Summary: Sam's cousin has always been different. Despite this, she and Sam had always been close. When the Autobots come into the picture, will she allow her beloved cousin to deal with the repercussions of their arrival, or shoulder the responsibility herself? Is she strong enough to? Also, what is the connection she shares with several Decepticons? As well as the Allspark?

Warnings: I've watched the Movies, I've seen most of the episodes of Beast Wars and Beast Machines, seen some episodes of Armada and read various online stuff. I do not know most of the storylines in Generation one, but I do know most of the characters and their personalities. This will be a mix-matched version of what I do know, and probably will only make sense to me and those who have an open mind. The movies are awesome in special effects, and as I know them best, I will be using them as the starting point, but with info from other areas, such as the Ark having been crashed on Earth for a long time. I will also be royally screwing some things on PURPOSE to suit how I felt some things could have gone. In my mind this is all in a sort of ANIME-STYLE not live-action characters. Some bots and cons will be Movie style in alt mode, others will be Gen One.

Also, some terms down below I made up, the time terms for the Cybertronians are relative from what I've read about. My Cybertronian Culture Notes are mine, my view of how the Fallen's disgrace had occurred, and the surviving Prime who returned to Cybertron after that betrayal. I do not approve of plagiarizing otherwise I would happily incorporate the awesome ideas of other authors such as the Carrying Holds, the Spike and Port Interface Array, and other misc. things.

I don't remember however if I had read in someone else's story about Budding. If I did I do apologize, however the explanations below took me a long time to figure out and put into words. If the Budding Process has been used, I'll simply change the name to something else since my explanation is my own.

Terms:

Bud Spark – an influx of energy formed during the action of Spark Interface, not necessarily during regular interface. This bud is highly sensitive to various conditions, dissipating if not properly contained or formed. Should all conditions be met, the bud will attach itself to the stronger Spark and form into a Semi Spark.

Semi Spark – a half-formed spark still in the stage of development. It is still sensitive but stronger than a Bud. Unless the Bearer Spark is weakened, or outright rejects the Young Spark, it will fully mature into a Sparkling after 10 orns.

Sparkling – Newborn. Refers to Unborn Sparks to Young Sparks roughly a single Vorn old.

Youngling – Child. Refers to Young Sparks roughly from 1 vorn to 10 vorns old. Also can be used by older Cybertronians when referring to those younger than them.

Mech Spark – a normal spark designed to power a frame. A mech spark has a 20% chance of forming a bud spark when paired with another mech spark. Should enough energy be stored and such a bud spark be formed, the bud spark will pick the Mech Spark more efficient or stronger to be it's Bearer. Mech Sparks are either blue or red.

Femme Spark- a rarely produced, stronger and more potent spark that utilizes energy more efficiently than a Mech Spark. A Femme Spark has a 40% chance of forming a bud spark when paired with another spark, mech or femme. Femme Sparks are white, or very rarely, gold.

Creator – a single Cybertronian who decides to apply for a sparkling from the Allspark OR had created a Sparkling via Budding with another Cybertronian.

Bearer – a single Cybertronian who underwent the Budding process and was chosen to carry the Semi Spark. Only if the Semi Spark fully forms into a Sparkling can the Mature Spark be considered a Bearer Spark.

Bearer Sparks – sparks that had undergone the Budding Process and produced living Sparklings. After the birthing of a Sparkling, the Mature Spark is considered a Bearer Spark. Bearer Sparks become highly receptive to Spark Energies, the percentage of becoming a Bearer again doubles. Mech Sparks- 20% to 40%. Femme Sparks - 40% to 80%.

Spark Shields – equivalent of birth control, normally only used during unsettled times of war or, in Bearer cases, to prevent Spark Exhaustion.

Caretakers – Cybertronians who have undergone training and received Creator programming to look after another's Sparklings and Younglings OR Cybertronians who have activated programming due to being Creators themselves, either through the Allspark or Budding.

Cybertronian Culture Notes: Mech and Femme frames do not mean male frames and female frames. All frames are built with an Interfacing Array, including ports and cables. Interface without Sparks will not cause Budding, but will store energy influxes to increase chances of Budding when Spark Interface is initiated.

It is perfectly normal for mechs to pair together, as well as femmes to pair together. They do not believe in homosexuality or heterosexuality defining whether a mech or femme is good or not. Because of the ratio of mechs to femmes, it is perfectly normal for mechs to be with each other. In most cases, mechs actually are normal regular interface partners.

They also are not against polygamy. Regular Interface, depending on how far they go, range from showing deep friendship, to showing strong trust, as well as showing intimate connections. Spark Interface is the most intimate form of affection, it also synchronizes the Spark patterns, to allow them to connect deeper. If Sparks are compatible, if the Cybertronians so choose, they can establish a stronger link with one or two others. Linking with compatible Sparks, is as close yet deeper than human marriage customs. Due to different frames needing certain needs, it is entirely possible that two who are Linked, still have other regular interface partners that are not their Linked. Being Linked simply means that they are closer than any others, and would be the preferred partner in Spark Interfacing.

Mech Bearers are also often times referred to as Femmes, due to the higher Budding percentage, depending on a Mech's perception this may be taken as a compliment or insult. They are not true Femmes however, since their Sparks are not as energy efficient nor as strong as True Femme Sparks.

THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IN MECH AND FEMME FRAMES IS THEIR SPARKS! THEY HAVE NO GENDERS!

Spark coloration is varied. Mech Sparks are usually Blue or Red, whereas Femme Sparks are normally White, or very rarely Gold. Scientists have argued since the beginning of records as to why the Sparks are varied. Only the Allspark CORE Guardians know the answer but have refused to answer or ask the Allspark for its reasons.

Klik – roughly 1 Earth minute.

Breem – roughly 8 Earth minutes.

Joor - roughly 7 Earth hours.

Orn - roughly 13 Earth days.

Vorn - roughly 83 Earth years.

- Until All Are One -

Title: A Change In Plans

Chapter One: The Cousin and the Car

- Until All Are One -

Samuel Witwicky was excited as he rushed through throwing his stuff in his locker. He had managed to save up the required two thousand dollars, had gotten three A's on his assignments, and his dad was taking him car shopping after school. That wasn't all he was excited about however. It was finally summer break, he would be getting a car, hopefully get his dream girl, plus his cousin was coming over for the summer. Most would be annoyed at having their older cousin come live at their house for a whole summer, but not Sam, at least not when it was his favorite cousin of all time.

Bree Sage Witwicky was a spunky, caring, rather quiet, nineteen year old genius. She had graduated high school at the age of fifteen and was almost finished with her Master's Engineering Degree, with majors in English, Science, and Computer Programming. She had also taught herself to be fluent in several different languages and worked two part-time jobs. The reason Sam and her were so close however, was due to the many hardships and tragedies she had lived through. She was considered a miracle baby by her parents, who had been trying for years without conceiving, even going through different insemination procedures. However she had problems in physical development, was born prematurely, and was constantly in and out of the hospital until she was five. After she turned five, instead of the weekly hospital trips, she simply had to go once a month, and began to show off her high intelligence.

Her dad, the oldest brother of Ron Witwicky, was in the military Spec Ops, while her mom was a high-level government agent. So the medical bills weren't really a problem. When she turned seven, her parents just up and left her at her grandmother's house, who wasn't a kind grandmother, and disappeared. Sam's parents fought to gain custody of her, and won after three years. She and Sam were raised together for five years before her mother resurfaced, with the news that her dad had been killed in action. The next four years, she had taken care of her grief-stricken mother, who worked constantly on a highly classified project and was only home long enough to pass out after chatting a little while with her only child.

Her two-part-time jobs, one working at a fast-food restaurant, and one working with deaf and mute kids, paid for her bills and any school costs not paid for by the scholarships she'd managed to get. She had several bad relationships throughout her short life, just because she was intelligent to figure out different problems, didn't mean she was very good at reading other people. The latest, Jake, was a soldier who had trained under her father. He was twenty-four, good-looking, and Sam hated his guts. His younger brother, Rick, was eighteen and was a nice personable guy, Sam only wished Sage would go out with him instead. She had met Rick at her second job, he had a younger sister who was deaf, and he had introduced her to Jake.

Nevertheless, no matter how busy she was, she had always made time to come visit him every weekend, they were practically siblings with how close they felt. He even told her about things he had never told anyone or even admitted out loud. In return she had shared with him all the horrific nightmares she had as a kid in the hospital, plus the bad relationships. Now, she would be staying the whole summer with them, and she'd arrive the day after he got his new car! She'd be just as excited, he knew, since she knew more about mechanics than he and his dad put together, though she only knew basic repairs compared to real mechanics. With her by his side encouraging him, he'd be chatting and hanging out with Mikaela in no time.

- Until All Are One -

Sam grinned as he pulled into the driveway. He was too excited to notice the dark blue 2001 Pontiac Firebird parked by the curb. As he dashed into the house, mentally forgiving his dad for the cruel joke he had played on him by taking him to the Porsche dealership, he absently greeted his mom and the teen girl who was helping her with the dishes. He was halfway up the stairs before he froze and stampeded back down, whipping around the corner and flinging himself at the petite girl who had braced herself knowingly.

"BREE! BREE! BREE!" he grabbed her and twirled her around, grinning as she laughed. "I GOT A CAR! I GOT A CAR!" he squealed, still spinning her around. Her dark brown hair flew around them as she hung on for dear life, slowly settling into the short waves as he slowed and put her down. He took a moment to take in her appearance, remembering it and examining for any differences. Fluffy dark brown hair with lighter and darker highlights, all natural, with a red sheen that fell loosely to her shoulders at the longest, with shorter bits fluffed up and long bangs falling just over her warm golden-hazel eyes. A bit of eyeliner graced her face but no other makeup was visible, pink pouty lips formed a half-grin from her light golden skin. Her petite form was barely five foot two inches, and dancer-like slender. Her black t-shirt was baggy but covered and slightly accented her small curves, while her dark blue jeans covered her long legs, and her combat boots peeked out from under the denim. Her normal eclectic bracelets adorned her left wrist, all were handmade from the various kids she interacted with; while her right hand had three simple gold rings on her pointer, middle, and ring finger. Her ears were pierced several times, with small gold studs; and she wore proudly around her neck, a platinum chain with her dad's dog tags, and her platinum engagement ring. "Wow, you look good, cuz," she laughed again, the soft musical sound relaxing him.

"So do ya cuz, so tell me, what kinda piece of garbage did ya get?" she asked. Her voice was soft, warm, and comforting, clearly feminine but also full of a deep warmth. He grinned back, she was playing around with different accents again

"He's outside, wanna take a look-see, yerself?" he asked, attempting his own funky accents. As she laughed again and linked her arm with his, he couldn't think of anything better than being here at that moment. Sam kept an eye on her face, not wanting to miss the look when she saw his new car. Sure enough, as they stepped outside, her eyes immediately spotted the new addition. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened slightly before she was yanking him over to the car.

Releasing her grip on his arm, she trailed gentle fingers along the side, eyes taking in everything. She made a complete circuit around, then stopped at the hood. Giving Sam a wordless question, he grinned as he popped the hood. Crouching, she ran light fingers along the grill, easing into the space, and finding the lock. Pushing the metal sheet up, she looked down, expecting to see an old engine that needed to be overhauled. Instead, her breath caught at the shiny brand-new engine underneath. "How much did you pay for this boy?" she demanded, adjusting her grip to peer sideways at her cousin. He grinned, though he looked worried.

"Four thousand, why? Is the engine that bad?" he asked, dreading how much more he needed to save up. She snorted, her eyes glittering, and motioned him over. She propped the hood up as he made his way around, leaning over the engine precariously.

"Sam, you found your diamond in the rough, he's a treasure! This engine alone would have to be four grand by itself! It's all custom, though why they took such good care of the engine and not the frame is besides me." She muttered under her breath as she examined different parts. Sam looked beyond happy.

"So, it's good?"

"Only need to bang out those dents, a good wash, maybe a re-paint job, and definitely a good wax." She leaned back, pulled a tie out of her pocket and pulled most of her hair back into a sloppy bun. She flashed an excited grin over at him, "Go grab the Shop-Vac, a bunch of towels, Windex, paper towels, soap, sponges, and a bucket." He took off as she bent back down. Checking the different lines for leaks or blockages, she mentally began planning out the configuration of the engine. A frown formed as she noticed several components she couldn't recognize, as well as a lot of unknown systems. The engine was definitely custom-made, and she was reluctant to mess around with these unknown parts. So she simply checked to make certain they were in good working order, other than being really dirty. Once Sam had grabbed all of the stuff she had asked for, they started.

Sam was vacuuming the inside as well as cleaning the windows. Sage was cleaning the different components, as well as checking the fluids. She even moved underneath to check out the undercarriage. Once all regular maintenance checks were done, she closed the hood lightly and shifted. Pausing, she tilted her head, her eyes narrowing. Crouching down, she looked at the paint once again. Seeing the sparkle in the paint, she frowned thoughtfully as she wiped grease off her fingers.

"What's up Bree?" Sam asked, pulling the vacuum towards the garage.

"Damn, guess that re-paint is a no-go," she called, lifting the hood back up and examining the underside more carefully.

"Why?" Sam walked over, frowning as he attempted to see what the problem was.

"The paint's photo-absorbent," she replied, touching the inside receptors she had found attached to the hood. Sam leaned heavily against the bumper as she stated this, so they weren't alarmed when the car rocked back suddenly. She pointed to the hidden receptors to him, as she looked for a converter.

"What's photo-absorbent?" Sam asked, studying the sparkle in the paint.

"It absorbs light, so basically you aren't entirely fueled entirely on gas. This pretty boy was converted to use both solar energy and gasoline." She closed the hood, petting the warm metal affectionately. "Unfortunately, for you, it'll take me a while to recreate a photo-absorbent paint like this one," she tapped the hood in emphasis. "So, pretty boy, we're just gonna have to fix up the dents and give you a nice wash and wax." She patted the warm metal again as she turned to the side paneling. As Sam continued cleaning the inside, Bree pulled out her mp3 player, sticking the buds into her ears.

Sam grinned as he heard her begin to hum along; he slowed his movements to better hear her, wondering if she'd start singing. She had a nice even voice, though certainly not singer-worthy, and was able to carry a tune or sing along with others. Unfortunately that was about the only musical prowess she had. She couldn't play an instrument, couldn't read sheet music, or hit the high notes or low notes if her life depended on it. Plus, she only ever sang out loud when she was alone or with people she absolutely trusted. Sam counted himself very lucky that he and Rick were the only two she would sing around, she wouldn't even sing around Jake. As he paused to contemplate that thought, he heard the words she started singing:

"It's a thief in the night; To come and grab you; It can creep up inside you; And consume you; A disease of the mind; It can control you; It's too close for comfort."

His grin slipped slightly, but he still listened intently. She loved listening to Rhianna, but some of the songs were only reserved when she had the nightmares again. This one in particular, reminded her too clearly of how when she was younger; while in the hospital, she'd have vivid hallucinations of unearthly terror, even though some of the visions comforted her they were still terrifying to look at.

"Throw on your break lights; We're in the city of wonder; Ain't gonna play nice; Watch out, you might just go under; Better think twice; Your train of thought will be altered; So if you must falter, be wise.

"Your mind is in Disturbia; It's like the darkness is the light; Disturbia; Am I scaring you tonight? Your mind is in Disturbia; Ain't used to what you like; Disturbia; Disturbia."

He could see the slight tensing as she sang the last word, since she'd been diagnosed when she was three with the condition. The tenseness dissipated though, singing along to music was one of few things that relaxed her, even when she was singing to something that reminded her of painful memories. She hummed along as she tapped out a dent; jerking back when with a soft pop, it popped back into place. Similarly, with the slightest of pressure, most of the dings and dents were restored with little effort from her. Frowning slightly, she shrugged as she filed the oddity into her memory.

"Faded pictures on the wall; It's like they talkin' to me; Disconnectin' your call; The phone don't even ring; I gotta get out; Or figure this shit out; It's too close for comfort.

"It's a thief in the night; To come and grab you; It can creep up inside you; And consume you; A disease of the mind; It can control you; I feel like a monster.

"Throw on your break lights; We're in the city of wonder; Ain't gonna play nice; Watch out, you might just go under; Better think twice; Your train of thought will be altered; So if you must falter, be wise.

"Your mind is in Disturbia; It's like the darkness is the light; Disturbia; Am I scaring you tonight? Your mind is in Disturbia; Ain't used to what you like; Disturbia; Disturbia."

She hummed as she checked Sam's progress, rolling her eyes as she grabbed a washcloth and scrubbed at the dirt in the seats.

"Release me from this curse I'm in; I've been trying to maintain; But I'm struggling; You can't go, go, go; I think I'm going to oh, oh, oh.

"Throw on your break lights; We're in the city of wonder; Ain't gonna play nice; Watch out, you might just go under; Better think twice; Your train of thought will be altered; So if you must falter, be wise.

"Your mind is in Disturbia; It's like the darkness is the light; Disturbia; Am I scaring you tonight? Your mind is in Disturbia; Ain't used to what you like; Disturbia; Disturbia."

The last hums were completed as she prepared the bucket and soap. Sam grinned widely and stripped off his shirt. He grabbed the hose from her and started spraying the hot metal with the cool water. He turned just to see Sage pull her t-shirt off, revealing a black tank top, and yank her boots and socks off. Rolling her jeans up to her knees, she carefully checked that her rings, mp3 player, and bracelets were securely wrapped in her shirt before dancing over to him. She sighed in relief as her feet stepped into a puddle of water, cooling her toes from dancing across the hot asphalt.

"When'd you get that?" Sam asked, tilting his head to see the tattoo between her shoulder blades. It was an odd looking character, he'd almost mistake it for a Japanese kanji, except Sage had forced him to look at a lot of her anime and manga when they were younger; plus now that he was looking at it, only the outer circle looked like the characters. He couldn't read kanji, but he could recognize it, and the glyph didn't resemble any he knew.

"A year ago," she said simply, a smirk tilting her lips. "It wouldn't leave me alone, so I drew it and got it. Pretty cool huh?" And it was. Despite being odd, the lines and curves looked almost like writing. The "writing" formed a circle around a silver filigree rounded diamond container, which had a golden orb glowing in the center. It was stunningly beautiful, but alien.

"Huh, pretty," he said confidently. She grinned and he broke down laughing. After a kick to his side, they went on with the washing. Sage gently eased herself up on the hood, to scrub at the roof and clean out dirt from around the windshield. Sam didn't' notice anything odd due to washing the sides, but Sage could feel a slight vibration underneath her. She pretended not to notice, though was on alert. Her eyes flicked to the side, seeing the figure there before looking resolutely away. Sam didn't see what she was looking at, but saw the way she turned uncomfortably.

"Hey, Bree?" he asked gently.

"Yeah?" she rubbed off a stubborn patch of mud and sand, though she couldn't figure out how that got there.

"You've been having nightmares again," it wasn't a question, a simple statement that caused her to freeze, before returning to her cleaning. "And you're seeing things again," A sigh was her only response.

"They never stopped, you know that," she replied a few minutes later. "Their voices are also getting clearer," she stopped, frowning heavily. Sam looked up at her worriedly. She never liked to talk about the, hallucinations, for lack of a better word. She saw things, heard things, that weren't there. Yet, scarily enough, if she listened to them, they accurately predicted things, and answered questions that had been unanswered for years. When she was a child, her mom often brought her to the lab, because a lack of a babysitter and with her health issues indicated to her overprotective mom that only she could take care of her baby. Her dad was constantly away on secret missions, and was only home two months a year if that. So it really was only logical to bring her with. When she had slipped into a room she technically wasn't supposed to go into, she saw something that caused her severe nightmares and migraines, while another room actually had something that helped her get a lot better.

Since that time, she had visions of creatures, some good, some not, but all of them terrifying in their own ways. It was only recently, that she began seeing human images. Thanks to hospital visits, the doctors realized she had activated some obscure part of her brain that very few people could access. The few who could were mostly people who believed themselves to be psychic. Thanks to her mom's high connections, her medical files were sealed. She had only ever told Sam that she could still see things, not even her Uncle Ron and Aunt Judy knew.

"Sam! Sage! Dinner is almost ready!" Judy poked her head out, smiling at the two soaked teens. They called back affirmatives, watching as she went back in.

"I can't believe she still calls you that," Sam grumbled. Sage grinned.

"I like being called Sage, and besides, you're the only one I allow to call me Bree, Sammy," she teased. He blushed slightly at the reminder, when he was little, he couldn't say her full first name, Brianne, so simply called her "bwee" which then changed to "bree."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he grumbled good-naturedly. She laughed softly, relaxing into the pleasantly warm metal, and rested a cheek against the damp metal. Her eyes flicking closed, she opened them slightly when a soft buzzing sounded by her ear. Peeking up, she blinked at the sight of a fuzzy bumblebee. Reaching out, she let the gentle bee land on her hand instead of the soapy car, and slid down. Moving carefully, she gently brought the bee to Judy's flower garden, and lightly nudged it onto a flower. Seeing it buzz it's wings, she smiled happily and turned back to the car. Blinking, her mind still on the bumblebee, she giggled as she looked the Camaro over once again. Grinning widely, she hopped over to the hood, waiting until Sam looked at her warily. Placing one bare foot on the front bumper, she grinned and cackled maniacally.

"I claim him as my minion! And I shall love him and feed him and play with him all day! And his name shall be!" she pointed at the car with a grin, "Bumblebee!" and keeled over laughing as Sam smacked his face, shaking his head. As such, neither of them saw the way the Camaro trembled in amusement, or when it nudged a bit closer to the giggling girl. After a few moments of laughter, the two finished up, rinsing off the water and drying the paint with the towels. "We'll give you that wax tomorrow, okay Bumblebee?" Sage petted the hood, grinning at Sam's disgruntled look.

"He's mine you know," he muttered darkly, but only caused his cousin to laugh.

"We'll see!" she chirped, winking, "He likes me better!"

"Yeah, cause you had your hands all up in his engine,"

"Oooh! Robot sex! Kinky!" and she ran into the house, laughing at the look on his face. The two played around as they got cleaned up, the two then changed into dry and clean clothes and headed down for dinner. Sage instantly was part of the family again, despite not being with them for a while, and they laughed and joked and chatted about their lives to catch up.

Outside, Bumblebee contently enjoyed the feelings of being cleaned and cared for. He also decided to wait until tomorrow to send the signal to the others. Reviewing his memories of the two young humans, his Spark hummed with pleasure at their innocence. The young femme had him slightly worried, she seemed burdened by many hardships, like his leader, but was still able to fool around like those of her age. He couldn't repress the shudder of amusement when she aptly named his designation, or at her instant retort of kinky robot sex, if she only knew. When they met the others, no doubt her and her cousin's antics would help lift their Sparks. Taking one last scan of the area, Bumblebee allowed himself to settle for a moderate recharge, after all, he had finally found his charge.

- Until All Are One -

pages 13

Lyrics and song by Rihanna, Disturbia.

Thanks for reading!