Transformers Animated and all related belong to Hasbro. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission.

Disclaimer: No money, no rights, no life. I own all original characters unless otherwise specified.

Dedications: Like usual, the story is dedicated to the writers for their excellent work. It's also dedicated to all the voice actors, especially Corey Burton and Susan Blu for bringing these wonderful characters (especially my favourites) to life. As well as the writers of Transformers Animated, it's also for the people I love in hopes that this will show that one day I can do something better.

Author's Note: Sentinel Prime's such an interesting character, and following the same theme for my one-shot "Acceptance," I wanted to build on his character and the idea of Autobot nobility. Again, I use the German "Fürst" as something equivalent to a prince, and "Herzogin" would be a step down (mostly a Duchess), running with the idea that those not born of nobility can only have a lower status crowned upon them. Anyway, this story was inspired by 3 Doors Down's "Here Without You." I recommend that you listen to it while reading.

Trans Formers: Animated
Here Without You
Joshin Yasha (joshinyasha yahoo dot com)

There was nothing more lonely than the flight they were currently on. Sentinel Prime had been detached ever since they had left Earth. The mission had been to apprehend Wasp, but the loop they were thrown had cut Sentinel Prime deeper than any weapon could. Optimus Prime might have made right with his demons, but the blue and gold bot still had a long way to go.

That femme, that Blackarachnia – she had everything Elita-1 had had, and then some. And again, the terrible knowledge of what had happened to Elita-1 stirred emotions deep within his spark. But it couldn't be his Elita-1 anymore, that was certain. His Elita-1 had always been his, and that technorganic she-spider was nothing like her. Although never bitten, her venom had poisoned his spark worse than the knowledge that Ultra Magnus still claimed Optimus Prime as Fürst in line to his hammer. A hammer that now rightfully belonged to Sentinel Prime.

Speaking of Nova Magnus's ridiculous nitwit sired, Optimus Prime had always been the bane of Sentinel Prime's existence. When they were in the academy, Optimus Prime had been the glory hound, intent to outshine the blue and gold Autobot on every occasion possible.

But with Elita-1, things had been different. She had been enough to drive all the cadets at that time wild, but her eyes were only for him, or at least, that's the way Sentinel Prime remembered it. Optimus Prime might have flirted with her, but it was Sentinel Prime with whom she was in love. Not a day went by during boot camp that he hadn't reminded Optimus Prime of that, nor did a day go by that he hadn't reminded Elita-1 in private that she would be Herzogin when he gained the true title of Fürst. Odd, though, now that he remembered it, every time he brought it up she had had a standing appointment to have her armour polished.

And now . . . now that promise rushed his spark with an energon dagger and sliced him open, drawing out a silent scream of agony. Sentinel Prime was about to undertake the title Sentinel Magnus, and Elita-1 wouldn't be there to be laurelled as his Herzogin. For that he felt his first wash of sorrow, and despite the presence of the twins and Jazz on the bridge, he was resigned to a state of depression. It was odd, because he had only once felt it before when Elita-1 had fallen to her . . . death at the claws of those giant, disgusting, alien spiders. There was nothing that upset him worse than knowing that the Decepticon Blackarachnia, that putrid technorganic creature, had once been his beautiful Elita-1.

Oh, how he had wanted to return for her, but that ignorant jerk Optimus Prime had prevented him from doing so. Not only that, but his own sire had stopped him from recovering her shell. If only, he thought, if only I'd had the chance to go back. I could have saved her from those spiders before anything had happened to her. Optimus shouldn't have stopped him, neither should have Ultra Magnus, but the ultimate decision-maker had been his own cowardice. His fear of the organic spiders had crippled him into not resisting the urging shoves of the Fürst.

"Sentinel, sir," Jazz stirred him from his thoughts, enough so that Sentinel Prime's immediate confusion was counteracted by anger.

"What is it?" he mouthed back, the edge of a court-martial threat in his voice.

"We're about to make orbit with Cybertron, sir," Jazz was smooth enough that the bitter response was not noticed by the blue and gold bot.

"Good, take us to Iacon Plateau, and radio them to open the gates to the inner city." Jazz was intelligent to know what Sentinel Prime intended, but the twins had no idea, and in their inexperience, the only thing they were considering were the scans of themselves inside the gates, which they would eventually pass out to their friends. If only Elita-1 could have been with him upon his entrance to the great, domed city of Iacon.

At least now he had found some solace and a piece of mind knowing that she had indeed died that day in the planet. What was left –this Blackarachnia—was not the female cadet he had professed his interest for. No, this was an abomination to Cybertronian kind, and if there was one thing he could do for Elita-1, it would be to keep any and all organics away from the rest of Cybertron.

That would be his first act as Sentinel Magnus . . .