Title: Now I Realise

By: Moonlit Sea

Summary: How long can Sara stay angry at the bullet trains? Who is this new 'guard' Optimus has assigned and why hasn't she seen him before? Sequel to How Quickly Love Turns To Hate

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or any of the characters. However, any unknown characters are of my own creation.

Chapter One

As Joe drove out of the gate from his parent's house he was surprised to see a dark silver and green SUV waiting for him. He pulled up beside it, putting his window down. "X-Brawn?"

"Sara in there?" he asked referring to the house.

"Yes. Though don't let her know I'm out. Ever since I broke my leg three months ago she's become as overbearing as our parents." He replied as he rolled his eyes. "I'll be glad when they come back. Then I can get back to my own place with no annoying, nagging sisters."

X-Brawn chuckled, "Then perhaps you can help."

"If this is about Sara and some certain trains…" Joe began "I already tried…without much success. How are they anyway?"

"They're…doing okay. So I guess her talkin' to Optimus is out also."

"Optimus? Hmmm… I guess I could manage to get her to do that. Though, he'd have to come here. I doubt she'd go anywhere near your base."

"In case she'd run into the trains?" X-Brawn said half knowingly.

"Right. I can't even get her to go anywhere near a train station. Even if I go in there first to see if the bullet trains are there or not." The brown haired male said sadly shaking his head.

"How long do you think she'll keep this up?" X-Brawn asked.

Joe sighed, "I really don't know. I've never seen her like this before. It's like…a piece of her died that day."

"I know what you mean." X-Brawn said. "Midnight Express hasn't been the same since, according to Rapid Run."

"Then it's time we knocked some sense into that sister of mine." Joe said determined.

Optimus Prime pulled up to the gates of the Aiko residence to talk with Sara about what happened with Sky-Byte and Scourge on that fateful day. The gates opened without prompting, and he drove towards the house. He saw Joe waiting for him and transformed.

"If you'll make your way round the back I'll go get Sara for you." The young man stated. The fire truck gave a nod and headed for the back garden. A couple of minutes later Joe entered the garden a look of confusion on his face.

"Is there something wrong, Joe?" Optimus asked.

Joe scratched the side of his head before answering, "I can't find her. I know she hasn't gone out, but she's not in the house and she doesn't appear to be out here." doing a quick scan of the garden in the hope that he would spot his sister.

"We must find her, I fear the Predacons are still after her." Optimus stated.

"What?" Joe replied in both shock and surprise. "I thought that was all over. I mean, she gave them the necklace, right?"

"What Midnight Express gave your sister was not her necklace. It was a duplicate we had made with a tracking device installed." The Autobot leader explained.

Joe facepalmed, when a thought entered his mind.
"You're telling me that you…'left' my sister without protection knowing that those…those…Decepticons or Predacons or whatever, that they were still after her. You used her as bait!" the more he thought about it the angrier he became as he thought about what could have happened to Sara.

"Sara was in no danger as long as she wore the necklace. We could track her movements." Optimus stated.

"Yeah, as long as she wore the necklace. What would have happened if she wasn't wearing the damn thing when we were attacked! Like she had done so many times before, she would have been…" he trailed off not wanting to think about what might have happened.

"Joe? Is everything o…kay?" a female voice asked suddenly noticing their 'large' visitor.

Both human and Cybertronian looked over at the voice. Sara stood at what appeared to be an entrance, mostly hidden by trees, that Joe had never noticed before.
"Where were you? I've been looking for you everywhere," he asked.

The woman shrugged, "I had some thinking to do." She replied never taking her eyes off the Autobot leader.

"Sara, I have come to talk to you about…" Optimus began but he didn't get to finish.

"Joe's told me all about why you're here, Optimus. Personally, I don't think that there is anything you can say that'll change my mind. But I promised Joe I'd listen."

"I am sorry for what happened to your brother." The fire truck began. "We believe that the Predacons and Decepticons are still after you…"

"Really." Sara said sarcastically interrupting the red mech once again.

"Stop interrupting the damn guy!" Joe suddenly said in annoyance.

"I don't see why I'm listening to this anyway. It's all a load of made up crap just to get me back to their base." She told him walking towards the house.

Finally having enough of his sister's bad attitude towards the Autobots Joe headed for his sister and promptly hit her upside the head.

"What the hell was that for!" she snapped at him, her eyes blazing with barely controlled anger.

"Shut the hell up and listen to him!" he replied angrily.

The anger Sara felt when Joe hit her was replaced with fear, as she saw not her brother standing there but her father, she nervously nodded her head and looked over at Optimus.

"Please continue, Optimus." Joe said his anger now gone.

"I am assigning someone new for your protection. It will not be as Team Bullet Train once were, they will only appear if you get attacked or need help." The red mech stated.

"May I ask how you intend to 'keep an eye on me' if this person is not around?" Sara asked.

"We have a device we would like you wear. It is linked directly to TAI so we will know immediately if something occurs." He replied.

"Do you have it on you?"

Optimus shook his head. "I'm afraid I do not."

"Then how…" Realisation suddenly dawned on Sara, and an annoyed expression appeared on her face. She looked over at her brother, "You see!" she exclaimed "They just want to get me back to their base."

"Would you rather be at the Predacons base?" Joe replied rhetorically. Any answer Sara would have given died upon hearing those words, she shook her head instead. "Then stop complaining."

The woman sighed in defeat. "I have just one request." She said sadly, looking back over at Optimus.

"Yes?"

"I request that Team Bullet Train not be there." She said.

"If that is what you wish." The fire truck replied.

"Well, now that that's all settled, shall we go?" Joe said cheerily.