SPOILER ALERT: PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS FANFICTION IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN TRANSFORMERS 3, DARK OF THE MOON. THIS FANFICTION CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE AND I AM NOT GOING TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE IF YOU DO READ THIS AND YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE.

Okay, now that's out of the way...

This is probably my second attempt at writing a TF fanfiction, my first "Life's a Glitch" I removed as I thought it was really badly written. I still cringe when I think about it...

Anyway, this chapter is based literally hours after the end of 'Dark of the Moon', and I shall tell you now, this will be a fic like no other, I mean, where else will you find...you know what? You can read this and decide...

Now before you start, I am English, and live in England, so I'm sorry if I do not use the same words as people over in America do, so if I write "Car park" rather than "Parking lot" or "Jam" rather than "Jelly" let me know via my PMS and I'll fix it for you.

BIG THANKS TO .net/~ghiblifreek FOR BETA READING FOR ME

ONWARDS TO ANGST

Chapter- 1

I'm coming home but alone...

It was dark when Will and Rob pulled up into the Lennox's winding track to reach their farm, grief had been the main emotion on the seven hour drive back, nothing could fathom how much devastation they felt, how responsible they felt. He just stared out the window, not seeing or feeling anything, trying to remember what had happened... It was so quick. There was not a word between them, content just to let the silence talk for them. They were both still covered in the grime of the past 48 hours, both needing a long and hot shower, to wash away the memories of death from their bodies. Looking through the front window Will could see the stars were out, and he also noted the moon was no where to be seen.

'Good,' He thought harshly, 'This is all your fault... Stupid planet...'

He snorted and sunk back into his dead, lifeless seat, missing the way his normal ride would wrap around him to keep him safe and comfortable. The stars reflected off the windows, glancing off the polished glass and making the black paint look like a glossy galaxy. His eyes closed for a moment as the car pulled up into the gravel drive, the engine was turned off and they sat there, waiting in the dark. Not really knowing what to say, Will reached out his hand, and Rob took it, shaking it, too afraid to let it go, as if the warm dark fingers would disappear. He they didn't make eye contact, just the mutual contact of palm against palm was enough.

"Are you gonna be all right?"

The front door to the family home opened, casting light to the right of the car. A shadow appeared in the door way, trying to pull something over their feet, hastily trying to get out of the house.

"I should be fine. It's not me I'm worried about..."

He shook it one last time, before letting go of the hand and opened the door of the car, pulling out his canvas duffel bag as his little girl lunched herself out of the house and onto the steps that she ran down, nearly falling into the gravel in her over-sized shoes.

"Daddy!" Annabelle's voice cut through Will's thoughts as he thanked his comrade for the ride home who nodded with a sad smile. The black car pulled away as she ran up to her father, arms wide and her face beaming with the biggest smile he'd ever seen. Her young and rounded face was covered in a layer of chubbiness, and her short light curls bounced as she ran. Her front teeth were missing as she smiled, probably a tale was to go them and she was still in her pink and blue pyjamas. Compared to his stance she was lithe and still un-matured though she often surprised him with just how much she knew about the world. He dropped his bag, and crouched down as she accelerated towards him.

"Hey baby!" Her smiles were infectious and he couldn't help but smile slightly, opening his arms arms wide so he could bring her young body to his, adsorbing her warmth as he held her close, kissing her forehead.

"Where's mommy?" He asked, the scent of her strawberry hair drifted into his nasal passages.

"She's still asleep, lazy bum wouldn't come down to see you!" She smiled again, her gums revealed to the world and glinting in the poor light. He smiled himself, glad for the rare time they spent together. Normally he would of scolded her for the casual use of 'lazy bum' but he was too upset and content to care. There was silence, and then;

"Where's 'Hide?" She asked, looking around frantically, Will sighed, trying to control the prickling sensation he could feel in his tear ducts, trying not to let his emotion overflow. He leant away from her, to look her in the eyes and to try to tell her the news he'd been dreading to reveal.

"He's not here honey... He had to go away..." Her smile dropped, her eyebrows furrowed in pain and confusion. She bit her lip, trying to be brave for her daddy.

'Is this what 'Hide meant by "If I don't come home"? ' She thought, recalling the conversation she had that day, also trying to find a suitable reason for him to be gone.

"Was it to go find more of his friends?" She smiled again, hoping that she could meet them when they got back. Will knew what she meant by that, 'Hide was sometimes sent out on missions to go an find more Cybertronians if they landed on earth, Anna was told that he made friends who needed help, but in reality he was sent there to dispose of them if they were Decpeticons. He thought about all of the Autobots they had lost over the past 6 years, Jazz, Arcee, Flare-up, Jetfire, Wheeljack... And yet there were countless more lost in the Cybertronian war, the one that took place millennia ago, on Cybertron. The list went on an on, all great and brave fighters, and all of them gone to the same place... Chromia wouldn't be too far behind them, she had been screaming when Will left, she was becoming deranged, torn apart by the sudden death, being driven insane by the void left in her spark, and he knew it was going to kill her.

"Yes, he's going to find some of his old friends... but he's going to stay with them this time..." Her face screwed up again, trying to figure out what he meant.

"But... 'Hide always comes home!" She insisted it was true. He closed his eyes and licked his lips, trying to find the right words to tell her the truth.

'How do you tell your 6 year old daughter that her best friend has just been brutally murdered by his once leader and mentor?'

He opened his eyes, looking in to her blues ones, which bore into his. It tore him apart, to break her heart, see looked so happy when he got out of that car.

'If only we hadn't been called in that day.. If only...'

"You remember about what be said? That sometimes Ironhide's friends turn into stars?" He asked, as her eyebrows rose knowingly.

"Yeah, and they join each other in a bweeeeeeeeetiful sky." She answered back, stretching her arms about her to punctuate her point, imagining.

"Well honey, can you see that star?" He pointed to the biggest one he could see, and turned her so she faced it. She closed one of her eyes and pointed to it, looking at it intently, the large light ebbing and swelling slightly in the dark cold night. She covered it with her thumb and moved it again, as if to make sure it wasn't a trick...

"What 'bout it?" She asked, looking at him, who was staring at that star as if it would disappear. Will shuffled closer to her and held her tightly, never wanting to let go.

"Today 'Hide got hurt, he got hurt real bad..." He whispered in her ear, the scent of her shampoo drifting into his nostrils again, she was quiet, she knew that 'Hide got hurt a lot, and beat up, but he always came home... Her hand fell from it place in the air and her face screwed up and her dimples on her cheeks poked through her skin as she did do.

"Hatchet can fix him! Hatchet fixes everything 'Hide does!" She threw her arms up, refusing to believe what he was saying, her face smoothing out, happy that her conclusion meant that their guardian could be home soon. Will smiled at the use of the grumpy medic bot's nickname, but his heart was ripped to shreds at his next words, as he tried so desperately not to scare her.

"Ratchet couldn't fix him this time... He tried his best but he couldn't do anything..." In all honesty he never even made it to the medical bay, either way, the outcome would have been the same according to the CMO. Her mouth opened in a gasp, and her eye widened, tears forming in her baby blue eyes.

"But... Ratchet can fix anything!"

"I know honey, I'm sorry but he couldn't fix him this time... Ironhide is that star now, that special star right there." He pointed to it again, hugging her closer as the tears he had been fighting back for the past two days finally fell free.

"He's with all his friends now... He's safe..."

"But I don't want him to go!" She turned to him and pulled his body to her, crying freely into his shoulder, he sobbed into her curled hair, trying to shield her from the cruel dark night.

"Neither do I Bellie*, but he had too..."

"He didn't even say goodbye..." She sobbed, trying to squirm into her father's jacket for warmth.

"Ironhide..." She sobbed freely, pulling her body to his. He stood up and held her close, leaving his duffel bag on the ground, it would be fine until morning. Walking to the stairs her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her head poked past his neck. Annabelle's eyes never left that star, she could feel her essence attached it, she knew there was something else there, she knew what it meant to her, she could feel it ebbing with her heart beat.

"It's your star now..."

"Before I left, Ironhide asked me to do something..." She whispered, tucking her body closer to his. He raised his eyebrows as she continued.

"He asked me to take care of everyone, to protect them against...everything...and I'm going to do that. Even if it means I meet him in the sky..." She looked up at the star again, her words startled her father, he didn't know what to say back to his eight year old daughter, he was stunned for words, his own daughter was willing to lay down her life for everyone else,when it should be the other way around, the children bury their parents, not the parents bury the children...

"He asked you to do that?"

"Yes pa, he did," There was the silence again, save for the crunch of the gravel and the cricket's song.

"But I don't know how to..." She added, almost as an afterthought. Will climbed the stairs to his house, trying to hide the tears in her hair. She was so young, and yet there was so much responsibility on her shoulders, left behind from their old guardian. He pushed the doors open and walked up the main stairs, walking slowly so he didn't knock her or slip down the stairs, thinking.

"Why don't you become a medic? That way you can help everyone you know and don't know..." He said quietly, trying not to wake his sleeping wife, whom was asleep next door as he lowered his daughter into her bed, pulling off her shoes that were too big for her feet, and dropping them onto the wooden floor with a quiet 'thud'.

"But... I don't know how to..." She said while yawning, content to sleep in the jacket that she had borrowed from the coat stand, as she dug herself under the covers.

"Try it...For Ironhide?"

"Yes pa," she said sleepily, rolling over onto her side, "For Ironhide..."

(*- Bellie, is pronounced Bell-ey, rhymes with jelly.)

I warned you, there were MAJOR spoilers in here. :3 Too bad for you, there are more to come...