Author's Note: Read Disregarded first! This is the next installment of the Wayward One's Verse, the full list of current fics can be found on my profile. This is set in the middle of Fulminata Coil's fic Stranger than Frisson, but the events are separate. Chapter One will be poster in December. See you next month everybody! -Shadow

Convergence

Prologue

Jodi stood over the gravestone, her fists clenched so tightly that her arms were shaking. Her eyes were hot, bordering on stinging, but she refused to cry.

The bastard didn't deserve her tears.

She could feel Barricade's Holoform standing behind her, his presence warm and solid, and faintly humming with static. Needing the support, she leaned back into him, and he silently draped an arm around her shoulders. Her hands came up to grip his forearm, grounding herself and resting her chin there.

"Feel free to spit on the grave," Riley piped up, flicking the end of his cigarette, completely uncaring of the ash that rained down over the freshly piled dirt. "I could always do it for you. Lord knows I've been thinking about it."

Jodi snorted into 'Cade's arm. "Nah, don't bother. Not even worth the effort."

"I gotcha, just offering."

It was unreal seeing the words "David Hunter" etched into a fresh slab of marble. Jodi's last blood relative now lay six feet under, never to see another day.

She was nearly sick with the relief.

When they got the call Jodi had to hand the phone over to Riley, or risk laughing hysterically at the lawyer when he said "my condolences". They were summoned to the will reading, or rather Jodi was, but being her guardian to the human legal system that meant Riley went too.

Barricade went without being asked, and no one was stupid enough to demand that he stay behind.

The long and short of it, uncle David was dead, mauled in sort of freak dog attack at his beachfront home down by Monterey.

Due to some sort of legal loophole (because there was no way this was intentional) Jodi was the sole inheritor of her uncle's estate and all the assets he had. Even before counting his part of the law firm and his stock shares, Jodi was looking at an obscene amount of money. When Jodi had told her uncle's lawyer to just give her a figure, her jaw dropped at the estimate. She hadn't expected so many zeroes attatched to it.

Just like the lawyer didn't expect her to turn around and say "sell it".

And she meant everything, her portion of the firm, the houses in Palo Alto and Monterey, the summer villa her uncle apparently had overseas, she didn't want any of it, and no amount of arguing could convince her otherwise.

She would have full access to everything on her eighteenth birthday, but until then she was alloted a small monthly allowance. Said allowance was enough for her to be renting her own apartment if she wanted. Even then she would have enough to take care of a car payment, if she had a car that is.

Jodi was still processing that not only was she was set for life, but she could blow it all on frivolous bullshit and still have cash left over.

God, she was glad she wasn't that kind of person.

Once they had left the office, Jodi tried to pawn some of the dough off to Riley.

He had snorted at her. "No way kid. I think you deserve it way more than me, and besides, this means I'm officially off the hook for paying any college fees, you can do it yourself. Tell ya what, in the remote chance you manage to actually blow up my house, you can buy me a new one with a pool and acerage. We'll call it square."

They laughed, chuckling all the way back to the parking lot where Barricade was waiting.

Jodi shook herself free from the day's events, and turned to where Riley was still glaring at the headstone. "We don't have to go right back to Tranquility, do we?"

Riley tossed the butt of his cigarette to the bare dirt of the fresh grave and crushed it with his heel. "Well, you two don't, but I'm on shift tomorrow night. I can only leave Prowl for so long before the chief rides my ass about dumping paperwork on my partner."

Barricade gave a low chuckle, the vibrations of it traveling right through Jodi's chest. "When we were in the Enforcers, I would leave the paperwork to Prowl whenever possible. He would complain, of course, but I think he secretly likes filling out forms."

"Wouldn't put it past him."

As much as Jodi enjoyed watching the two of them get along, she poked Riley with the toe of her shoe. "You think Optimus would let 'Cade and I take the long way home?"

"Road trip, huh?" He scrubbed a hand through his auburn hair. "As long as there's a flight available to take me home, I don't see why not. Especially after the assistance with Lia. I'm sure they'll slap you guys with some ridiculous rule or other, but I'll make the call. Just be ready to drop me off at an airport."