Have You Checked the Children

by Never Ending Illusions

Aery gets a summer job babysitting. While working her first night at a house on the lake, she begins getting strange phone calls. After awhile, she contacts Wheeljack who helps her out by tracing the call. Little did she know of the terror she would experience with the calls coming from inside the house. Based on When A Stranger Calls.

Have You Checked the Children?

By Zaru (Never Ending Illusions)

Summary: Post CBtM. Aery gets a summer job babysitting. While working her first night at a house on the lake, she begins getting strange phone calls. After awhile, she contacts Wheeljack who helps her out by tracing the call. Little did she know of the terror she would experience with the calls coming from inside the house.

Disclaimer: The idea of Have You Checked the Children is based on an urban legend I believe. So, therefore I do not own the concept, nor the Transformers. However, I do own Aery, Zaru, Maddie and the minor characters never mentioned before in the TF universe. XD

Author's Note 1: I had been watching the movie When a Stranger Calls and I couldn't help but write out the story concept with my own characters in mind along with Transformers. It actually might be a little different than what you might have read about or even watched in the movies, but I do hope you guys will enjoy this! XD

The sun was about an hour or so away from setting under the horizon, colors of pink, blue and peach surrounding the almost clear sky. Surrounding hills with colorful variations of flowers passed by very quickly in almost a blur. She glanced out the tinted passenger side window of the green corvette as it drove idly down the highway. A sigh escaped her as she turned back to the book held in her lap.

He peeked over to take a look at what his passenger was doing. Apparently, the blond teenager was so engrossed in that book of hers, she didn't notice him looking her way. A small smile appeared, his blue eyes turned back to the road even though he really didn't have to. Although, the quiet was a little too quiet for him to take anymore. Finally, he reached over a large hand, resting it over the small one set on the arm rest of the seat.

Aery felt a familiar touch on her hand and looked up seeing her boyfriend concentrating on the road ahead. Her hand turned, resting their palms together, fingers lacing loosely. "Am I driving you nutty being so quiet, Jack?" The teen asked, laughing a little.

Wheeljack shook his head, the shaggy mane of brown hair loosely settling in front of his eyes. "Nah, you aren't. I was just watching you." A smile appeared. "You know how much I love to just stare at you."

Aery snorted. He loved to stare at her all right. Most of the time when they were in the same area together, his optics had never left hers for more than a few seconds. It was like he could see right through her and was trying to capture every expression she could provide to him with her body language. She shivered under that gaze of his, pretty intense feelings making up what she felt was tingly, like he was scanning her or something.

"Half the time that you want to stare at me, I feel like you're studying me for some kind of experiment or invention." At his shocked expression, she continued. "I'm being serious, Wheeljack. I mean, come on! You're an inventor. Don't tell me that you haven't wanted to study me a little bit to know more about humans."

Intense blue eyes narrowed a little. "Perhaps a few times I have scanned and observed your daily habits and routines, but you are my spark mate. I would never degrade you in such a way for my own pleasure. Even in the name of science."

How could she even think such a thing about him? Sure he may be a scientist with a curiosity that has killed more than enough cats on the planet for him, and studied the humans daily whenever he had the time, but the only one he would never humiliate as a study object was his own human. Aery meant everything to him. Ever since the first time he had met her less than a year before. They connected right away and found out they were spark mates. Though her mother was against that concept at first, she accepted it later on after reassuring Zaru that there was nothing big going to happen between the two of them until the time was right. Which Aery herself pointed out when she was near adult age. Wheeljack accepted her decision and the two had been so close since then.

Aery pursed her lips together at his response. He always knew the right things to say. And he truly did love her. That mech was her boyfriend, her spark mate. Why would he have a reason to lie about such circumstances? Even ones so small? There was a never a reason. And now she felt stupid for even saying what she did.

Reaching over with her right hand, she pushed Wheeljack's face toward hers, love in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Wheeljack. I guess I…Damn, I don't know." Her cheeks puffed as she exhaled her breath and turned back in her seat, green eyes never leaving his, her hand pulled gently away from his face and resting on his arm. "That was stupid of me to say and I'm sorry for saying it, babe."

The car slowed down, pulling over to the shoulder of the highway allowing other cars to go by. Wheeljack shut off his engine and sighed himself. "You don't have to apologize for saying what you felt. But it did hurt that you would think something so low of me." When he noticed her worried gaze, he smiled. "Don't worry about it. I accept your apology. Just don't think that way again, all right?" At her nod, he leaned over, his large free hand moving to the back of her neck, pulling the teenager toward him. "I love you." He whispered, his lips a hairsbreadth away from her own. The summer heat escaping her mouth always drove him crazy, not able to get enough of it. Finally, she moved the rest of the way, her mouth covering his, their tongues touching ever so slightly.

Within a moment, Aery heard the faint sound of cooling fans kicking on and a blast of cool air coming from the air conditioner in Wheeljack's alt mode. "Eck!" She pulled away laughing. "Wheeljack, you better cool down, honey, or we might not make it to the Morrison's."

"Maybe I don't wish to cool down." He whispered in her ear, tongue snaking out to lick her earlobe. "Perhaps we should find some place else to go instead of there tonight. Or, as usual, I can stay and keep you company."

Her head shook as she used whatever strength she could to push him away from her. "Jack, I have to work tonight. You know that. And you don't need to stay with me."

With a huff, his holoform unraveled in front of her, disappearing within seconds leaving her alone. He didn't like the fact that she was going to be staying somewhere tonight by herself. Especially at a place that she never had been to before. And to tell him that he wasn't needed to stay with her was very saddening. Most of the places she had been to, he was the one who took her everywhere she needed to go. Why couldn't he keep her company at her job?

Aery glanced over at the radio console waiting to see what he would say, if anything. But when the car was still off and he didn't say a word, she reached out a hand, caressing the dashboard lovingly. "Sweetie, I know you don't like me being without you, but trust me when I say that I'll be all right by myself. It's just a babysitting job."

She heard a click, then static. "My dear, I understand that, but I hate when you aren't near."

"Everything's fine. As soon as I am done at the Morrison's, I'll com you to come and pick me up. Besides, you are just a call away." She adjusted her seat belt, and crossed her legs the best she could in the small front seat of the car. "After all, what could go wrong watching a couple crazy kids?"

She was right, he guessed. Taking care of organic sparklings couldn't be that bad, could it? "I guess nothing could go wrong with taking care of sparklings. But I do worry."

"Worry all you want. There's nothing that can go wrong with babysitting. The only major things with watching kids are cleaning them up, making them something to eat and putting them to bed which, in itself, is a major chore. But an easy task nonetheless."

"All right." The car started abruptly, startling her a little. Aery saw blurs of color out of the corner of her eye and turned to see Wheeljack piecing his holoform together once more. "Are you certain you do not wish for my presence at the Morrison residence this particular evening?"

"Yes." She nodded. "I'll be all right, Jack."

Smiling, he set a hand on the wheel to make it seem like he was driving and moved back onto the highway, driving a few more minutes before turning down a small exit and onto a gravel road. Aery watched as high trees surrounded them on both sides as they drove continuously on a road that seemed to never end. Finally, the human noticed a rather large home in the distance.

"Whoa!" Aery blinked for she had never seen such a beautiful home before aside from the one she lived in herself. It was like a glass house with huge bay windows all around, all open seeing the spacious rooms within and what appeared to be flat metal, then a triangular roof on top of the house. The garage connected to the home was rather small compared to the house. A long pathway leading from the driveway had wooden fencing on both sides, leading up around the home which also laid at the edge of a lake.

"This home is rather…"

"Awesome." Aery finished for him.

"Well, actually, I was going to say isolated, but yes, I guess by human standards it could be considered…awesome."

Letting out a small laugh, she pushed open the passenger door of the car, slamming it shut, her book bag slung over her shoulder. "Man, this is great! I've never babysat in a place like this before." She treaded over to the driver side where her boyfriend was, the door open enough for him to stand.

"My dear, I will ask this one last time, because of the situation, but are you sure you don't need me to stay here? Or at least nearby in case you need me?"

She tsked and reached over, rubbing his arm. "Hon, I'll be fine. You need to stop worrying. It's not good for your processor, ya know."

"Perhaps not, but, like I said, I still don't like the idea of you being here in this location with sparklings as your only company."

The blonde girl rolled her eyes and stepped back, hip jutting to the left, fists at her sides. "Ya know, I'm kind of getting tired of hearing you saying the same thing over and over again, Wheeljack."

"I just -"

"No!" She held up a hand, halting what he was about to say. "One more word or plea, and I will postpone any make-out sessions you think we'll be having for a week." A moment of silence was held between them, not a word uttered past his closed mouth as he just stared at her. "Okay, good." Letting him see a small smile, she leaned forward and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.

Wheeljack gulped a bit. "You really wouldn't do that to me, would you? Because that is all I can do with you right now until, well, you age and we can... interface." His hand reached up, brushing strands of blonde behind her ear.

Eyes drifted to the ground noticing how nice the dirt was. And her white shoes certainly outshone the color.

Why did he have to mention that? She blushed slightly, foot kicking in the dirt. Speaking of that subject made her very nervous, fidgety even. Being only 15-years-old and her own boyfriend bringing up the subject of sex in the wrong conversation could make anybody blush. Of course he was able to speak openly about it, even in a subtle manner, since he was several millennia older than she was. Perhaps that's why she was so nervous about the subject matter. He had years on her which didn't help the matter either.

And seeing him, always watching him work on his inventions whenever she visited the base, she was able to notice the several differences between themselves. He was made of metal and circuitry while she was made of flesh and bone. He had a spark, she had a heart. His brain was a major processor filled literally with memory banks, software, hardware. And she had an actual brain, no processors functioning or computer in her vision. Just these things made her wonder how they would be able to have a normal relationship at all until his holoform.

At that point, her mind clicked thinking that, perhaps it could work out. After all, the two of them were meant to be together. Or so says their Cybertronian god known as Primus. Aery could never help how she felt about Wheeljack. Her heart wanted him so much and his spark responded in the same way. Therefore, the two of them meshed and found a relationship was worth having.

The brunette holoform leaned over the car door, wrapping his arms around the girl he fell in love with. "Well?"

"Yes, Wheeljack. I do understand, but sometimes you just have to suffer the consequences of what you say and do." And that was where she wished the conversation would end. Laughing heartily, she pulled away but not before giving him a deep kiss and backing away toward the house. "I'll see you later tonight."

"Okay. I love you."

She blew a kiss in his direction. "I love you, too."

She heard the sound of an engine starting and gravel crunching under the tires of the corvette. When the sound dispersed, sounds of wildlife surrounding the home caught her attention. A cacophony of squawking birds in tall trees made her ears want to bleed. It was of the worst sounds the teen ever heard. Something like nails scraping on chalkboards. God, I hope they have soundproof windows. Taking a breath, she walked slowly toward the front door and rang the doorbell.

In the few moments she waited for an answer, the sounds around her quieted which gave her a little creeped out sensation. She shook it off however after hearing the click of one lock, then another and a few more before it finally opened to reveal a rather tall-looking woman with wavy brown hair and a few wrinkles showing signs of aging. She was tanned, though the black mini dress she wore made her look pale in comparison. Her green blue eyes blinked and she let a grin appear.

"You must be Aery." The woman spoke with a slight English accent, though it wasn't all the time.

The teen smiled. "Yeah. I'm Aery. You must be Mrs. Morrison."

"Good call." Mrs. Morrison let a small laugh escape. "Well, come in, come in." She stepped aside, her heeled shoes making little noise on the hardwood flooring.

"Thank you very much." Aery headed inside, glancing around at the new house. "Wow!" It seemed more spacious inside than what she was able to see outside. The entire flooring of the house was hardwood with a few area rugs in certain places. Tangerine colored curtains spanned the huge windows located in the living room with leather furniture spread out. "This is amazing, Mrs. Morrison. It's a lovely home."

Mrs. Morrison smiled and clapped her hands together once. "Why, thank you, Aery." Stepping backwards, she said, "You know, when Delia called me to say she had the perfect babysitter for me, I was thrilled."

"Yah?"

"Mm-hmm. We are so grateful you are able to come on such short notice. Honestly, we don't have a regular babysitter, so we're happy to have you." Smiling, she said, "So, come and follow me. I'll give you a quick tour of everything in the house."

"Sure. May I set my things down?"

"Certainly. You can set them anywhere in the living room."

Nodding, the teen set her backpack on the floor next to the closest black leather chair in the living room. "Okay. I'm ready for that great tour."

"Okay. Let's go."

Mrs. Morrison led her through all of the downstairs showing her the den, the dining room, the basement, the study and the kitchen. All of these rooms aside from the living room and dining room had small windows and fire-colored wallpaper. Aery was fascinated with the size of the downstairs, it was a lot bigger than her own house.

"So, Aery, what do you think of the house?" Mrs. Morrison asked, leaning against the red island in the middle of the kitchen.

Aery was leaning against the white marble countertop, ankles crossed. "This is great. I've never been in such a fantastic home before."

The woman straightened herself, hands still resting on the island top. "Glad you like it." Sighing a little, she tapped the top. "Now, what am I forgetting?" Looking around, her eyes rested on the refrigerator. "Oh yeah." Rolling her eyes, she headed over and pointed to a paper held onto the fridge by a kitty magnet. "These are emergency numbers; doctor, poison control; fire. My cell number along with Isaac's is on here, too."

"Okay."

"And, the best part of babysitting - a stocked fridge- which you are more than welcome to enjoy anything you want in there." The babysitter nodded. "Let's see." Her long fingers tapped against her side. "Ah. That's right." Moving to the counter where Aery rested against, she grabbed a pencil and a piece of paper. "This is the number of the restaurant where we will be at. And this is the place where we will be going to the concert. It's probably going to last at least a couple of hours, so we won't be home until after midnight. Is that all right?"

"Oh definitely. That's fine."

Mrs. Morrison smiled. "Good. Now, follow me."

The two females headed out of the kitchen and made their way to French doors leading to the backyard. The older woman unlocked it and opened the door, moving to the side so Aery could peek out.

"Wow." She whispered. Just outside the doors was a wood deck with white patio furniture and stairs leading down into the yard. The yard was at least half the size of the downstairs with ten foot fencing all around. "This is neat."

"Yeah." She brought her fingers to her mouth and blew a shrill whistle.

Aery winced a little at the sound so close to her ear. "Wow. That was loud."

"Oh." the woman laughed. "So sorry. I was just whistling for Avalanche."

"Uh, Avalanche would be…" She trailed off.

"Avalanche is our Alaskan huskey. He's a five-year-old dog we brought home from our trip in Alaska about three years ago."

"Oh." She said seeing a huge blur of mostly white and little black running from a blocked view of the yard and onto the deck. He was about the size of her mom's dog Darkness, but this one was actually a little pudgy in the midsection and very adorable. "Awe." She leaned down on one knee and reached out to pet him.

"Oh, be careful, honey. Let him sniff you first. He's not too keen on strangers."

"Really?" Slowly, Aery reached her left hand out letting the dog come to her and sniff to see if she was an okay person to be in his house. A moment of sniffing, Avalanche licked her hand and moved forward, giving Aery a welcome lick on the cheek. "He he. So sweet." Both hands began scratching the dog's head. "I love dogs. My mom has a huskey dog."

"Oh? What's his name?"

"She calls him Darkness."

Mrs. Morrison raised an eyebrow. "Darkness? Where did she come up with that name?"

"It was the name given to him at the shelter, I think." She stood up, caressing the dog's head a little. "And aside from him, I have a macaw named Crescent and my sister has a cat named Rihito. And my mom's boyfriend's German shepard named Syber."

"Your family must love animals."

"Well, yeah, we do. But we're not gonna open an animal house or anything like that." Smiling, she turned to head inside, the dog following behind her. "The bird, cat and dogs are enough pets for us to handle. Crescent is really a pain to handle, but he's a great conversationalist when no one is available."

"The bird talks?"

"Yep. He's a big talker. But he does have a potty mouth when it comes to my grandfather." She laughed. "Those two never get along."

Mrs. Morrison nodded her head while laughing herself. "I bet." The two women and the dog headed back toward the living room. "So, Avalanche will keep you company tonight so you're not alone here."

"Great. So-"

Aery was cut off due to hearing heavy footsteps coming down the stairs near them. It was a rather tall man with graying hair and a dark blue suit and tie. She assumed this one must be Mr. Morrison.

"Honey, you ready to go?" The man asked checking his watch. "We have dinner reservations at 8."

"Yes, yes. I'm all set to go. Just have to get my coat and my cell phone." That said, her husband came up behind her holding a leather jacket. "Oh, thank you, sweetheart." She craned her neck to kiss him on the cheek. "Now, is there anything else before I forget?"

Aery bit her lower lip. "Uh, the children?"

Mr. Morrison laughed. "Of course. The exact reason why you came here." He turned pointing upstairs. "The room is upstairs to the left, second door on the right. Our son is sleeping in his sister's room." Turning back, he added, "So, I would check on them at least every hour or so. Both Janice and Steven have the beginnings of the flu."

"Oh no. The poor babies." Aery felt sorry for them. They couldn't play or do anything with the flu.

"Yeah, I know. The kids aren't complaining though. Some reason they were awfully happy about being able to stay in bed."

"I wouldn't either. Staying in bed all day, TV. Hey, I'd be thrilled about being sick, too."

Mrs. Morrison shook her head smiling. "Well, anyways, Aery, we'll be home after midnight tonight."

"Great."

"Oh, and before I forget, this is the alarm system and the code for it. Just in case you have to open any of the doors." Mr. Morrison pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Aery. "Just leave it on the table in front of the couch so you know where it is."

"Gotcha."

"Now, there are three different alarms around the house. The first one is here by the front door, second near the French doors and the last one is upstairs to the right near our bedroom."

"Okay."

"Oooh, Aery, if Janice or Steven happen to wake up coughing, their prescriptions are in the medicine cabinet next to the fridge."

"All right. No problem."

"Thanks again, Aery, for doing this."

"Yep."

The Morrison's headed to the door, the father opening the door and setting the alarm before they waved their goodbyes. Aery waved back until the door shut.

The teenager grinned knowing she was alone now. A whimper sounded from near her hip and she gazed down seeing the dog. Well, she was almost alone. But it wasn't like the dog was actually able to talk to her about things. Shrugging, she turned and skipped happily into the living room, plopping her body in the big leathery chair her backpack was set against. Tonight was going to be a quiet night she figured unless one of the children got up. But other than that, she would be able to catch up on some reading or watch T.V.

The double doors to the recreation room opened revealing a bipedal Wheeljack, his optics showing sadness. Unfortunately, nobody noticed this as they were all too busy with other things. The rec room was bustling with activity as a few of their human allies were playing billiards and, of course, Zaru was sitting on the couch with a holoform version of Mirage's robot mode. Lately, she found herself rather fascinated with the mechanics of his body and decided to explore it a little. It was founded that the young woman enjoyed him in that form a lot. So, when they were alone most of the time, it was the holoform of choice, otherwise being outside in public he would use a human version of himself.

Wheeljack continued walking into the room, heading toward another pair of doors that led down another hallway and toward his lab. Before he could get there, he felt a tug on his shoulder and turned to reveal Prowl, his spark mate Maddie settled upon his shoulder.

"Wheeljack, might I ask a favor of you?" The Autobot police mech asked. The green mech's head tilted to the side, waiting for him to ask. "The thing is, Hound has been on patrol in the city most of the day and Optimus has asked me to relieve him for part of the night with Barricade until Blurr gets back with Maggie from D.C. this evening. So, would you mind taking over the watch in the Security Room until I get back."

His blue optics dimmed a little bit. "Mirage is unable to do that for you? I was planning on working on a few projects before Aery calls me to pick her up from the Morrison location."

Prowl smiled. "Don't worry. It should only be for a few hours." He reached over gripping his friend's shoulder. "It would help me out a lot, my friend."

"And if Aery calls before you come back to the Security Room?"

"I will take over." Another voice chimed in.

Both giant mechs looked over to see Mirage in his larger form heading toward them, Zaru walking beside him.

"You sure, Mirage?"

"Certainly. After all, your spark mate would be rather disappointed if somebody other than you went to pick her up." Mirage chuckled and heard a small ping from his foot, peering down at his own spark mate who was glaring up at him, narrowed eyes. "What is it, my love?"

"Yeah, well, don't volunteer so soon. We have to head back to my house to pick up Syber and Darkness for their night run. Remember?"

Mirage blinked. "You are right." He gave a quick look to Wheeljack. "I will be gone at least a couple of hours. But don't worry, Wheeljack. I will be back before Aery calls in case Prowl is not back yet."

He contemplated on whether to offer his services to Prowl or not. After all, it was not really his job to be in the Security Room on shift lately ever since his gained guardianship and romantic relationship with Aery. Thus, his first priority was and always would be protecting his charge.

"Well, a few hours will not hurt, but please do be back as soon as possible."

"Thank you, my friend. And thank you, Mirage." Prowl shook both his comrades hands before turning. "Maddie, perhaps it is best you stay here. Though patrolling is not adventurous and rather, boring, in your words, I believe it to be in your best interest to stay here just in case something happens." He reached for her, but she scurried around on his shoulder toward the back of his head. "Maddie, what are you doing?"

Maddie shook her head and stuck out her tongue. "Prowl, I've been on patrol with you before. What difference does this evening make? Besides, I thought you said it would only be for a few hours, didn't you?" She huffed.

Air escaped in his vents in a sigh as he tried to turn his face to see her. "My dear, how many times have I told you that if I say you are to remain at the base while I patrol, it is for a very good reason?"

"What's your good reason then?"

His mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out. Honestly, he couldn't think of a good reason to keep his mate at the base. "Uh, well, there is a very good reason." She moved on his shoulder to where he could easily see her, green eyes bright and hand on a hip waiting for an answer. Frag! "Frag it. I cannot think of anything to be honest. But I have a feeling in my circuits that something is going to happen. I can't put a finger on it, but there's a bad feeling."

"Maddie, maybe you should just stay. I'm sure you can find something to do while Prowl is out." Her mother said, taking a seat on Mirage's foot.

"But, mom-"

"No buts, Maddie. Just do as Prowl says. Besides, you aren't old enough to go out on patrols and stuff like that with him. Aside from the fact it would seem a little strange if a teenager was seen sitting in the passenger side of a police vehicle."

"But I've went with him before."

"Those were short joyrides around the city which I gave whole permission for. Other than that, you are forbidden on going patrolling with a police mech. It wouldn't bode well with the police officers of Tranquility. They'd definitely find it weird." Zaru cleared her throat and stood up from her boyfriend's foot, stretching. "Hey, by the way, did you fill out those applications for the summer jobs?"

Maddie rolled her eyes. "Yes, mom. And Prowl drove me so I could hand them in. Done and done."

"Good. It'll be nice for you to work and earn some spending money for yourself instead of counting on me to give you money all the time. Money which I would rather put away for you girls' college education."

Mirage chuckled. "Darling, shouldn't we be rolling out?"

"Yes, yes. Let's go." She backed away as he transformed into his Ford GT alt mode, the driver side automatically opening. To her daughter, she said, "Maddie, find something useful to do around here. Okay? Unless you want to come with us and the dogs. Hell, you can even bring Rihito out on his leash to the trails."

Maddie considered it. She could go with her mom to walk the dogs and have her cat keep her company on a short walk herself since she couldn't go with her own police boyfriend driving around the city. "I guess that'd be okay."

"Good. Prowl, good luck. Wheeljack, Mirage will contact you if we will be more than a couple of hours."

"Very well." Wheeljack nodded and watched as the blue car revved his engine and drove out of the base, leaving faint skid marks on the base floor.

"Slag it, Mirage! I will not be cleaning up after you again!" Sideswipe shouted, fist in the air shouting at the distancing mech. The red mech had been assigned to cleaning duty a few times a week, and it seemed the times he was on, Mirage or Hound would make a mess and leave it.

Prowl's head shook. "Mirage acts like a sparkling sometimes."

"Ever since he found that domestic earth animal at Zaru's club, he's been very fond of it. It's brought out a lot in Mirage. I believe it is a good thing." Ratchet stated as he walked into the rec room with Optimus a couple steps behind.

"Optimus, sir." Prowl saluted. "I was just ready to leave to relieve Hound."

"Yes, please do. His energy is low and the reserves are already in use. He needs to come back to base immediately to get some energon in him and recharge."

All heard a horn honk and driving through the base was a green jeep, stopping at Optimus' feet. "Already here, Optimus. I couldn't take the chance of my energy going any lower."

"Get some energon and head for recharge in your quarters, Hound." The flamed mech stated.

Hound beeped in response and drove out of the room and down the left hall.

"I'll be leaving now." Prowl nodded to Wheeljack, Optimus and Ratchet, walking between them, then running, transforming in the air before landing on his tires and driving out.

Wheeljack shook his head before facing his commander. "If you will excuse me, I am heading to the Security Room." Bowing his head respectfully, he turned to leave, the set of doors in front of him hissing to allow entrance.

Aery sat on the couch in the living room facing the floor to ceiling window watching the sun setting in the distance. It had been about an hour since the Morrison's had left her alone with the pudgy dog laying on the couch next to her, head laying in her lap. She petted him gently thinking about what else she could do to keep herself occupied during the night aside from reading her new book.

It was summer vacation, so there was no homework she could do and there was a lack of any reading material in the living room unless she went into the den to find another kind of book to begin aside from the one brought with her.

A sigh escaped her. Perhaps she should have accepted Wheeljack's request of keeping company with her. She was sure he would have some different ideas of what to do.

"Oh, well, too late now." She mumbled and scratched Avalanche behind his ear one more time before pushing his head off her lap so she would be able to stand as the sun was almost gone from the sky and night came on. "All right, boy. I gotta get up and move a little." He sat up a little before laying back down in Aery's vacated spot.

Stretching a little, the tall teen walked away from the couch, toward her bag that was now sitting atop the coffee table. As she grabbed the strap, the doorbell rang playing to the tune of Must Be Doing Something Right by Billy Currington. A small smile escaped her. That was one of her favorite songs. After listening a few more seconds, she took a step to the right, but stopped when she remembered the alarm. Bending down, she snatched the paper from the table.

"I'll be right there!" She shouted above the doorbell.

Turning to the alarm, she looked at the paper and pressed the right numbers to turn off the alarm. Setting the little paper on top of the alarm, she reached over to open the heavy wooden door.

"Yes?" She asked, swinging the door wide open vigorously. Her green eyes blinked not seeing anybody there. "Hello?" Her head peeked out the door looking left and right for anybody. But there was no one around. "Ooookay." Shaking her head, she went back inside, shutting the door slowly behind her.

The locks clicked in place as she turned them before turning away, setting the alarm once more.

A book and forty-five minutes later, Aery was bored. She was unhappy. The book didn't turn out as good as she thought it would, and regretted spending hard-earned money on it at the bookstore.

"Next time, I skim through to see how good it is." The book landed with a heavy thud on the table next to her as she threw it down. "Well, Avalanche, looks like we could play a little or something right?" The dog sat up immediately and whimpered. "What's the matter, bud?" She reached over petting his head. "Do you have to do your business?" Another whimper. "Okay." Standing, she clapped her hands together, the dog following her.

The human and animal made their way through the dining room before heading to the French doors and unsetting the alarm.

"Come on, puppy." She smiled and turned reaching for the door handle. It faded as she looked at the door worriedly.

It was partially open.

Her hand shook and grabbed the curved handle, pulling the door the rest of the way open. The dog brushed past her legs to the outside where he went to go do his business. Her mind wandered with thoughts about why the door could be open. Mrs. Morrison might have left the door open. Yeah. She could have and not realized it. That must have been it. There was no other way it could have happened unless…

Her entire body froze in place. Could someone have possible came into the house?

Then it occurred to her, how could they if the alarm was on? It would have gone off if somebody had tried to open any door or window leading into the house. So, Mrs. Morrison must have left the French door partially open by accident. Shaking her head, she shut the door and locked it tight before setting the alarm again.

Perhaps she should go check on the kids. Yeah, that's what she could spend a few minutes doing to pass time. They had been quiet ever since their parents left. Certainly, she wished at least one of them would have woken up so she could have a reason to go upstairs away from the unbearable silence down here.

The stairs creaked a little as Aery made her way up the steps to check on the kids. Now where is their bedroom again? She recalled what Mr. Morrison told her. Turn to the left, then their door is…second on the right? She tiptoed and grabbed the knob, turning it slowly, and it squeaked open.

The room was dark, except for a nightlight on the other side of the room. Not wanting to disturb them, she slipped inside and listened to the children. The one closest to her sleeping was wheezing a little, but other than that everything was just fine. She smiled a little and made her way from the room, closing the door behind her.

Aery was all set to go back down the steps when the house phone rang, the sound loud enough to wake the dead. She hastily made her way down to answer it before it woke up the children.

Diving, she picked up the phone, holding still for a second, thanking God that it stopped ringing. She brought the cordless phone to her ear.

"Hello. Morrison residence." A staticky silence greeted her. "Hello. This is the Morrison residence. Hello?" The other line clicked, hanging up. She jerked the phone from her ear in confusion. "What the hell?"

Not thinking anything of it, she set the phone back down on the charger and turned away. Not even a few feet away, it rang again. Spinning on her heel, she moved back to the phone, seizing it once more hoping there was someone on the other line this time.

"Hello? Morrison residence." More static. "If someone is there, please answer me." It was silent and she could hear breathing. "What the - Hello? Who is calling?" No answer. "Geez. If you aren't going to talk, then don't call. I do not have time to be playing games with whoever this is." She hung up the phone wondering if she was mean to them, they would call back and speak up.

A few minutes later, it rang again and she answered right away. "Morrison residence."

It was silent a second before an answer came. "Aery, is that you?"

Her green eyes narrowed. "Who is this?"

"It's me, dorkus. Who the hell else do you think it is?"

"Maddie?" She sighed in relief. "How'd you get this number? I thought I gave it only to mom in case of emergency."

"Yeah, well, I'm bored, so I got the number from her cell phone when she wasn't looking."

"And how'd you get a hold of her phone? She has that thing on an invisible leash or something. It never leaves her side for a minute."

Maddie laughed. "Yeah, I know, right? But, yeah, I got it without her knowing. She was distracted by 'dad'."

"'Dad' huh?" The two girls were very close to Mirage, acting just like a father would. And sometimes the 'dad' word would slip past their lips instead of saying his name. Though, he didn't seem to mind it much. "What were they doing? Making out?"

She heard her twin laugh on the other end. "No. They were talking about where to go with the dogs."

"Oh yeah. That's right. They're taking the dogs on a night walk in the park."

"Yep. And mom had me bring Rihito with us so he could keep me company while I sit and wait for them for at least an hour." She sighed."I tell ya, I'd rather be with Prowl right now."

"Then why aren't you? You're like, tied to the hip with that bot."

"Prowl thought it'd be best if I didn't go with him to patrol tonight and mom, of course, agreed."

"I don't blame him for being cautious. After all, there are still rogue Decepticons out there according to Optimus and Ratchet."

Maddie heard her sister sigh. "What's wrong, Aery? You having a boring evening like I am right now?" She heard a meow beside her and petted the Savannah cat laying next to her on the bench near Mirage's alt mode.

"Well, kind of. And kind of not. Right now, I'm a little angry."

"Why is that, my geeky sis?"

Aery moved to sit down on the couch, one leg bent, resting on the couch and the other leg's foot settled on the cold floor. "Because before you called, somebody was calling and not answering me. And it happened like three or four times in a ten minute period."

"Are you sure it wasn't the Morrison's checking in?"

"I'm sure they would have said something to me." Blond hair fanned out behind her as she leaned back against the cushions. "It's probably somebody playing around."

"Well, if it happens again, just call the police."

"And tell them what? 'Hello, officer, I'm calling because someone is breathing on the other line of the phone. It's very disturbing. Please come right away.'" She snorted. "Yeah, that'll go well."

"Listen, if you're bothered by those calls, just call Wheeljack to come and stay with you. I'm sure he'll be more than willing to."

"Nah. I'll be fine. I'm sure it's some jackass messing around with me."

"You sure? I can always ask Mirage to take me up there to stay. I'm already bored as is here."

"No. It'll be okay. Really, I'm fine. But thanks anyways."

"Okay. Well, anyways, my phone is just about ready to die. Just call my cell in case you change your mind. Or hell, even mom's."

"Yep. Bye."

"Bye."

The twins hung up at the same time, Aery cradling the cordless to her chest. She hoped it was the last time she would hear of those calls.

Her stomach growled. "Crap. I'm hungry."

She turned the kitchen light on, setting the phone down on the marble countertop. Making her way to the refrigerator, she opened it to reveal a variety of beverages, condiments, meats and treats. Her tongue clicked as she tried to make up what she would have. I think I could make a sandwich. But where's the bread?

Eyes roved the fridge until she sighted the pita bread in the bread drawer. Yum. Pulling out a single pita, she began grabbing some meat, cheese, cut tomatoes, lettuce head and honey mustard.

The fridge shut with a slapping sound and her armful was set on the kitchen island. So, she set about making her dinner.

Almost done, the phone on the counter rang and she paused. There it was again. That ringing telephone. Please be someone who actually talks this time. It only took a few steps to get to it and pressed the talk button.

"Hello. Morrison residence." Once again there was silence. Not this again. "Hey, who is this? Why do you keep calling and not answer me?" She waited and heard a terrifying groan before whoever it was hung up. Her face scrunched in disgust at what she just heard. Really not funny. Aery slammed the phone down on the island near her pita sandwich, finishing up.

The babysitter headed back into the living room carrying the plate and cordless phone. She set the plate on the coffee table in front of the couch, ready to sit down and watch some T.V. while eating. Tucking her legs beneath her body, she reached over grabbing the sandwich and remote control, the phone set on top of her left thigh.

Before turning on the television, the phone rang once more. She counted silently to herself until she calmed to answer it. Frankly, she was getting sick and tired of hearing that annoying ringing and was about ready to pull the battery out of the dreadful device. The phone beeped and brought it to her ear.

"Morrison residence." Heavy breathing replaced the usual silence and static on the other end of the call. "Okay, who is this? Cause I'm seriously getting pissed here. Mr. Morrison? Is that you?"

Then, a voice came from the other end. "…checked the children…" It was a voice of a deep monotone that sent cold chills up her spine.

"Mr. Morrison? Is that you?" She asked again, fear beginning to run through her at the chilling voice.

The caller hung up.

Aery licked and bit her lower lip, slowly removing the phone away from her ear. It was getting too freaky to allow this to continue. It was about time she called the police like her sister suggested. She shook her head. Why did this have to happen to her? Why did a weirdo have to start calling her and not answer when asked? It was times like these that she wished she did take Wheeljack's offer of staying with her.

"Of course! Wheeljack!" Setting the phone down, she brought her left wrist up to her mouth. "Direct link to Wheeljack."

"Direct link to Autobot Wheeljack. Speak code now."

Her eyes rolled up in thought. Several numbers were running through her brain trying to remember which one was which. Numbers came out in a whisper from her mouth, concentrating. "Ah-ha!"

"Speak code now." The comwatch reminded her once more.

"Yeah, yeah." She swallowed. "AK9283."

Wheeljack remained in the Security Room, sitting down watching the monitors, blue optics roving each screen before him. The calculated time he had spent in that room was past two hours which meant Prowl would probably be replacing him within an hour or so time. How he couldn't wait to get out of there.

It was proving to be a pretty boring task while sitting there basically doing nothing. His fingers twitched wanting to work on something to keep busy, but his experiments and projects would have to wait. He wondered if one of the others would be kind enough to take over security watch instead of waiting for Prowl to get back from his partial patrolling duty.

But no. He wouldn't bother the others. They were busy doing other things as several of the bots were guardians and had to be on call for their charges just in case. Of course, he was a guardian for Aery, but she was at a safe location. Safe? No. That isolated location is not a safe place for her to remain alone at.

That second, his thoughts were interrupted as a communication signal beeped. He reached up pressing the side of his head.

"Wheeljack."

"Wheeljack, it's me."

He smiled to himself. It was his spark mate. She was calling for him. He wondered if she might be ready to leave that place. "Aery, are you ready to go?"

A pause remained on her end of the link. "Sort of."

"What is the matter?" Something was wrong.

"Jack, I honestly was going to call the police because of what's been going on here." Her voice seemed shaky and that wasn't a good sign.

"What's wrong, Aery? Did something happen that you need me there right now?"

"I-I've been getting these weird phone calls. Nobody answers me and then the last few were strange because whoever it was was breathing and then the last time I was called, they said "Checked the children." I don't know if it was Mr. Morrison or not, but he hasn't called back and I'm getting really scared."

"Hmm. That is rather odd." He vacated his seat and walked over to the controls, pressing several buttons. "If it helps, I will put a signal tap on the communication line of the Morrison residence. This way, whoever does call I will be able to find out where the other communication device is located and have it checked out by Prowl or Barricade."

A breathy sigh of relief escaped her. "Oh, that would be so helpful. Thanks, Jack!"

"Don't worry. Everything will be all right. And if something happens, com me right away and I will be there as soon as I can."

She nodded knowing he would keep that promise. "Okay. I'll do that."

"Be safe."

"Yes." The comcall ended.

Her attention turned abruptly to barking coming from outside. It seemed that Avalanche wanted to come back in the house now, which she was more than happy to do. Taking a quick bite of her sandwich, she walked around the table and turned out of the living room to walk down the hall and into the dining area where the doors were located to let the dog inside.

The wood squeaked under her sneakered feet getting closer and closer to her destination. It was the ring of the phone she held in her hand that stopped her from moving any more. She bit her lower lip, figuring there was no way she would be able to ignore the ringing. A chance came that it would wake the children and it was not something she wished for. Taking a deep breath, she pressed the talk button and set the phone next to her ear.

"H-hello." She stuttered a little. No answer yet again. "Hello, who is this?"

A deep rumble came through the phone. "Have you checked the children?" The voice asked in that monotone once more.

"Who is this?" This was definitely not Mr. Morrison. She knew his voice and this was nowhere near what it sounded like. "Why do you keep calling me?"

Once more it asked, "Have you checked the children? I would."

Green eyes went wide when she heard a heavy thump through the ceiling above her. Her gaze averted to the gray ceiling, following what sounded like footsteps. And these weren't just any footsteps. They were agonizingly slow-paced and heading down the hallway.

Toward the children's bedroom.

Gathering whatever courage she was able, the teenager turned from the continuously barking dog at the back door, and hustled it through the hallway and up the stairs. As she approached the second story of the house, her toes pressed lightly on each single step, hoping she wouldn't alert her presence there to whoever might be up there. Air hitched in her throat, trying not to breath too loud.

She leaned forward, holding herself up with both hands, one still holding the telephone. Slowly, Aery peeked to the right seeing nobody. Then to the left and noticed the children's door was slightly ajar. Did she leave it that way earlier? No, she did not.

Panic rose within her, heart beating loudly in her ears. Someone was in their room.

Licking her lips, she made the rest of the way up and tiptoed quickly to the room. She had no idea who was inside, but whoever it was, they were going to pay for breaking into this house. The phone switched to her other hand, using the right to push open the door. It creaked open slowly. How she prayed there was nobody in there.

Aside from watching the monitors, Wheeljack concentrated on the signal tap at the Morrison's. Apparently, someone had called shortly after she was done speaking with him and now he was working on tracing where it had come from. It took a few minutes, but he was able to catch the signal.

What he saw made the energon in his circuits run cold. No.

The room was still dark. It came as a relief when she heard the snoring and wheezing, but she had to find out if one of them got up to go to the bathroom or something. Making her way inside, she felt against the wall for a light switch, turning it on quickly, the room brightening. The heads of the two children were seen above their heavy comforters, sleeping peacefully. Each had a full head of brown hair like their mother, the daughter Janice's in pig tails while the son had a bowl cut.

Creeping between both beds, she reached out shaking the boy gently awake. "Hey, Steven."

Steven groaned, wheezing heavily. His brown eyes, bloodshot, drooped open. "Huh?" He reached a small hand from under the covers, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Who are you?" He asked.

She smiled. "My name's Aery. I'm watching you and your sister while your parents are gone. I was just coming in to check on you two."

"Oh." He pushed himself to sit up in the bed and looked over at Janice, his sister who was now awake, rubbing sleeping from her own eyes. "Janice, look. New babysitter."

Aery sat down on the boy's bed and looked over at the little girl. "Hello, Janice."

Janice blinked and smiled a little. "Hi." She whispered.

"Well, I guess you guys have the flu, hm? You feeling icky?"

Janice shook her head. "No. Mommy gave me and Stevie medicine."

"That's good to know. So, do you two need anything while I'm up here? A drink or something?" Both kids shook their heads. Sighing, she smiled. "Well, I guess I should probably let you to go back to sleep then. Rest can really help you get over the flu." Standing up, her comwatch beeped. "One second." Heading toward the other side of the room, she answered it. "Hey, Jack. Everything's okay here, so no worries."

"Aery, listen to me! The calls were coming from inside the house! You have to get out of that house with those sparklings! Now!" He frantically said. "I'm on my way! I've already alerted Prowl and Barricade! They are en route to your location right now!"

"Jack, are you sure?" Her heart beat faster. Please say he's wrong!

"Yes! I traced the call signal and it is exactly at your location! Get out now!"

Fear gave way and she rushed to the children. "Come on! We have to get out of here right now!" She pulled the covers off their beds and grabbed each of their arms. "Let's go!" She shoved them toward the door, looking around for anything that might be used as a weapon.

She screamed as the phone on the floor near her feet rang. She picked it up, shouting. "What do you want!" Her chest rose with each quick breath taken.

Static remained on the other end until… "Have you…" The voice trailed off, then clicked to hang up.

A familiar, cracked voice spoke from above her. "Checked the children?"

She looked up slowly, the phone still against her ear. A shadowy figure sat in the rafters above where the ceiling fan was running. "Wha…Shit!" Aery threw the phone up to hit the shadow, but it ducked away from the device.

The girl practically shoved the children out of the bedroom as she slammed the door shut behind her. "Come on! We need to get out of the house now!"

The children were terrified at what was going on. The little girl cried as Aery tried to get her to run. "No! I want mommy!" She screamed.

"Janice, we have to leave! Come on!" Aery picked her up, Steven right next to her. She also picked the boy up as they reached the stairs, running down as fast she could, halting at the bottom hearing the bedroom door open. Her eyes widened. "Come on!" She bolted to the front door, grasping the handle to pull it open but realized it was locked too good for her to get out.

"Nowhere to run, little girl." The eerie voice came from the top of the stairs, descending slowly.

Aery shook all over as she stared up the stairs seeing the black-clad intruder. She couldn't see him well at all, but knew she had no choice but to get the children out of there. Knowing she wouldn't have time to unlock the door, she shoved the children in the direction down the hallway.

"RUN!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.

Their little legs ran as fast as they could even though Janice was still crying for her mother.

"Come on, Janice! We need to hide!" Steven said to his sister as he grabbed her hand.

"Good! Go hide! I'll find you!" She watched as the children ran toward the door located at the end of the hall opposite the kitchen. The two little ones ran into the den and she heard the lock click. Good. They'll be safe for now! Looking behind her, she saw the man was at the bottom of the stairs, standing and just staring at her. "Who the hell are you?" He didn't answer. "Get the fuck out of this house!" She shouted, tears streaming down her face in fear of him. She backed away slowly, but moved away from where the children were hiding so he would follow her instead.

He had her in his sights. Finally, she was going to become his. The man had waited quite a long time for another beautiful blonde to add to his running list of murder. This one seemed more intense though than any of the others. She showed fear, yet still tried to face him head on. Oh yes. This one was definitely one to keep alive longer than the others.

She felt the heat of his gaze following her every move. Each step she made and the way her arms slowly rose and fell. He knew she was going to try and find a way to hide from him, but it seemed he was certain to get a hold of her. Whatever he wanted with her, she didn't know, but prayed to God that Wheeljack would just hurry the hell up.

"Stay the hell away from me!" She cried out, finally reaching open passage and quickly went for the shadows.

Aery ran through the room, then archway into the kitchen where she hid on the other side of the island. Please, God, let him leave! Don't let him hurt the children or me! Please! Oh, Wheeljack! Where are you? Prowl! Barricade! Anybody!

Her chest rose up and down quickly, heart beating very fast. She thanked the darkness in the kitchen for hopefully shielding her from his sight. Some reason she felt like prey and that intimidating man was the predator. He just better not touch those children or there would be high hell to pay. Frightened teenage girl or not, she would brave the dark to get him somehow.

Faintly, she heard light footsteps tapping across the wooden floor just next to the kitchen. Breath hitched in her throat when he drew near. Then, she heard him humming softly before he began to sing.

"One, two, I'm coming for you. Three, four, I'm through the door. Five, six, You're one of my picks. Seven, eight, You can't escape. Nine, ten, You'll be dead by then."

She squeezed her eyes shut as she heard his words and shoes tap in the beginning of the kitchen. Oh, god! As she listened for him, she looked and peered through the darkness on the shelf of the island seeing some frying pans. Aery reached over, picking one up hoping not to make a sound. Come on! I'm ready for you!

The shadowed figure loomed over the island, her able to see his shadow. Fortunately the light showed where he was moving next. When he moved left, she moved right quickly but silently until she was at the side. Breath came in small pants, waiting for the perfect opportunity to hopefully run for it. The tapping of his shoes moved once more around the island, but this time coming toward her on the right. Bracing herself, she stood up as quick as lightning, lashing out with the frying pan, hearing it connect with some part of his body. All she could hear aside from the blood rushing in her ears was a bang, shout and scuffling.

Aery lowered the frying pan to see him on the floor, clutching his head in pain. Keeping her newfound weapon, she dashed from the kitchen and through the room, shutting the door behind her as she was back in the hallway. Her head snapped to the left when she heard Avalanche once more outside. The dog! Running, she made it to the French doors, not bothering to unset the alarm. Unlocking the bolt, she started to turn the handle when she found herself being pulled to the ground by an unknown force.

"Ahh!" She screamed and twisted her body seeing the man on all fours, face in a feral snarl.

"Should not have done that to me, little girl. Now you die quickly!" He growled, once more pulling at her ankles, grasping them tightly in his strong hands and pulling her toward him. As she continued her struggles, she felt a jolt of pain from her left ankle shoot up her calf.

"No! Somebody help me!" The blonde girl let out a blood curdling scream as he brandished a hunter's knife from his back pocket.

"Nobody is coming for you." He stated calmly. "Now stay still!" He ordered, bringing the knife to her throat.

She sobbed. "Why? Why are you doing this to me?"

But he didn't answer her. Her body wracked with silent sobs as she felt the cool steel of the sharp blade passing across her throat. It felt like a thin ice was settling across her throat, then it slowly moved down over her collarbones and between the valley of her breasts where they were heaving up and down very quickly, sheen sweat appearing.

"Why?" She asked again with a whimper, breath hitching quickly. Once more an answer didn't come as she felt the knife still traveling around her upper body, able to pierce through her skin at any given time.

Aside from her heavy breathing, she heard a small click from the door nearby and eyes opened wide realizing it was the den where the children were hiding. Green eyes turned back to the creepy man who was exploring her body, but didn't seem to notice the door opening little by little. Aery got the eyes of Steven who looked at her terrified and very pale. She wanted to tell him to go back and hide, but opening her mouth would only alert the intruder to where they were.

The barking of Avalanche outside startled the young boy and he looked desperately at the dog that was growling and snarling at what was happening inside his home unable to do anything about it. Steven had an idea, but hoped that Aery wouldn't get hurt if he did it. He opened the door some more and snuck out, keeping to the wall, Aery keeping the man distracted by once more questioning his motive.

Quick as lightning, Steven lunged at the French door near the two on the floor, opening it allowing Avalanche to run into the house, growling up a storm. The black-haired man growled himself as he felt his arm being bitten into by sharp teeth of the canine.

"Argh! Let me go, you filthy mutt!" He shouted through clenched teeth, trying to wrench his arm free from the beast.

Aery shot out from under him, scrambling on all fours, ignoring the pain in her left ankle, to once again stand up and shove Steven and Janice back into the den, shutting the door behind them. She was going to make sure that man never hurt them ever. Looking around, she saw her frying pan and went to grab for it, only to have him trip her with his leg.

"Stay down, girl! I'll get back to you when I'm done with this fucking thing!" He sneered, ready to use the hunter's knife he carried to stab the dog.

Suddenly, the loud splintering of wood was heard and a few shards flew far enough near Aery that she panicked, curling herself together in with a scream. Ears covered, she heard shouts and someone calling her name.

"Aery!" Someone shouted. She looked up and saw the familiar holoform of Barricade kneeling next to her, worry etched on his features.

She trembled in fear, tears streaming down her cheeks. "B-Barricade?" Aery whimpered, praying she wasn't just seeing things.

He nodded. "Yes, it's me. Are you all right?" He asked, a large hand set on her back.

"Barricade!" She latched onto him tightly, arms wrapped around his back, face buried in his chest.

He still wasn't used to human emotion, but that didn't stop him from comforting the teenage girl in his arms. One arm went around her, holding her tight against him, his angry expression glaring over at Prowl who was subduing the stalker. "It's going to be all right, Aery. We're here. Prowl and I are both right here. Nothing is going to hurt you anymore, I swear."

Prowl's lips turned into a scowl as he forced the man to the ground on his stomach, harshly pulling his arms behind his back to keep him still. "You piece of slag! How dare you put your filthy hands on her!" He began to speak more to the suspect until he heard more sirens coming up the driveway. "Hmm, police. How thrilling this must be for you." He pulled the man up by the back of the neck and slammed him into the wall, snarling in his ear. "I hope you get the hardest sentence possible for attempting to murder a friend of mine. You are lucky I am against killing humans."

Barricade stood up with Aery still holding onto him, his hand resting on the back of her head trying to comfort her still. "Let me kill him." He rumbled. "He hurt Aery."

"No, Barricade. We must release him to human custody. This is their problem." He explained in a low tone. "But do not worry. I will make sure justice is carried out on him."

Aery continued crying when she gasped. "Steven! Janice!" She turned, blonde hair whipping around as she reached for the den door. "Come on, guys! Open up! It's okay! My friends came to save us!" She knocked on the door.

The lock clicked open revealing the kids who ran out and latched onto Aery tightly.

"Aery! We were so worried about you!" Steven managed to cry out.

Aery smiled as she kneeled down in front of them. "You helped save my life, Steven, by letting Avalanche in. I don't know how I'm going to repay you for helping me." She hugged the children tight, Janice still continuously crying for her mom and dad.

"I want daddy and mommy." Janice whimpered, rubbing her teary eyes with the back of her hand.

"Oh." Aery tried wiping a few stray tears from her cheeks. "Don't worry. You'll see mommy and daddy very shortly."

"Come on, Aery. Let's go outside and get you all checked out just in case." Barricade set his hands on her shoulders.

At her nod, she stood up, but found herself unable to put weight on her left foot. "Oh. I don't know if my ankle is twisted or broken." She lifted the foot from the ground a few inches."

Barricade's blue eyes flashed red. "Did he do this to you?"

She nodded. "But, Barricade, please, the children." She gestured to them.

He sighed and brought his left arm under her legs, the other against her back as he maneuvered her into his arms bridal style. As Prowl led the way out of the house toward the police, he carried Aery, the two children holding onto his shirt tightly on each side of him, scared out of their minds.

The second they exited the house, police drew their guns, shining bright lights on them. Prowl gestured to them with one hand to stand down.

"Please. This is who you are looking for. We've apprehended him." He explained.

"STEVEN! JANICE!" They heard the familiar shouts of their parents, covering their eyes from the lights and seeing two forms rushing forward.

"Ma'am, stay back, please." Said a uniformed officer, halting them.

"Please! Those are my children!" Mrs. Morrison pleaded as she tried to push past him.

"All right. Go ahead."

Mr. and Mrs. Morrison ran past the other cops, gathering their sick children into their arms, kissing and hugging them tightly. A few other officers came up, guns still drawn and took the intruder from Prowl. When they wanted to grab him and Barricade, Aery told them they were friends of hers who saved their lives. At their nod, they took the black-clothed male, hand-cuffed, into the back of a police car, needing to question Aery about what happened.

"Hey, back off." Barricade narrowed his eyes. "She's injured."

"We have an ambulance over here to check her and the children." Another officer said as he led the way to them.

Barricade walked over, setting her down gently, an EMT already sitting her down inside the rear of the vehicle. As she was getting checked out, a green corvette pulled up, skidding, brakes squealing. Out of the driver side came Wheeljack, his holoform not bothering to close his own door and running over to meet her at top speed.

"AERY!" He shouted trying to find her.

"WHEELJACK!" She called back, trying to stand and wave at him, but the medic wouldn't let her. "Over here!"

He halted for a moment and spotted the ambulance. "Aery." He whispered and jogged the rest of the way over, pushing aside another medic and gathering her into his arms. "Oh, sweetheart! Are you all right?" He asked, cupping her face in his hands, wiping stray tears from her cheeks. "I was so frightened!"

She nodded and smiled sadly. "Yeah. I'm fine, Jack." Her arms went around his neck tightly. "I was so scared! I thought I was going to die!" She began to sob, more tears coming and landing on his shirt.

He held her close against him, patting down her disheveled blonde hair, shushing her. "It's all right. You're safe now, Aery."

The medic who was checked her ankle stood up and nodded. "It might just be a sprain, but you'll need to have it checked at the hospital." He said.

Aery nodded. "Um, I have a family doctor that can look at it for me, if that's okay."

The EMT nodded, smiling. "Of course. If that's what you want. But I still recommend the hospital."

"Thank you." Aery shook the medic's hand before being supported by Wheeljack to walk over to his alt mode.

Then another car pulled up and this time it was her mother's voice.

"Aery!" Zaru shouted from the passenger side of Mirage. She slammed the door shut, Mirage wincing at the intensity of the slam, but didn't care as her daughter was important right now. "Aery!"

"Mom!" She cried out.

The older woman wrapped her arms tightly around the teen, kissing her cheek and forehead. "Oh gods! Thank kami! You are all right!" Tears spilled down from her own blue eyes. "Oh, baby, are you okay?" She cupped her daughter's chin.

"Y-Yeah. I have a sprained ankle. But Wheeljack is gonna take me back to the base."

Zaru nodded. "Okay. Ratchet can look at you." She pulled her close again, kissing the top of her head. "Thank goodness."

"Aery!" Mirage finally made it over to them, setting a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"She's fine, Mirage." Wheeljack assured him.

The second Zaru moved out of the way, he brought Aery to his own arms and held tightly. "Thank Primus. When Wheeljack radioed me about the situation, I had to rush with your mother here immediately."

She smiled as she leaned into Mirage. "I'm fine, dad."

"Aery, thank god! I thought you were gonna die!" Her twin sister said breathless.

"Still alive and kicking, Maddie!" Aery stuck her tongue out, earning one back to herself and laughing.

Prowl walked over to see how Aery was doing. "She fine now?"

"Yeah." Zaru answered, brushing loose strands of hair behind her daughter's ear.

"Prowl!" Maddie jumped onto her spark mate. "Thanks for saving my sister!"

Both arms wrapped tightly around her small body, face buried in the crook of her neck, breathing her in. "You're welcome." He mumbled, before pulling away and kissing her chastely.

"You didn't get hurt yourself, did you?" She asked checking his face for anything.

He chuckled. "No. I'm fine."

"Yeah. I'm fine, too." Barricade spoke up, feeling kind of left out.

Aery shook her head, body wracked with laughter. "Awe, poor Barricade! Come here!" She leaned over, grabbing onto his shirt and pulling him close, arms around his waist. "Thank you, Barricade." She whispered.

He smiled, rubbing her back up and down. "You're welcome, little femme."

"And thank you, Prowl." She turned to face the other police mech and he nodded.

"Anything for family."

"Aery?" Mrs. Morrison's voice sounded weary.

Everybody looked her way to see the Morrison's, children and parents.

"Yes, Mrs. Morrison?" Aery asked.

Mrs. Morrison opened her mouth to speak but the words couldn't come out. Instead she moved around her son and wrapped Aery tightly in her own embrace.

"Aery, I don't know how to thank you so much for protecting Steven and Janice. We owe you so much gratitude." She smiled through her tears and pulled away. "I guess Delia was right."

"About what?"

"You are the perfect babysitter."

Aery let out a snort of laughter and nodded. "Well, maybe not perfect. But it was your son actually who saved my life, too."

"Steven did?"

"Yeah. Avalanche was outside and he opened the door and the dog stopped that man from hurting me. So I guess I owe my life to your dog, too."

Steven and Janice ran over to Aery, hugging her tight.

"Can you babysit us again? You are the coolest babysitter ever!" Steven said with a grin on his face.

Janice also smiled. "Yeah. I like you."

Mrs. Morrison shook her head. "I think after tonight, Aery might have problems babysitting for us again."

Aery shook her head. "No I wouldn't. I would love to babysit again for you. Just call me and let me know when."

"Really? You aren't shaken up about-"

"No. Well, I am, but if I babysit for you again, I hope you don't mind if I have company of the male sort next time." She looked over to her boyfriend Wheeljack then at Mrs. Morrison who raised a questioning brow. "Oh. This is Jack. My boyfriend. Don't worry. He's harmless. At least to everybody but bad people."

Mr. Morrison had also walked over, holding out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Jack."

Wheeljack nodded and took the hand. "A pleasure."

It was then the woman nodded. "Of course. If he makes you feel safer in the house, he is more than welcome to stay as well. I would feel a lot safer, too, if somebody was also with you next time you babysit."

"Great." Aery turned to her mom. "Mr, Mrs. Morrison, this is my mom Zaru. Mom, this is Mr. and Mrs. Morrison and their two kids Janice and Steven."

Zaru smiled as she shook both of the Morrisons hands. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you as well, Zaru."

"And this is my mom's boyfriend, Mirage. My dad."

Mr. Morrison nodded and held out his hand. "Pleasure to meet you as well, Mirage."

"Likewise, Mr. Morrison." The black-haired male took his hand. "And you, Mrs. Morrison." He shook her hand as well.

"We truly owe your daughter a lot for tonight." Explained Mr. Morrison.

Mirage smiled as he hugged Zaru next to his larger body. "Well, Aery's not one to allow any harm to come to another. Especially under her watch."

Aery turned to him and smiled. "What can I say? I have the best role models in my life." Seeing Mirage smile, knowing she was talking about the Autobots and their human allies.

Mrs. Morrison hugged Aery once more. "We'll call you very soon. And thank you again." They waved their good-byes.

"Aery, are you sure you'll be all right?" Asked Mirage once again.

"Yeah." She sighed. "I guess we should get going."

Wheeljack nodded and picked Aery up in his arms. "Let's get going so you can begin to heal."

"Wait, please." An officer called walking over to them. "We still need you to answer our questions."

"Right." Aery sighed. "I guess Ratchet can wait."

Back at the base, after finally done with the questioning, Ratchet immediately began to assess Aery's injury, also scanning for anything more. Luckily, the sprained ankle and a small bruise on her back were the only things wrong with her. The CMO recommended her to stay off the ankle for a few days, then slowly put weight on it gradually until she could finally walk on it again.

Aery nodded and thanked him, Wheeljack picking her up from the berth into his hand.

"I wanna stay with you tonight, Wheeljack. I don't really wanna be alone." She whispered.

He nodded. "I don't mind. But is that all right with your mother and Mirage?" He asked, turning to face Zaru and a giant robot Mirage.

"Mom, can I please stay with Wheeljack tonight?"

She saw the look of fear in her daughter's eyes and understood that her spark mate was the one she needed most for comfort right now and not her own mother. Or even Mirage.

"Yeah. You can stay with him."

"Thanks, mom." She blew her a kiss.

Mirage glanced at Wheeljack. "Don't try anything, Wheeljack. She's still a sparkling." He warned. "My sparkling."

Aery laughed at Mirage. "You take the role of father so seriously, Mirage."

"Indeed he does." Wheeljack chuckled. "Come. You can keep me company for awhile in the lab, then we can head to my quarters."

"'Kay. Night, mom. Night, dad."

"Good night, sparkling." Mirage smiled warmly at her.

As Wheeljack walked down the hall with her in his hand, she couldn't help but think about the events of that evening. Everything that happened in that one single house could petrify anybody to a high degree. Especially for the fact that the man in the home could have easily killed her had Wheeljack not intervened with the phone calls. Not to mention the presence of Barricade and Prowl coming to her rescue.

Sure everything was scary and the attempted murder of her and the two children would continue to haunt her, but she wasn't going to let something like that bother her. She was too strong to allow something like that to happen. After all, she took care of herself and the children pretty good, right? But the image of the darkness and ice in the eyes that man had made her shiver in fear. That would be something she might never be able to forget. Nor the feel of that steel on her body.

Wheeljack himself wondered about the situation. He knew that Aery would be all right considering what happened to her, but it could easily damage her psyche and might become a psychological issue in the near future. He and Ratchet had researched plenty on human problems both mental and physical. Knowing this problem, it could still come back to haunt her in nightmares or even flashes. The mech knew he and the others would have to keep a close eye on her for quite awhile. And if anything happened, they would be there to help her out.

"Wheeljack?" Aery's voice interrupted the silence of the hallway.

"Yes, Aery?"

She smiled. "I love you."

He smiled behind his mask. "And I love you."

Yes. Any issues would be worked out by all of them for they were going to be there no matter what.

Inside the jail cell at the local police station sat a single man shrouded by darkness, moonlight peering in through the small, barred window above. He glanced up to see the brightness, dark eyes gleaming from the moon.

"I'll get you, girl." He promised to himself. "One day I'll have your blood on my hands. Count on that."

-FIN-

A/n: Whoa! 36 pages of badness for me! W00t! Hope you guys enjoyed this! Let me know how I did, okay? I'm thinking of actually writing an Urban Legend oneshot series using my characters and Transformers! Sound good right? Let me know! For now, this is just a oneshot!

Sweet Mech Dreams,

Zaru/Never Ending Illusions