Author's Note:

Thank you for the reviews, adds and alerts!

I'm so sorry for the really long delay for this update… I knew where I wanted this chapter to go… but I just wasn't sure how to get it there. Words seem to have eluded me and I ended up scrapping and rewriting the chapter twice. I hope it is alright.

Italics will indicate an internal communications link between autobots.

Please Read and Review! Thanks Much!

Disclaimer - These amazing characters, and specific quotes from the movie (with the exception of my original character and the idea for this story) do not belong to me. I am only borrowing them for a short time for recreational purposes. Promise.

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From The Ashes - Chapter 6

By - MelancholyRose611

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Late evening had all too quickly given way to early morning and Sam found himself struggling to keep his eyes open. He didn't want to put Serena down but he knew that he could only fight his body's need for sleep for so long before he lost. The physical abuse his body had endured from the car accident was finally beginning to catch up to him with a vengance. He could not suppress the hiss of pain as he tried to stand up while holding Serena in his arms. Sam found himself immediately surrounded by the autobots, their azure eyes brimming with concern.

Ratchet looked appraisingly at the young man standing unsteadily before him, his voice low but laced with concern, " You need to rest Samuel, let me take Serena for the time being."

Sam allowed his eyes to slip closed for a moment before nodding. Ratchet moved in front of Sam and carefully took the infant from him, she whimpered softly at the movement but quieted once Ratchet had her protectively against his chest.

Optimus spoke softly, "Sam, you may recharge in my alt form, I have a bed in the sleeper compartment of my cab." Sam was so weary that words evaded him, he merely nodded again and followed after Optimus.

As Optimus reached for the doors leading out to the hall Ratchet called to him over their internal communications link, " Optimus… keep an optic on him…"

Optimus cast a sorrowful glance at the young man who stood almost lifelessly beside him. "Of course. If anything I will notify you immediately."

Looking around the room his gaze was met by similarly worried faces. He placed a gentle hand on Sam's shoulder as he urged him to move forward, "Come on Sam, let's get you settled."

As the doors swung shut behind Optimus and Sam the gazes of everyone else turned to little Serena in Ratchet's arms. Ratchet looked up from the sleeping infant and looked at the others appraisingly. Captain Lennox was holding his wife and daughter in his arms as they leaned against his chest, the three of them were thoroughly exhausted too. "Ironhide, you should take the Lennox family home so that they may recharge as well."

Captain Lennox was about to protest but Ironhide placed a strong hand on his shoulder effectively silencing any forthcoming argument. "The doc is right Will, the three of you need rest. We will return first thing in the morning once you have recharged properly."

Will was silent for a moment before sighing, "Alright, come on girls."

Ironhide ushered the Lennox family out of the NICU, leaving only Ratchet, Jazz and Bumblebee with Serena. Jazz moved closer to Ratchet and gently caressed Serena's head, "You're gonna need to recharge too doc…"

Ratchet nodded, "We will need to establish a schedule so that both Samuel and Serena are with one of us at all times."

Both Jazz and Bumblebee nodded in agreement and Jazz pressed further, "Ratch, Bee, why don't the two of you go get some recharge. My energy levels are still doing fine. I'll keep an optic on the little tyke."

He could tell that both Ratchet and Bee were about to protest but he held up a hand, " I understand, but honestly, you two need some recharge, We can hammer out a schedule in the morning."

Without another word being spoken Jazz delicately maneuvered Serena out of Ratchet's arms and then ushered them both out of the room. Once he was alone with Serena he looked down at the little bundle in his arms and whispered, "Hey there darlin', you're with you're uncle Jazz now…"

He slowly moved about the room as he rocked Serena in his arms, " I wanna tell you a story Serena… it's about the first time I met your mom…"

--

Optimus walked nearly shoulder to shoulder with Sam as they silently made their way out of the hospital. Once in the parking lot Optimus made sure that no one was in their vicinity before lowering his alt form on its shocks then assisting Sam up into his cab. Once they were inside, he darkened the tint of his windows so that Sam would have some privacy.

Sam stood inside the cab looking forlornly at the bed, the thought of climbing into it and not feeling Mikaela beside him made his heart break even more. The cold emptiness within his chest seemed to spread further through him and the hurt, oh how it ached. As he stood there he felt his body begin to tremble, hot tears prickled at the corners of his eyes and he set his jaw tightly trying to hold them back.

Optimus stood silently beside Sam, the internal struggle that was waging within the young man was clearly evident and Optimus was at first unsure of what to do. He desperately wanted to give Sam comfort, to tell him that everything would be alright. In reality though he was not sure if things would ever be alright now. Tentatively he reached out and placed a strong hand upon Sam's forearm, he could feel the tremors that were running through his body, " You must rest Sam."

After a moments hesitation Sam approached the bed and stiffly sat down upon it. He hissed in pain when he bent over to remove his sneakers. Once he had them off he settled down on the bed. His eyes met Optimus' for just a moment before he wordlessly turned over so that he faced the wall. Gingerly he pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them curling himself up in the fetal position.

Optimus watched as Sam rolled over and faced away from him, then curled his body in on itself. He stood there for quite sometime just watching as his chest rose and fell with each breath but he knew that Sam was not sleeping. His body was tense and his breaths were uneven. Optimus approached the bed and grabbed the blanket by Sam's feet and covered him with it. Placing a gentle hand upon Sam's head he whispered, "If you need anything Sam I am here."

He did not expect Sam to respond, but he felt the need to tell him that he was there, offering him comfort and protection in the only way he knew how to at the moment. He allowed his holoform to fizzle out and he settled on his shocks slightly. After locking his doors to ensure that Sam stayed safe he turned his sensors inwards. He could feel the weight of Sam's trembling body lying upon the bed and as time passed his thoughts began to wander.

Memories since their arrival here on Earth flitted through his processor and he cycled air through his systems very reminiscent of a human sigh. Their races were so vastly different from one another, and yet here on Earth not only did they find a new home, but they found a family as well. For a race whose lifespan was so short, so fleeting in comparison to their own he was left awed by their ability to in such a brief time leave such an impression upon them, and with their absence such a gaping and painful void within their sparks.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt something warm and wet trickling down onto him. Upon further inspection he realized that Sam who had slipped into an uneasy sleep was weeping. With each tear that fell upon the berth where Sam was his spark twisted painfully on itself. He prayed to Primus that they would get through this, that they would somehow within this suffocating despair find hope. As he watched over Sam while he slept he felt a fierce determination swell within his spark, he would not let his family fall apart… Failure was not an option.

--

Meanwhile, the ride back to the Lennox property was oppressively silent. Will sat in the drivers seat of Ironhide's alt form, his head leaning against the glass as he watched the scenery slip by. Sarah was in the passenger seat holding Annabelle against her side as she slept, her little body had quickly given in to sleep once Ironhide had begun the journey home. Sarah looked over to her husband and wordlessly placed her hand within his gently squeezing it. He did not look away from the passing scenery but he did squeeze her hand in return.

Ironhide remained silent as he drove towards the Lennox property, he did not wish to unintentionally wake young Annabelle by speaking through his radio. While maintaining a few sensors on his passengers he vigilantly scanned the surrounding area as he drove down the dark and winding road. The very thought of being caught unaware by an oncoming vehicle and his family being harmed made the energon in his lines freeze.

His processor kept wandering over everything that had happened and he could feel the anger and frustration rise yet again and his engine rumbled lowly. He was Cybertronian, an autonomous robotic organism from the planet Cybertron, his lifespan was practically infinite. His humans however… they were organic and he knew that one day he would lose them, there was no escaping that, he could not stop the ravages of time. Oh how he wished he could, the Lennox family had quickly worked their way under his armor and into his spark, all of their humans had… The unexpected loss of Mikaela painfully drove home the realization that his time with them was so fleeting that it made his tanks ill. He did not want to imagine his life without them.

When Will felt his restraining harness tighten slightly he looked away from the window and towards the dashboard, his brow knitted in confusion. His wife sat up a little straighter glancing worriedly to her husband before gazing at the dashboard as well. Will spoke in a hushed tone, "Is something wrong Hide?"

There was silence for a long moment and Will was becoming concerned but the radio clicked softly and their restraints loosened a bit, "No Will… everything is… alright… I apologize for worrying you."

Will and Sarah shared an understanding glance with one another. Will looked back to the dashboard and placed his hand on the door frame gently in a show of comfort. When they reached their home Ironhide pulled up the dusty driveway and parked in front of the house. He opened his doors and lowered himself on his shocks so that Sarah could climb down while holding a still sleeping Annabelle in her arms. As she walked around the front of Ironhide's truck form she placed a hand on his hood conveying silently with her eyes what she felt, "Try and get some rest Ironhide."

Ironhide's doors closed with a gentle clicking sound, "Goodnight Sarah." He watched her as she climbed the front steps and disappeared inside the house. He noticed that Will had remained outside and was standing beside him. His gaze still fixed upon the closed front door to his home. As quietly as he could be began to transform into his root form.

Will's gaze was pulled from the front door of his home when he heard the unique clicks and whirrs that were Ironhide's transformation sequence. When he looked to his right he was staring up into a pair of fiery azure optics. Over the years he had learned how to read Ironhide, he realized the autobots optics and their facial expressions didn't differ much from their own. He saw the anger, the sadness, and the guilt within them. He spoke softly, "Eventually we're all going to die Ironhide… you guys can't protect us from everything… and this isn't something any of you could have prevented… you all need to understand that…"

Ironhide growled in frustration and his giant hands creaked as he clenched and unclenched them, "That is not acceptable! Mikaela's death was senseless! A sparkling will never know her femme creator… Sam has lost his bonded… all because of some stupid slagger! I want to deactivate him!" Ironhide's cannons spun out and began to glow menacingly in the dark in response to his anger.

Will, who had long since gotten past the point of being intimidated by the gruff black mech's cannons gazed up at him steadily with sad understanding. " It won't bring Mikaela back Hide… and it won't stop the pain…"

Ironhide growled and tilted his head back and stared up at the sky, his intakes were heaving with puffs of hot air as his systems struggled to cool down. When Ironhide finally looked back down to Will his optics were wide and filled with pain, "Why is your kind so primus forsaken fragile…?"

Will was silent for a long moment as he gazed up at his friend, he shifted on his feet slightly before answering, "We just are Hide… We can't change that. We make the best of it, and we live life to the fullest, knowing that each day we wake up could be our last."

Ironhide's broad shoulders sagged and he allowed himself to settle down onto the ground with a heavy thud. Will approached Ironhide hesitating for a moment beside him unsure if the comfort from contact was wanted. Bright blue optics turn downwards to look at him and Ironhide offered his hand to the army captain. Will climbed into it and Ironhide deposited the captain on his shoulder. "It does not make it any easier to accept… and it does not make it less painful Cap."

Will looked away from those burning blue optics and stared into the night sky, "No… I suppose it doesn't…"

--

Back at Tranquility General both Ratchet and Bumblebee after being literally pushed out of the NICU by Jazz had wearily made their way out of the hospital. Ratchet noticed Bumblebee's gaze immediately drift over to Optimus' large form parked near them, his glass was tinted darkly effectively hiding his interior and Bee sighed. When they reached their vehicle forms they allowed their holoforms to fizzle out. Ratchet scanned Bumblebee and sighed inwardly, he was extremely low on energy and desperately needed recharge.

He knew that his own reserves were low but being a field medic he was accustomed to functioning under such conditions, young Bee though tough as he was, was not. Aside from the energy deprivation he knew that the emotional strain was effecting his systems deeply as well which was compounding the problem. "You need to recharge Bumblebee. You're energy levels are extremely low, if they dip any farther you may fall into a stasis lock."

Bumblebee sank on his shocks wearily until his frame nearly brushed the pavement below him. He had already turned off the warnings that had been flashing across his HUD. He knew that his reserves were low and that he needed to recharge but his processor was overwhelmed with sadness, worry and guilt. Bee allowed his sensors to sweep over his leader and his charge within, he was apparently asleep. "Will he be alright Ratchet?"

Ratchet turned his sensors from Bumblebee to Optimus and to Sam within. He was sleeping, albeit restlessly but he was asleep. Ratchet did not know how to answer Bumblebee. He desparately wanted to believe that Sam would be alright, that they would all be able to heal in time… but to lose a bonded… he had seen a number of mechs and femmes alike deactivate from the loss of their other half. The very thought of Sam giving up in the same manner sent a chill through his spark. He however quickly shook it off and turned his attention back to Bumblebee, "I cannot say for certain little Bee. The only thing I can say is that he has all of us, he is not alone. We will help him get through this, as we will all help each other. Now rest, I do not want you to fall into stasis lock, I will keep my sensors locked on both Serena and Sam, if anything I will wake you."

Bumblebee did not answer him, but merely started his recharge subroutines. Within moments he had fallen into a deep and much needed recharge.

Once Ratchet was certain that Bumblebee was recharging he reached over his link to his commander, "Optimus?"

"Yes Ratchet?"

The CMO noted the weariness in Optimus' voice. "How is he doing?"

Optimus' hydraulics hissed slightly, " As is expected I suppose. Getting him to lay down to recharge was difficult. Once he did though, his body succumbed quickly… primus Ratchet… even in his sleep the tears have not stopped…"

Ratchet felt his spark twist in it's casing again, "We must wait and see what happens Optimus. He will need our strength, and our support if he is to overcome this. We'll need each other more now than ever. We have lost Mikaela already, we will not stand to lose Sam as well."

Optimus' voice was taught with conviction and strength. "No, Ratchet, we will not. We will see to that. Recharge my friend, we will do Sam and Serena no good if we are unable to function properly."

Ratchet acquiesced and after briefly contacting Jazz to ensure that Serena was doing fine he allowed his own recharge subroutines to boot up, his last coherent thought before recharge took hold was that he and the others would do everything within their power to ensure that Sam and Serena were both safe and that they made it through this, if not unscathed, but in one piece.