Author's Note: I'm not entirely certain, but I think I wrote this chapter faster than my last one. Maybe? Possibly? Hopefully?

Uhh…Forgive me?

Warnings: Mentions of drug use, prostitution, and gambling. Really, they're just mentions, and I guess I should've put a warning for whenever Sandra's around. Maybe I should go back and do that now…

Chapter 12

Kisses and Plot Interference

Dinner was peculiar, to say the least. It would appear that both Lyra and Noah had grown accustomed to the icy atmosphere that a family meal brought; however, they realized, supper with the Witwickys was everything they imagined a family supper to be: loving, embarrassing, hilarious… Sam couldn't have been luckier.

Sometime between the actually grilling of the food and sitting down to eat, Mikaela had shown up. She had murmured an excuse of having to help her dad get settled in before promptly squeezing the life out of Lyra. Sam pouted.

"So your boyfriend doesn't get any love?" he asked. Mikaela ignored him.

"So, Lyra, what do you like to do?" Judy asked suddenly.

Lyra nearly choked on the burger she had been scarfing down. Coughing slightly, she held up a hand in a signal to wait, her other hand covering her mouth as she chewed and swallowed quickly.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Hobbies! What are your hobbies, sweetie?"

Hobbies. Okay. That's totally not random. "Um…" What did she like doing anyway? "I-I'm not sure. Reading?"

"That's it? C'mon! You must like something else. I mean, look at you! You're a beautiful young lady. I'm sure you have the hearts of hundreds of boys, right? Sam, don't you think she's gorgeous?"

Lyra's face started to burn.

"Mom!" Sam cried indignantly.

"I-I-I do-don't…wha'?"

"Lyra doesn't date." Noah smiled, almost angelically, at the woman. "I think she's allergic to boys."

"Noah!"

"What?" he asked innocently. "You are, aren't you? I mean, every time a boy even looks at you, you run aw—"

"Okay!" Lyra chimed in loudly. "Let's just eat, okay? Okay. Good. This food is delicious, Mrs. Witwicky."

"Don't change the subject, Ly'." Mikaela smirked. "I think we need to discuss this new piece of information."

"No. No, we do not."

"I'd be willing to argue that statement."

"And I'd be willing to defend it."

The two girls stared at each other in silence. Mikaela was trying to be intimidating, but Lyra wasn't deterred as she stared at the ravenette with flat eyes. She wouldn't lose this. She wouldn't give in. No way in Hell.

"What happened to, uh, Sunstreaker, Noah?"

Dammit. Sam did that on purpose; Lyra thought darkly as she involuntarily flinched at the name and broke eye contact. Mikaela smirked smugly before facing Noah.

"Dunno." The boy tore at his napkin.

"Is he coming later or something?"

"Or something…"

Bumblebee, who was sitting in the garage with his face in the window closest to the picnic table they were all sat at, whined loudly. Sam's parents jumped.

"I don't get it," Sam said.

"He left," Lyra explained. She sounded way too bitter when she said that.

"What do you mean 'he left'? He's your Gaurdian, isn't he? He can't just leave." Lyra didn't really feel like answering Mikaela's questions.

"He left. He's not. He did." Jeez, what a buzz kill. Who the hell invited Lyra the Frosty Bitch to this dinner?

Judy cleared her throat. "Well, who wants dessert?"

Sunstreaker's tires were becoming worn down. Perhaps it was time to stop?

…

…

No way in Pit.

The Autobot was trying to get as far as freakin' possible from Tranquility as he could. If Optimus caught up to him… Scrap.

He didn't know what it was about that damn human that made him so angry. Well, angrier than usual. But, maybe it wasn't her? Maybe it was Sideswipe. He had been separated from his twin for too long. Maybe seeing how Lyra and Noah interacted…

No. He was not going to think that. There was no way that he would ever admit that he could be…jealous…of a human's relationship.

Oh, someone please melt him down and turn him into spare parts.

Lyra had a new found respect for the psycho ginger that was Sam's mother. Though she didn't really look it, the woman was extremely intuitive. She just seemed to know what it was that Lyra needed at that moment. Though, it had confused her. Romantic comedies and a tub of double fudge brownie ice cream were supposed to help with breakups, weren't they?

"Isn't this nice?" Judy sat on Lyra's left and Mikaela sat on Lyra's right. "Just us three girls together."

"Real nice," Mikaela smiled. It wasn't hard to tell that it was forced, but Judy ignored it.

They sat watching the movie in silence, the only sound they made was the quiet moans of satisfaction that the ice cream elicited from them. Chocolate was amazing.

It wasn't until the protagonist of the movie started making out with her obvious love interest that anything really happened.

Mikaela lazily rolled her head towards Lyra, a mischievous smirk adorning her face. "Have you ever done anything like that, Lyra?"

Judy burst into hysterics. The brunette was trying to sink into the couch, hoping it would miraculously come to life and eat her.

"Wait." Mikaela sat up straight and grinned coyly. "Have you ever even kissed a guy before? On the lips? Hell, on the cheek?"

Why? Why couldn't she have ended up in a movie like Harry Potter where she could just vanish if she wanted to? She'd even take Twilight at this moment if it meant she could run away quickly. She didn't like how Mikaela questioned her. As if the thought of not having kissed someone was such a big deal.

"Oh, God, you haven't!"

And there goes the sound barrier, Lyra thought mournfully.

Judy was laughing maniacally now, her face redder than her hair as she clutched her stomach desperately. Mikaela resembled the Cheshire cat with that stupidstupidstupid grin she wore. And Lyra, well, Lyra was slowly folding in on herself as she tried to hide herself from the Harbingers of Doom.

Surprisingly, Judy was the first one to speak. "I'm sure we can fix your little problem, easy." She winked.

"No!" Lyra exclaimed. Just the thought of them interfering with her life caused a violent shudder to shake her small body. She jumped off the couch, away from the two harpies, and leaned against the far wall defensively. "I d-don't want to fix my pr—I mean, I don't have a pr-problem!"

They exchanged amused glances as Lyra looked around frantically for a way to esca—er, get to the bathroom. Yeah, bathroom.

"Of course you don't have a problem, Lyra," Mikaela drawled. "You're just a, what? Sixteen? Seventeen year old whose never been kissed? That's rare."

"Like unicorns." Judy said seriously. She received weird looks from the two teenagers before they decided it wasn't worth questioning.

"Riiight… Anyway, what I was trying to say was that I'm sure you have a perfectly good reason for never even kissing a boy on the cheek. Wait a minute. Are you gay?"

Lyra choked, coughing and spluttering. "W-wh-what?!" She was not expecting that.

"I mean, it's fine if you are. I was gay for, like, three weeks in middle school. I don't discriminate."

"No! No, I am not gay. I just—!" She stopped, pursing her lips. "I'm not gay," she said calmly.

"If you're sure…" Mikaela mused.

"Well! I think it's time I get to bed. Gotta get up before the sun does to work on my garden. G'night, girls!"

"Night, Mrs. Witwicky," they called as the redhead suddenly left them alone.

"That was…" Mikaela trailed off.

"Strange?" Lyra asked. The ravenette nodded.

They were veiled in silence for a few moments before Mikaela pounced on her. There was no way that the girl would let her leave without explaining her actions. Or lack of.

Optimus was angry. No, if the slow, deep growl that passed through the comlink was anything to go by, he was pissed.

Sunstreaker swerved dangerously on the road as Optimus started to speak in that rage-filled calm he rarely used on anyone but him and his brother. Now that he thought about it that was just unfair. He knew for a fact that the Bossbot enjoyed their pranks.

It seemed as if Optimus knew that Sunstreaker wasn't really paying attention to him because the comlink was surprisingly silent. This did nothing to relax the Lambo. Apprehension started to settle into his bolts as he cruised down a surprisingly empty stretch of Colorado road.

This would've been perfectly bearable for him, but then the paranoia kicked in.

"Can't we just drop this, 'Kaela?" Lyra whined. She was not enjoying 'girl talk' as much as the ravenette who sat on her stomach was.

Mikaela didn't even pause to think about it. "No." She shifted a bit to get more comfortable, causing a pained groan to escape her prisoner.

"Stop," Lyra wheezed desperately.

"You aren't getting out of this, Ly', so just stop trying."

"No," she gasped. "Stop moving. I can barely breathe!"

"Oh, sorry," Mikaela apologized sheepishly. She moved once more, but this time so that she was straddling her friend's stomach instead of sitting on it, and rested her hands on Lyra's shoulders so she couldn't fight her off. "Now, why don't we discuss the matter of your love life like the adults that we are?"

"I wasn't aware that adults usually pin each other to the ground to get information out of each other."

"Of course they do. Haven't you ever watched an action movie before?"

"Not really. I prefer staring at inanimate blots of ink on paper."

"Do you also like watching paint dry?"

"Only on the weekends. Too much homework to handle during the week, ya know?"

"Stop stalling and tell me already."

"I can't tell you about something that doesn't exist."

"Then tell me why it doesn't exist. I mean, c'mon, your smart, goodlooking, and witty. Yeah, your confidence could use a bit of a boost, but guys should be eating out of your hands."

"'Goodlooking'? Wait a minute. 'Kaela, are you gay?"

"Did I say 'witty'? I meant to say 'a complete smartass'."

"Well, look at the pot calling the kettle black."

"No, I'm what people would call 'sardonic' or 'hilarious'. You're just 'annoying' and 'obnoxious'."

"Then why are you pinning me to the ground? Isn't this your and Sam's thing?"

"You're doing a pretty good job at avoiding the subject. You must be dreading telling me why you never dated before."

"You sound way too excited."

"I haven't had girl talk since middle school, sue me."

"Really?"

"Oh, don't sound so surprised." Mikaela was annoyed.

"Sorry, I guess. It's just that, well," Lyra shifted awkwardly, "you just seem like the type of person to have a lot of friends to talk about this stuff with…"

"Me? 'Friends'?" Mikaela snorted. "You're probably my only friend right now." She must've noticed Lyra's confusion because she elaborated. "Trent, my ex-boyfriend, was the, uhm, 'popular jock' at the school. Most girls I know are intimidated by me or think I'm a bitch or something—" She started to ramble about all of the possible reasons why girls just didn't like her for a while, and Lyra just watched in quiet amusement. "Anyway, the girls I usually hung out with were the girlfriends of Trent's friends."

"And since you're not dating Trent anymore, I've become your new favorite prisoner to torture," Lyra concluded. She sighed in resignation.

An impish grin appeared on Mikaela's face. "And I'd rather cut off my left hand than let you get away."

"Oh, goodie for me."

"Now," Mikaela leaned closer to Lyra's face so that she was glaring directly into her hazel eyes, "tell me."

The brunette gnawed on her lip anxiously before sighing. "Fine, fine. I never dated because, erm, I guess it's because…"

"'Because'…?"

"Well, it's always just been me and Noah. Dating would just, I don't know, change that? It wouldn't be fair to him."

There was silence between them as Mikaela seemed to be mulling over her reason. "That's stupid."

Lyra rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks, pal."

"I mean, it's just dating. Why does your kid brother have to be factored into the equation? I'm sure he wouldn't mind it if you got a boyfriend."

"I don't think you understood me, 'Kaela. When I said that it was just me and Noah, I meant that 'it was just me and Noah'. Our parents were never around."

"Oh. That makes more sense now." Awkward silence. "So, where were your parents?"

"Dad was stationed overseas mostly." Lyra shrugged. "My mother, however, was…not around."

"Did she…die, or—?"

"Drugs, mostly. Sometimes it was gambling. I think prostitution, at one point. She didn't like being around us much, and then the divorce happened." It came out nonchalantly, as if they were discussing ice cream flavors. Lyra, however, felt far from nonchalant. Her heart was pounding in her chest at a rapid and violent pace as she tried to ignore the possible consequences of sharing that information.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Aren't you staying with your mom now, though?"

"Honestly? I feel like we're just renting a room in exchange for our services as maids."

"Hmm."

"Hmm?"

"Mhmm."

Lyra stared up at Mikaela warily. The girl was just scrutinizing her, and it made her feel extremely vulnerable. What was she looking for? She was about to ask, when there was a loud yelp from the stairwell. They looked over and saw Sam sprawled across the bottom steps, his mouth hanging open as he stared at them.

"W-what's g-goin' on here?" Sam was stammering and blushing madly as he quickly scrambled to get up.

"Hey, Sam," Mikaela smiled calmly as she easily got off of Lyra.

Lyra sat up, readjusting her clothing awkwardly. Her face was surprisingly warm.

"Uhm, di-did I, er, interrupt something?" Sam asked. His brown eyes flitted between the two girls as he took in the brunette's flushed state and rumpled clothing and his girlfriend's completely relaxed state.

"N-no," Lyra stuttered. It was true, and she really had no reason to be a stuttering mess. It was just that her talk with Mikaela had made her feel oddly uncomfortable and awkward and so incredibly innocent. She had never thought that never kissing someone was that big of a deal, but the way Mikaela and Mrs. Witwicky had reacted… Was it? She didn't really think so, but that was mostly because she didn't think that exploring the opposite sex—let alone her own sexuality—was all that important. That didn't stop her from being embarrassed. And her heart was still racing from her confession. She'd never really told anyone before about her home life (though that was mostly because there was never anybody to tell) and wondering how they'd react or what they'd do was extremely frightening.

"Actually, yes," Mikaela contradicted. She smiled at Sam. "I was thinking that maybe Lyra and Noah should move to Tranquility."

"What?" Sam and Lyra chorused.

WHAT? Lyra thought.

"It makes sense, right? Since Sunstreaker is AWOL, nobody's watching her and her brother. If she moves, 'Bee can keep an eye on them too."

"Mikaela, you can't just decide for someone to move," Sam protested. "I mean, everyone in her family would be affected. Her parents would need to get closer jobs and find a house nearby…"

"Not if just Lyra and Noah move. They can move in with one of us. Think about it, Lyra could come to school with us and, maybe, get Miles off of our backs," she reasoned, getting closer to Sam as her voice dropped in pitch and volume so that Lyra couldn't hear her last words.

Sam gulped nervously. Licking his lips, he nodded. "Y-yeah. You're r-right," he agreed, his voice cracking.

"Uhm, guys?" They turned to face the brunette who was standing awkwardly next to them. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't think we'd be able t—"

"Just leave it to me, Lyra," Mikaela cut her off. "I'll handle everything."

Lyra decided that she didn't like the mechanic's tone of voice.

He'd said it before, and he'll keep saying it: Sunstreaker hated humans.

A barricade. A fraggin' barricade on a small road surrounded by dirt and rocks and mud and

grossgrossgross.

He absolutely hated this planet.

Sunstreaker sped towards the barricade made by numerous black SUVs. He was planning on shifting into his bipedal mode last minute and jumping it, but, then, well, Optimus happened.

He just stood behind the barricade, his arms crossed behind him. His optics were focused on Sunstreaker.

The look itself made Lambo feel like a scolded sparkling.

He hit the brakes abruptly, skidding to stop just before one of the SUVs.

He was in so much trouble.

Slaggit.

After Mikaela had somewhat creeped her out with her insistence on 'handling things', Lyra had retreated to the guest room that she and Noah were sharing. The movie they were watching had ended some time ago without their noticing, and she honestly couldn't have cared less.

Lyra tried to slip into bed without rousing her brother from his sleep, but he was already awake. She didn't know this until she turned over and saw him staring at the ceiling tiredly.

"Counting the cracks in the paint?" Lyra teased quietly as she played with his sandy hair. It was soft to the touch, and she absolutely loved threading her fingers through it.

They lied in silence for a while, the chirp of crickets outside and their slow breathing the only noise heard. Noah had long since shut his eyes by the time one of them spoke.

His voice was quiet, so quiet that it was barely distinguishable between actually speaking and just breathing. "What are we gonna do, Ly'?" he asked.

She responded equally as quiet. "What d'ya mean?"

"We have the knowledge to help so many people… Will we?"

"My only concern is helping you, No'. If anyone knew what we knew, what you knew—I'm not going to jeopardize your safety like that."

"But, Ly'," Noah sighed. "I don't want anyone to die."

"Who's going to die, sweetie?" She pulled him close to her, hugging his back to her chest and resting her head on his pillow slightly above him.

His arms tightened around her forearms. "Optimus, Ironhide… Sunstreaker was never in the movies. Maybe he came to Earth but never surv—"

"Shh," Lyra hushed him. "Optimus came back, I think, and Ironhide's death isn't for a long time. Sunny, well, h-he'll be fine."

"How do you know? He's gone."

"I just do, No'. Just trust me."

"But, Ly'," Noah turned around in her arms and looked at her seriously, "you hate, Sunstreaker."

She sighed, brushing his hair back and out of his face. "I don't," she scrunched her nose up, "hate him, exactly. He's just really, really, annoying. I don't like him."

Noah examined her seriously for a minute before a teasing grin appeared on his face. "That's right~!" he sang, much louder than they were previously speaking. "You don't like him, you lurve him~!"

"Oh, shut it." Lyra laughed, hitting him in the face with a pillow.

Author's Note: Noah is clearly Team Sunny/Lyra. Team SunRa. Oh, that's cute 'cause Ra's the Sun God~ ^^

Anyway, sorry for the wait, and I'm also sorry that I can't guarantee a more recent update…

And this chapter was a bit different since I felt kinda weird and felt like writing differently. So scene changes and dialogue galore! I've actually been trying my hand at telling parts of a story through dialogue ever since I read Ender's Game, but I'm not sure I did a good job. I tried to show Lyra/Mikaela bonding time. ^^

Anyway, Review!