Note: I don't own Transformers, only Katie. I also don't own the songs I used in this story nor the ones that inspired them. That is all.

This was just a random little story I thought up when I was doing my homework and listening to my ipod. If you feel like blaming them, the songs were "Friends" and "Flying with Angels" by Na Leo Pilimehana. ;;

It was originally supposed to be a short little story, but… it turned into something big, especially when I went to eat lunch. --;;

Music

'Sign language/type-speak'

"Speaking in car-mode"

"Regular speaking/speaking in robot-mode"

'Thoughts'

--

You're flying with angels
Above us all and I'll be here
To catch you if you fall
If others leave you, you know I'll stay
My dreams will whisper to you
And guide your way
So sleep my darlin'
One kiss goodnight
Another song awaits you
With rising eyes

"Must you play that song?" Katie smiled slightly.

Without taking her eyes off the road, she found the laptop that was plugged into Jazz's radio at her side. After months of practice, she was able to type one-handed while driving with minimal mistakes. 'No, not really, but I do like it. Don't you?'

The silver Solstice grunted. "No."

Katie made the sound he had come to associate as her laugh, and patted his dashboard. 'How about this?' Taking her eyes off the deserted road for a few seconds, she pulled out her ipod and adjusted the songs and hit play.

And friends are friends forever
If the Lord's a Lord of them
And a friend will not say "never"
'Cause the welcome will not end
Thought it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long
To live as friends.

Jazz's engine growled, showing his obvious dislike for the music, but he didn't change it. "What's with all the depressing music all of a sudden, Katie?" he asked as they pulled into her driveway. He cut the engine while she grabbed her purse, ipod, and laptop and climbed out.

Jazz transformed as she placed the items on the porch.

Her house was in the middle of nowhere, blocked by a rather large hill so he didn't have to worry about nosy neighbors seeing him. With a sigh, he settled himself down, leaning against a well-placed sturdy tree and waited as Katie trotted over to him.

'It's a special day today,' she signed to him. 'One of the best days of my life.'

Random Flashback:

He had found it odd when she first "bought" him from the dealer. She said absolutely nothing to him, writing the price down on a piece of paper as if she was too high and mighty to talk to the dealer. The dealer, obviously thinking along the same lines as Jazz grumbled loudly but finally settled on a price with the girl, shaking her hand almost reluctantly.

And so Jazz was taken to her home in a nice part of the city, with a nice lawn leading to a nice creamy-white house with a tan trim, and a nice neat garage. It wasn't until she gave him his first carwash did he realize that she wasn't very quiet; she was mute.

One of the neighborhood jerks had come by to harass her while she was cleaning his passenger-side door.

"Hey, Freak!" she didn't answer him, pretending he wasn't there with the ease of long practice. "Don't ignore me, you mute weirdo." He pushed her hard, sending her sprawling, knocking over her bucket of soapy water and spilling it all over the driveway and herself.

Jazz had considered doing something when he had first started tormenting her, like backing into him or slamming a door into his side, but decided not to. It wasn't until he called her a "mute weirdo" that he became angry.

Katie hadn't been mean or cruel to him; she was very gentle, not yanking and tugging on cords and cables when checking on his engine, or scrubbing hard with the sponge on tender spots. She took very good care of his interior, and despite being with her for a few weeks, there wasn't a scratch on him; if she found one she waxed it out within a day. She played nice music in him, and if he acted up, she simply frowned but didn't force him to do anything; if he refused to start, she took the bus or a taxi to run her errands.

When the jerk had pushed her down, he was angry. When he pushed her again when she tried to get up, he was downright pissed. His door shot open, slamming him hard in the back. He would've fallen on Katie, had she not flipped over on her back and kicked up with her surprisingly strong legs. She scrambled up, and faced him warily, watching as he swayed and coughed, winded. Wheezing, he turned tail and ran.

Thoroughly shaken, she had sunk to her knees, resting her head on his front wheel and not caring that her auburn hair turned darker with the mud and soap on the tires. After a minute or so, she stood and refilled the bucket. She eyed the drying soap on his hood and sighed, spraying it down. She put the hose down and hesitated.

'Thank you.' she signed, almost feeling like an idiot, but also feeling obligated to thank her car even if it was inanimate. She made an odd sound, and Jazz had realized she had chuckled. 'I feel stupid talking to you like this, but you did save my sorry behind. It's almost like you're alive.' She ran a hand over the water sliding down his chassis and got to work scrubbing the dried soap off.

Jazz had taken a few minutes to translate the motions before turning his wheel to "face" her. "Yer welcome, and I am alive."

She had jumped, looking down at him. 'Am I dreaming this?'

"No." was the grumpy reply and she smiled slightly.

'Just making sure.' She signed back and continued washing him.

End Random Flashback:

Their friendship had started there, and soon escalated until Jazz found himself telling her everything about him. She proved to be a very good listener, sitting in his passenger seat for hours at a time, listening to whatever stories he had to share.

She hardly shared any stories with him, for she hardly talked; only listened. She took everything in stride and never once questioned him about anything he had to say.

Katie had given up so much for him: she had quit her job in the city and moved to a house in the middle of nowhere so he could transform and walk around as much as he liked. She pretty much severed all ties to her family and friends and bought him whatever he needed.

He was drawn from his memories when she sat in front of him. "What day is that? I'm sure you have many days that make you happy." Not for the first time Jazz saw the shadow flash across her face, but it was hidden by a smile.

'This is exactly one year after I met you.' she signed to him.

"Nah. You can't possibly be happy about meeting an old grumpy goose like me." Jazz said flatly. "I'm surprised you can put up with someone so harsh."

Katie made her odd chuckling sound. 'No, you're not grumpy. You're just scarred and sad. Like me. The day I met you was probably the best day of my life.' Then she hesitated, looking down at her hands. Jazz knew that pose: she had something to say but didn't know if she should say it.

He filed away what she said about being scarred to ask her at a later time and pressed a clawed finger against her back. "What do you want to say?"

She hesitated, and then when she signed, she did so in a rush as if she was afraid of how he'd react. 'I was thinking. You're such good company to me, but I haven't known you for more than a year. I was thinking about how your friends must feel. The Autobots, correct? They think you're dead, do they not? Why not go back to them to say "Hey, guys, I'm alive" and meet up with them? I'm sure they miss you very much. I know I would.'

"That is none of your business." Never before had he spoken to her in such a way, and she ducked her head, looking down at the ground.

'I know, I'm sorry. I just thought…'

"You thought wrong! I don't want to go back to them! I don't want to fight anymore." Jazz roared, burying a clawed fist into the ground next to her and she flinched. Then he realized that she wasn't shaking in fear; she was crying.

'I'm sorry,' she signed again and getting up, she ran to her house where she let herself in and locked the door behind her.

"Katie," he whispered, realizing what he had done too late. She emerged a few minutes later, carrying a large box wrapped in silver and gold wrapping paper, the kind that she had been complaining that it was so expensive. She said nothing to him, placing the box on the ground near his foot and turning, walked away.

Feeling a tightening in his spark, he gingerly lifted the box and read the card.

'For you, Jazz. I hope you like it. Katie.'

Her usually neat handwriting was shaky, and there were wet splotches that smeared some of the ink. Feeling that tightening in his spark, he opened the wrapping paper carefully, untying the fragile gold ribbon and peeling the delicate paper off the box. He pulled the lid off and stared at its contents.

The first thing that caught his eye was a bulky bundle which he carefully lifted. He paused when the tips of his claws brushed the material covering it. Gently, he tugged it off and stared at it. It was his favorite type of chamois, one of the best kinds and the most expensive. The item was wrapped in three more, and he stared at the bulky item.

Katie was an amateur artist, but it was obvious that she had worked for a long time at this. It was a small statuette of him with a goofy grin on his face. She had most likely gotten the pose from a picture she had of him. The next thing she had was an album large enough for him to hold. In the tough leather, his name was stamped and painted in gold. Opening it, he found that she had filled it with pictures of the two of them on their travels.

He looked up at the sound of the door closing. The front door was closed and he figured that Katie had gone out the back. Checking his chronometer, he grimaced. This was usually when she came out to talk with him after a nightmare. Of what, she never said, but she seemed to take comfort in talking with him.

Carefully, he put the statuette, chamois, and album back in the box and subspaced it, walking quietly around the house. He stopped halfway and transformed, activating his hologram and sending it the rest of the way.

Katie, observant as she was, noticed him right away and got up from the tree swing and began walking toward the house. She was at the door, her hand on the doorknob when Jazz started up the steps to the porch.

"Wait, Katie." She hesitated, then slowly closed the door and went to sit with him on the stairs. "I- I'm sorry."

Silence, not that he expected her to say anything. Instead she reached out a hand and gently squeezed his. She forgave him.

--
Songs used in order:
"Flying with Angels" by Na Leo Pilimehana
"Friends" by Na Leo Pilimehana