Title: Those left behind

Continuity: G1 cartoon

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: canonically dead robots

Characters: Grimlock, Wheelie, Rodimus, Ultra Magnus

Summary: After the defeat of Unicron, Grimlock returns to Earth to find that Wheeljack didn't make it.

Beta: naboru_narluin on LJ :D

Notes: this is a companion piece to Inventory.

"Me Grimlock did not see him."

Wheelie blinked. He looked up at Grimlock, then across at Rodimus standing awkwardly in the doorway.

He didn't know what he'd expected of Earth, but it wasn't this. A cityformer in stasis lock, clogged with dead mechs. A sea of grey metal, alloys once bright and colourful now shaded pink and black and yellow with spilled fluids. He'd seen some bad things on Quintessa, but nothing like this.

Rodimus coughed. "I'm sorry, Grimlock."

Grimlock crouched over the ruin of someone Wheelie had heard of, but never met. The Dinobot rumbled, his tail lashing.

"Me Grimlock did not see him," he repeated. "When him Blurr get us Dinobots on space shuttle, me Grimlock did not see him Wheeljack! Me Grimlock would have taken him with us!"

Rodimus shrugged, slightly tactless, but Wheelie got what he meant. There was nothing he could have done. As far as Wheelie understood, there was nothing any of them could have done. If the few who escaped hadn't left when they did, they would never have left at all.

They'd all be like Wheeljack, and these other unfamiliar bodies.

"Him First Aid make him Wheeljack work again."

Rodimus shook his head, and Wheelie wanted to tell him that it was no good, Grimlock wasn't watching. But the words stuck in his vocal processor, and all that emerged was static.

Grimlock spun to face Rodimus, feet planted protectively either side of the dead mech. "You make him First Aid do it! Him Perceptor help! Him Wheeljack get repaired."

"I..." Rodimus choked, began again. "I'm sorry, we just don't know how. We could build another Autobot with his body, but it wouldn't be him... It..."

"It would be wrong." Ultra Magnus joined Rodimus in the doorway. "He's gone now, Grimlock. We can't get him back, no matter how much we want to. Him, or anyone else."

Grimlock snarled, his massive head dipping, optics focused on that broken grey face. Wheelie slumped; he had no idea how to help, and it was horrible.

"He'll have a place in the mausoleum," Ultra Magnus continued, his voice so calm and quiet and sure. "With Optimus. It's all we can do for him now."

Grimlock huffed, and glared at Rodimus.

The new Prime nodded, slowly. Then he folded his arms tight over his chestplates, and stared at the floor.