeth and rinsed with mouthwash before stripping out of her night clothes and adorning her watch and blue bikini swimsuit. Her goal was to return to her daily swimming schedule, despite her monthly cycle interrupting her plans. Thankfully, it was starting to lighten up and her cramps were less severe today.

With that thought in mind, she grabbed a pool towel from the linen closet and tossed it onto her bed as she slipped into a pair of activewear shorts and selected an outfit for work. Once she had everything, Anwen tossed her clothes, towel and cellphone into her backpack and slung it over her shoulders as she stepped out of her bedroom and headed over to the front door. After adorning her lanyard, shades, helmet and rollerblades, she slipped out of her apartment and locked it behind her, to which she then checked her watch and smiled when it read 0525. She hoped that by the time she exited the building, Sunstreaker would be pulling up to escort her to base.

Thankfully, she was right: as soon as she stepped out of the lobby, there he was. A smile appeared across Anwen's face upon seeing the golden Lamborghini, to which she approached: "You came."

:Of course I did,: Sunstreaker's voice sounded through the speakers. :You said that you usually headed off to base around this time, so I made a point to stop by during my patrol and escort you there.:

"And I'm glad you did...I was actually hoping to see you sometime today," she replied as she slowly rolled alongside him, to which Sunstreaker felt his spark hum at that.

As they rolled along, he took notice of her attire, or rather, lack thereof. He knew she was planning on stopping by the pool before her morning nutrient intake, so he didn't question it. Admittedly, he was enjoying the view of her lithely slender, yet curvy body in that particular outfit. In the back of his processor he was still questioning his reasons as to why, considering how much he despised humans in general. But Anwen? She wasn't like the other humans he encountered.

Sure, he was obviously being somewhat biased; but after spending some time with her and speaking to her on a more personal level, he was beginning to understand why she was special. She was very patient and understanding, as well as forgiving and kind. She was the missing void he and and his brother had been trying to fill for vorns. That thought alone was enough to make his spark race with both excitement and nervousness.

He was excited because this was something they had wanted for so long but never imagined would actually happen. And he was nervous because now that he and Sideswipe finally had her in their lives, he was terrified of losing her. He knew his brother felt this way as well because of the emotions that bled through his spark. Granted, she wasn't their sparkmate yet, but the idea of losing her made this whole situation much more real to them.

His train of thought was interrupted when he heard her ask: "Are you scheduled for patrol duty next week as well?"

:Not in the mornings, but I will be covering the graveyard patrols.:

"So, I guess that means I won't be seeing much of you during the day?"

:Correct. I'll have to recharge in the mornings, but you might see me again after your shift.:

She glanced over at him while they rolled at a steady pace, "I'd like that."

XXXXX

Upon arriving at the gym/pool, Sunstreaker transformed and addressed the small femme, "I believe this is your destination."

She nodded, "Indeed it is. Merci for escorting me to base."

"Sure thing," his optics took on a softer glow upon seeing the dust of pink along her cheeks but they quickly returned to their normal tint when he spotted his brother leisurely approach:

"Good morning, Ani! How did you recharge last night?"

"Bonjour, Sideswipe! I slept well; merci for asking."

"Of course." He then glanced at his twin, "Did you give her a lift?"

"No; she wanted to roll alongside me while I drove. I had no reason to argue."

"Fair enough," he shrugged.

"Indeed. Now, I should get back to my patrol. I'll see you both later."

"Alrighty. Take care, Sunny."

"Don't call me Sunny," he growled in annoyance.

Anwen smirked at their banter before addressing the golden mech, "Drive safe."

"I will," he assured her before transforming and rolling back towards the security gate.

Once Sunstreaker was out of sight, Sideswipe looked down at the young ginger and asked, "Shall we head inside?"

She tilted her head, "But you can't fit through the door."

He smirked, "True. I can't fit in this form but my holoform can. Would you like to see it?"

At that, Anwen's eyes widened almost comically, "Oh oui!" *ahem* "I-I mean, oui, I would very much like to see your holoform as I have not yet had the pleasure of seeing it in person. I mean, I remember glancing at it in your file a while back, but I've never actually seen you use it before."

He chuckled at her enthusiasm, "That's because I didn't have a need to use it. At least, not until now."

At the wink he gave her, Anwen felt her cheeks heat up. She then watched as he stepped back and transformed into his alternative form before his front door opened and out stepped a tall, handsome young man of 23 years. He stood roughly at 5'11 and had a well-toned/sculpted body. His skin was fair yet lightly tanned while his face was a humanoid replica of his actual features, and was clean shaven and very handsome in her opinion (Of course, she already thought he was handsome). His optics/eyes were the same cerulean blue and just as vibrant as they were mere seconds ago; and he had short, dark brown hair that was thick and well-kept. Much to Anwen's surprise, his attire consisted of a pair of black and silver swimming trunks, leaving his torso completely bare and exposing his chiseled muscles.

'Oh mon Dieu, he's hot!' She mentally stated as her face suddenly turned a bright shade of red while she tried to avert her gaze. Though, she couldn't help but stare: he was gorgeous!

"So, what do you think?"

She thickly swallowed the lump in her throat before finally speaking, "...You look very handsome, Sideswipe."

His eyes softened at her reply, "Thank you, Ani. I'm glad you approve."

'Oh oui, I do,' she told herself. "Um, well then, shall we head inside? I just need to drop off my blades and backpack before I can join you in the pool."

"Of course," he then opened the door for her, to which she graciously stepped inside and headed over to the women's locker room while he made his way into the pool.

Once alone, Anwen rolled over to the bench and sat down to remove her backpack, shorts and rollerblades before opening her locker and pulling out her flip flops. She then removed her helmet and placed it within the locker along with her sunglasses, lanyard, watch, shorts and bag once she removed her towel.

Afterwards, she stood up and headed out of the locker room and into the pool vicinity where she spotted Sideswipe casually sitting on one of the long chairs and conversing with a group of soldiers that were in for a morning swim. Of course, they weren't anyone she knew on a personal level so she paid them no mind as she set her towel and flip flops on the adjacent chair.

"Hey, sweetspark, I was just waiting for you."

Anwen smiled at his politeness, "That's kind of you, Sideswipe; but you really didn't have to. I wouldn't have minded if you slipped into the pool already."

"I know," he warmly stated before getting up from the chair and walking over to the shallow section, where he then stepped down into the water. "PRIMUS, THAT'S COLD!"

With as much willpower she could muster, Anwen tried her best not to laugh. Although, it was proving to be a challenge, for he was making it near impossible for her not to do so. The other humans didn't have an issue with it as they were openly laughing up a storm. Of course, it was all in good nature. Kneeling beside the edge, Anwen offered a kind smile to the Autobot frontliner, "Are you alright, Sideswipe?"

He swam over and rested his arms on the edge, "Yea, I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting the water to be this cold."

"Oui, it is a bit chilly at first, but you'll get used to it after a few minutes."

"I'm sure I will," he winked, causing her to blush.

In that moment, Anwen suddenly noticed the way he was looking up at her: in no way was it perverse or creepy like some of the humans that usually stared at her when she was wearing a bikini. Instead, it was warm and comforting. Rather than being fixated on her body, his eyes were completely focused on hers and they had a softer look to them, while his lips were curled into a gentle smile. It was almost like he was looking into her soul.

Her heart rate suddenly increased and for a moment, time stopped. Despite there being at least six other people in the vicinity, it felt as if they were the only ones in the building. With a shy smile, Anwen sat on the pool's edge and slid into the water where she then pinched her nose and dove underneath for a few seconds before re-emerging across from the Autobot frontliner.

"Does diving underneath help with adapting to the cooler temperature?"

She nodded, "Oui. Or at least it does in my opinion."

"Hmm," he pondered this for a moment before he too slipped underwater and emerged seconds later. "Still cold...but I think I'm starting to adapt."

Anwen couldn't help the amused giggle that escaped her lips, which brought a fond look to Sideswipe's face. The two of them then swam to the opposite end of the pool in order to leave the soldiers to their own conversations, and so they could speak more privately without eavesdroppers. Once they were far enough away, Anwen leaned against the edge and did some leg exercises while Sideswipe merely tread water.

"So, you do this every day?"

She nodded, "Oui. Or at least I try to come here every day and swim a few laps before breakfast. Of course, if I don't make it in the morning, I try to swim for a little while after work."

"I see. Do you come here on weekends too?"

"Not often. Although, I might if I'm feeling up to it, but I usually spend my weekends at home or with Maggie. When I'm alone, I like to catch up on some reading, play video games or work on some of my hobbies and clean my apartment." She gave him a shy smile, "But this weekend I'll be hanging out with you and Sunstreaker."

"And I can vouch for Sunny when I say that we're glad you've taken us up on that offer. Personally, we don't get many visitors. Sure, we hang out with others here and there, but that's usually in the recreational center or out on the shooting range. We never have visitors unless it's Ironhide, Ratchet or Prowl coming over to nag us about something, but even then they rarely enter our room." He gave her a charming smile, "You'll be the first human to enter our domain...as well as the first femme."

"Well, let's hope that I'm the only femme," she smirked and surprised him with a wink which made his spark flip in its casing.

"Ani, you are the only femme Sunny and I would ever consider bringing home...er, seeing our room, that is...I mean...Ah, scrap…"

At that, she couldn't help but giggle, "C'est bon (It's okay), Sideswipe. I was just teasing you. I know you two aren't the promiscuous types."

"Oh Primus, no. Even Sunny and I have standards," he chuckled before climbing out of the pool and sitting on the edge while dangling his legs in the water.

Anwen couldn't help but stare at his dripping wet body: his hair (while short) stuck to his neck and forehead while his muscles glistened with moisture. She immediately dove underwater to escape the sexiness overload that threatened to undo her. 'Merde (Fuck), why do I have this strong urge to kiss him?!' She mentally asked herself as she reached the bottom of the ten foot section of the pool. Upon re-emerging, she was met with an amused smirk from the Autobot frontliner.

"Quoi (What)?"

"I'm just admiring how graceful you are and how lucky I am to be in your company," he replied in a gentle tone.

At his sincerity, Anwen felt her chest tighten, to which she mentally shrugged it off. "...Well...merci."

"Of course."

XXXXX

-0630-

Upon finishing her workout, Anwen stepped out of the pool and rinsed herself off underneath the spray while Sideswipe phased out his holoform and re-phased it back again, completely dry and now wearing casual attire: a pair of dark denim jeans, a white t-shirt and a pair of white and silver skater shoes.

Seeing this, Anwen narrowed her eyes at him in a playful manner, "Show off."

He chuckled and offered her the towel, "What? You expected me to wait for my holoform to dry off?"

She graciously accepted her towel and started drying herself off, "No, but that wasn't really necessary, was it?"

"Perhaps not, but it got a reaction out of you nonetheless," he winked.

"Oui, oui," she smirked and wrapped the towel around her skinny waist. "I need to dress for work but I'll be outside in about ten minutes if you don't mind waiting."

"Not at all. I'll see you in ten, Milady," he politely bowed his head and phased his holoform out.

Upon entering the locker room, Anwen walked over to her personal locker and stripped out of her swimsuit before finishing drying off and hanging her damp suit and towel on the nearby wall hook. Removing her backpack from the locker, she pulled out her clothes and a new tampon, to which she then slipped into one of the toilet stalls for a few minutes.

Stepping back out feeling fresh, sanitary and properly clothed, Anwen walked over to the sink and washed her hands while taking a moment to glance at herself in the mirror. Sure, she'd apply lipstick and brush her teeth again after breakfast, but for the moment, she looked fine. Her outfit was appropriate for work and consisted of a gorgeous short sleeve, emerald green, floral lace swing dress and a pair of form-fitting black short shorts (as a precaution). In truth, it was the prettiest dress she had in her wardrobe and made her feel especially fancy. She'd never worn it to work before because she always thought it was too formal, but today she finally convinced herself to wear it.

With that, she grabbed the hair dryer from her locker and began to blow dry out her curly, red locks. Granted, she wouldn't be able to completely dry them before she was expected to meet back up with Sideswipe, but if she could at least reduce a fraction of their overall moisture, she'd be satisfied.

After a total of three minutes, she unplugged and placed the hairdryer back inside her locker along with her flip flops. She then adorned her socks, rollerblades, lanyard, watch and sunglasses, strapped her helmet onto her backpack, closed her locker and headed outside to meet up with the silver frontliner. A smile graced Anwen's freckled face upon exiting the building and seeing his sleek vehicle form.

:Eight minutes and twenty three seconds. You're a minute and thirty seven seconds early, Miss Bleu.:

She shrugged, "I like to be early."

:So I've noticed,: he then opened the passenger side door for her. :Your chariot awaits, Milady.:

"Merci beaucoup (Thank you very much)," she playfully curtsied and slipped into the front seat.

After closing the door and gently strapping her in, Sideswipe activated his holoform in the driver's seat and offered her a charming smile, "You look beautiful, Ani. That dress is very becoming of you."

An adorable touch of pink dusted her freckled cheeks as she smoothed the fabric across her knee, "I've actually never worn it to work before, but I figured it was finally time to do so."

"Well, I'm glad you did: it's lovely and I know Sunny would agree with me on that statement."

"Well, merci. Hopefully he'll get a chance to see it later, assuming I see him after work."

"Oh, you will," he assured with a smile. "I actually had a chat with him while you were inside getting ready. He said he'd escort you home later, if you'd like."

"Bien sûr (Of course). Will you also be joining us or will you be busy then?"

"Well, assuming my superiors don't 'volunteer' my services for a surprise training session or ask me to leave the base and fight Decepticons, I should be free," he winked. "That is, if you'll have me?"

"Oui, je serais ravi (Yes, I'd be delighted)."

XXXXX

Upon arriving at the chow hall, Sideswipe pulled alongside the curb and stated, "I believe this is your stop."

She gave a curt nod as she momentarily glanced out the tinted window, "Indeed it is. Merci for driving me here."

"Of course," he then surprised her by phasing out his holoform from the driver's seat and outside of her door, to which he opened it and offered his hand for her to take, which she graciously did. Once she was out of his alternate form, he brought her slender hand up to his lips and placed a chaste kiss upon her outer palm. "Jusqu'à plus tard, très chère Ani (Until later, dearest _)."

Feeling her breath hitch and her heart skip a beat, Anwen's eyes widened at his chivalrous gesture, to which she finally answered, "...De même (Likewise), Sideswipe."

With a charming smile, he then phased out his holoform, closed his passenger door and drove off, leaving her with feelings of awe and admiration.

XXXXX

Anwen's cheeks remained in a rosy state as she approached the counter where Mama Rosita greeted her with a warm smile, "Oh Azul, you look so beautiful today."

"Merci, Mama Rosita," she replied with a curt nod.

"Por supuesto (Of course)," she dished her up some breakfast and asked, "Sooo, who's the lucky man?" A knowing look crossed her face as she gave the young ginger a wink.

At that, she tilted her head and asked, "What makes you say that?"

Mama Rosita merely waved her hand, "Oh por favor, querida (_ please, dearie), I've been in love before. I know that look."

"What look?" Anwen questioned as she graciously accepted the plate of huevos rancheros with chorizo.

"That look," she gestured to her rosy cheeks. "You're thinking of some boy."

It's true: she was indeed thinking of a boy, or rather, boys. Mechs, to be precise. As much as she wanted to deny it, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had successfully invaded Anwen's mind. It was both pleasant and distracting at times, but in no way did it interfere with her work. Oh no. When she was at work, her mind was entirely focused on her job. But when she was off work? That was a different story. She couldn't pinpoint exactly when it first began, but lately her thoughts started drifting towards the twins.

With a sigh, Anwen gave the Spanish woman a smile, "...Oui, I am."

"Oh, estoy tan feliz por ti Azul (_, I'm so happy for you Bleu)."

"Merci, Mama Rosita."

"Por supuesto (Of course). Now you go eat your desayuno (breakfast) and when you come back later you can tell me more, okay?"

"Alrighty. I'll see you later," she bid her farewell and poured herself a glass of orange juice before rolling over to the dining area to eat. Upon sitting down at one of the corner tables, Anwen felt a disturbance in the force as an unwanted presence approached:

"Well, good morning, Bleu cheese. Fancy seeing you here at this hour," Marcus Delaine smirked as he decided to sit directly across from her.

She took a bite of her chorizo and eggs while a visible frown appeared across her face, and though she was wearing her sunglasses, Anwen's eyes narrowed at the sight of him. He was just such a massive pain in the ass.

"Well, aren't we an angry redhead this morning. Or should I refer to you as a ginger snap?" He chuckled, causing her to emit an annoyed groan and mentally wishing she could blast him with one of Ironhide's cannons. "Aw, what's that face for? You still pissy at me for what I said yesterday?"

"Oui," she flatly replied before taking a sip of her juice. "Cela étant dit, je n'ai aucune envie de vous parler. Alors tu veux bien te faire foutre (With that being said, I have no desire to speak to you. So would you kindly fuck off)?"

"I feel like you're deliberately speaking French to annoy me."

Taking a bite of her food, Anwen rolled her eyes from underneath her shades. "Oh non, qu'est-ce qui vous a donné cette idée (_ no, whatever gave you that idea)?"

"You know, while I can't understand you, I can't help but feel slightly turned on," he smirked and sipped his coffee while she gave a look of utter disgust and promptly stood up from the table.

"Tu es un putain de cochon (You're a fucking pig)!" Anwen felt her face heat up in anger, to which she suddenly felt eyes upon her as at least a dozen soldiers/crew members looked on in confusion.

One of the female soldiers (First Lieutenant, Wendy Arrow) approached and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Excuse me, is this man giving you trouble?" At the nod she received, Miss Arrow then glared at Marcus, "I must ask that you leave this young lady alone or I will be forced to report you to your superiors. Is that understood?"

"Yes, mam," he casually stated and sipped his coffee.

With that, she gently led Anwen over to a table filled with soldiers and said, "Viens t'asseoir avec nous (Come sit with us)."

Upon hearing that she asked, "Tu parles français (You speak french)?"

"Oui, I took two years of it in high school and have been brushing up on it ever since."

The two of them then sat down, to which Anwen lazily poked her food with her fork and stated, "Then you must have heard what I said?"

"I admit that I did overhear most of your exchange," she replied with a small nod. "It's not every day that I hear someone speaking in French; so whenever I do, I sometimes have a tendency to eavesdrop. Sorry."

"It's fine. I'm just sorry you had to hear all that."

"No, don't apologize for speaking up. You have nothing to be sorry about."

She merely nodded and sipped her juice before emitting a sigh, "Usually his comments don't cause me to snap like that, but over the last few days he's been rather irritable."

"Are you going to file a complaint," another soldier asked.

Anwen shrugged, "I'm thinking about it, but maybe I'll just ask Ironhide to step on him." That comment got everyone at the table to laugh, which lightened her mood a little. In truth, she just wanted to move on with her morning and go back to how it was earlier when she was with the twins. Taking a bite of her food, she felt a gentle tugging sensation within her chest and emitted a sigh, knowing she'd see them again later. That thought alone brought a comforting smile to her face.