**Phoenix's dream**

Fiver-year-old Phoenix hopped out of her mom's car (since she couldn't always drive in Sideswipe) and waited patiently for her dad to drive up to her grandparent's house in a small town in Washington. When Sideswipe parked he got out of his alt form and was frowning. He didn't want to tell them the news but it was impossible to get around it. Elizabeth, Phoenix's mom, noticed his change in mood and walked up to him with worry clear in her blue eyes. Sideswipe kissed the top of her head before kneeling down to hug his daughter.

"I received news from Optimus Prime." He announced. He had been there when Sentinel Prime attacked but was currently on a "recon mission." By the way he said it Elizabeth knew something was terribly wrong.

"What is it daddy?" Phoenix asked as she was picked up by her father. Sideswipe's spark clenched at their worry. Tears even formed in his holoform's eyes. Elizabeth grew even more nervous (and thankful that they had arrived when her parents were still away) at his expression.

"Did you watch the news?" he asked. His pain worsened when he saw her shake her head. "Sentinel Prime betrayed us and killed Ironhide. Him and the decepticons are demanding that the autobots leave Earth immediately…forever."

"They can't do that!" Elizabeth exclaimed as tears started to roll down her cheeks. Sideswipe wiped them away gently.

"They can't, but the government can. The decepticons agreed to leave after they got the supplies needed from Earth. Optimus says we have to leave." He answered. Phoenix started crying as she hugged her dad tighter.

"No!" she yelled. Sideswipe returned the embrace as he began crying softly as well. It killed him to see his family torn apart. Elizabeth was frozen in shock.

"You're…leaving? But when will you return?" she asked, though she already knew the answer. Sideswipe sighed and wrapped an arm around her too.

"We can never return, sweetspark. Optimus' orders." He answered quietly. Phoenix started crying harder and tightened her grip on her father. "We're leaving in three days. I'm so sorry for failing you two. I'd do anything to stay but I have to follow orders."

"But you can't go! Who will protect mankind now?" Phoenix whimpered as she looked up at him. He placed her on the ground and kneeled to look her straight in the eyes.

"Humans are very strong, Phoenix. You can't doubt yourself. I know it's going to be harder, but you gotta pull through, okay?" Sideswipe said. Phoenix nodded numbly. "I love you, and never forget that. I promise you that this will not be the last time we see each other."

"Love you too, daddy." Phoenix said as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Where are you guys leaving from?" Elizabeth asked quietly as Sideswipe kissed the top of Phoenix's head.

"Chicago, Illinois; I'm leaving soon." He answered. Elizabeth frowned and looked between the bot and her daughter.

"I'm going to Chicago to watch you leave." When Sideswipe opened his mouth to argue she held up a hand. "No one's going to find out about our relationship, I just want to be able to watch." Sideswipe saw the determined look in her eyes and knew it was useless to reject her.

"Alright, but Phoenix, you have to stay her with grandma and grandpa. Okay sweetspark?" he said to Phoenix. She started crying again but nodded. They hugged one last time before he left for Chicago. "Stay strong youngling, for all of us." He smiled at her before his holoform disappeared and reappeared in his alt. Elizabeth stayed with Phoenix until her parents came. She explained the situation and they agreed to babysit Phoenix for them. They watched as Elizabeth said goodbye to Phoenix and left. Little did they know that that would be the last time they'd see each other alive.

**Scene change**

Phoenix started crying all over again after reliving that horrid memory. She didn't even notice that she was in a strange place surrounded by fog. She didn't notice the metal footsteps approaching or the worried looks given to her by her company. She just sat there, face hidden in her hands, bawling. It had been the last time she'd seen her mom and it still hurt to think about it.

"Hey Phoenix," a familiar voice said softly. Phoenix's head shot up to see Leylana approaching. "I hear you found the autobots." Phoenix jumped up and tackled her friend in a hug.

"Leylana how are you here? Are you alive or am I dead?" Phoenix asked quickly. Leylana laughed as she hugged her old friend.

"I'm dead but you're alive. It's kinda complicated how I came here and how you're here but that'll be explained soon enough." The friends pulled away and Phoenix looked down guiltily.

"I'm sorry for making you help me. If I knew you'd die I wouldn't have left. I shouldn't have asked for help." Phoenix admitted.

"Phoenix, Leylana isn't mad at you." Another voice said. Phoenix's heart clenched as she turned to face Elizabeth.

"Mom!" she exclaimed and hugged her too. In the background Prima stood smiling at the reunion taking place in front of him. He approached the group and looked down at them. Phoenix noticed him and ducked behind her mom. "Who are you?"

"State your name and heritage." Prima commanded. Phoenix heard the authority behind his voice and straightened and looked him dead in the optic.

"I'm Phoenix, daughter of Elizabeth and Sideswipe." Phoenix answered calmly. Leylana smirked at her friend, she obviously didn't have a clue who the mech was.

"Ah, so you're the techno-organic I've heard so much about." Prima said with amusement. Phoenix raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Elizabeth and Leylana who just smiled. "I am Prima, are you familiar with the Thirteen?"

"Everything I learned about Cybertron and its' history I learned from my dad and that's not much considering they left when I was five, so no, I'm not familiar with it." Phoenix explained.

"I am the leader of the thirteen original Primes. I'm sure you know the story of the Fallen, correct?" Phoenix nodded. "His name was Megatronus, he was one of us as well. We were created by Primus to help bring down Unicron the Chaos Bringer and cast him out." Phoenix's eyes widened slightly. He was basically the son of Primus himself? Or was she getting her facts mixed up?

"So what's going to happen to me? As far as I know, Leylana and mom are dead but they're here before me right now. I'm not dead am I?" Prima shook his head.

"No, you're in what humans would call Limbo. You'll be here until your body is done transforming." Phoenix's heart sunk to her stomach and her eyes widened.

"Transforming into what?" Leylana was grinning widely and Elizabeth looked happy as well.

"The All Spark fragment is turning you into a Cybertronian adult. You'll be the size Jazz was, about 15 feet, and you'll be around the scout Bumblebee's age. Your paint will be the same color as your hair and your optics will be the same blue as they are now." Phoenix's eyes widened in shock. She'd be a Cybertronian like her dad? "You will not have wings or wheels since instead of having an alt mode you're receiving a pretender mode that's exactly like your human form." Phoenix grinned widely.

"This is so awesome!" Leylana and Elizabeth laughed at her excitement.

"There is one more thing I'd like to show you," Prima smiled down at her.

**Scene change**

21 year old Elizabeth Grimm walked outside into her large backyard. Living on the countryside really had its' perks. She was secluded, not having a neighbor for almost a mile on each side, and she could raise her horse here. When she walked a little ways into the woods she noticed the deep ravines in the ground, showing something large had crashed not too long ago. Trees had fallen all around so there was a straight path to a…robot? She snuck up cautiously as the thing woke up. She noticed his eyes were a beautiful bright blue and his armor was a shiny silver, minus the major wounds from the crash. The robot looked around and started making strange clicking noises. Elizabeth approached him carefully and he took notice of her.

"What are you?" she asked hesitantly. The robot cocked his head to the side and his eyes dimmed. When they brightened again he focused on the young woman in front of him.

"My name is Sideswipe. I'm an autonomous robotic organism from the planet Cybertron. My friends and I also go by autobots." the robot said. Elizabeth was surprised, did he just learn English? He must've used the internet or something, she realized. Wait, he's a living organism, that means he's an alien!

"I'm Elizabeth Grimm, I'm a human from this planet, Earth." Elizabeth replied. Sideswipe nodded and tried to stand but failed miserably. Elizabeth noticed the strange red/orange liquid leaking from his wounds and gasped. "You're hurt!" Sideswipe chuckled dryly.

"Yeah, that's what I get for crash landing on this rock. I have no way of contacting the others and I'm too weak to find them myself." Sideswipe groaned. Elizabeth frowned, she couldn't leave him here to die.

"I used to be a mechanic, I could help you repair yourself." Elizabeth offered. Sideswipe looked down at her in bewilderment. This human femme wasn't scared of him at all.

"Uh, thanks." Elizabeth nodded and ran back to her house to grab the supplies needed. The scene skipped and Sideswipe was fully healed. A Chevrolet Stingray was zooming down the road near Sideswipe and he was barely able to scan it. Elizabeth came out one day to find the sleek car but no Sideswipe.

"Sideswipe?" she called, a little upset that he'd left. Sideswipe transformed and she yelped in surprise.

"I can transform by the way." He said with a chuckle. "That's my alt form. I saw the car driving by and it was a good match for me so I chose it." Elizabeth couldn't help but gawk.

"Sweet alt mode." She mumbled before climbing a tree to be closer to his height. Overtime they'd become close friends, even Elizabeth's best friend (Leylana's mom) accidentally stumbled upon the autobot and became friends with him.

"And that's actually not all that I have. Ratchet, the autobot medic, had taught us all to create a 'holoform' to blend in even better with different creatures on planets we might visit. And well…" Sideswipe transformed down and activated his holoform. He was a tall man, about mid-twenties, and had short black hair. His eyes, of course, were a piercing blue. His skin was tan and there were a few scars here and there from many years at war. Elizabeth stared in amazement. "So, Liza," he used the nickname he'd given her. "Do you like it?" Elizabeth hopped down from the tree and walked up to him.

"Wow Sideswipe! You look…uh…great!" she blushed slightly. For some strange reason, she was starting to form a crush on the mech. Sideswipe grinned.

"Thanks. I wonder what my vain twin would make his look like." This startled Elizabeth.

"You have a brother?" Sideswipe's smile faltered.

"Yeah, his name's Sunstreaker. He's really into his looks and hates it when his paint is scratched. Primus I haven't seen him in years I wonder how he's holding up."

"I'm sorry that you haven't seen him for so long." Sideswipe slung an arm across her shoulders and grinned.

"Ha, I know he's fine. For Cybertronians siblings, parents with their children, and sparkmates all have a special bond. I can feel his pain and he can feel mine if the bond is opened which it currently is. With sparkparents and their sparklings the sparkparents can basically send love through the bond to calm a worried youngling." Sideswipe noticed the confusion in her eyes.

"What's a sparkmate?" Sideswipe sighed and released his hold on her before sitting on his own hood.

"Basically it's your equivalent to a spouse but it's much deeper than that. There is no real 'divorce' that you can go through without immense physical pain. A sparkmate's bond is deeper than a sibling bond. They can feel each other's pain fully, but it's directed at their spark. When one dies, the other usually follows not long after. They basically become one once they're bonded. Their sparks actually combine." Elizabeth let the information sink into her. Sideswipe's race was so much more complex than her own.

"Did you ever get a sparkmate?" Elizabeth sat on Sideswipe's hood next to him. Sideswipe chuckled and shook his head.

"Nah, I haven't found the right femme yet." Sideswipe paused and looked at Elizabeth with wondering eyes. "I'm not even sure if I'll ever find the one."

"I know how you feel. I've never been married but I've dated guys before. They're just not…right for me." She started to absent mindedly rub Sideswipe's hood. She felt the car shudder slightly and she looked at his holoform and smirked. "Did you just laugh? Are you seriously ticklish?" Sideswipe thanked Primus that Cybertronians couldn't blush.

"We have sensitive areas yes." Sideswipe retorted. Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"Your race is so much different than anything I've ever seen. The war seems the worst in the galaxy." Sideswipe frowned and looked down painfully.

"I've lost many friends in this war. Some of my friends from before the war had become decepticons and swore to be my enemies. Every time I wake up I hope to find myself in my room on Cybertron before the war ever started, that we never had left home." His fists clenched into balls as he tensed up. Elizabeth realized that he was starting to get depressed and placed her hands on his.

"Sideswipe, look at me." She commanded. He slowly looked up at her with pain in his eyes. "My brother was killed in battle too. It took me hours to stop crying. We were like the best of friends. But I knew that he didn't want me to grieve forever. He wanted me to live on and be happy, for the both of us. Don't you think it's the same way with your fallen friends?" Sideswipe stared at her for a moment. He didn't know how to respond to her words so he remained silent before sighing.

"You're right." Before anything else could be said he kissed her quickly on the lips. "Thanks for everything, Liza." Elizabeth was stunned. Here she was, in her own backyard, sitting on Sideswipe's hood with his holoform and he kissed her out of nowhere. Sideswipe saw the surprise in her eyes and became worried. "I'm…I'm sorry that was out of line. I shouldn't have done that, forgive me." He stood but was promptly stopped by Elizabeth.

"No! I mean, I'm not angry just a little surprised. You didn't do anything wrong Sides but…why did you kiss me?" Sideswipe hesitated momentarily.

"Isn't it a sign of affection for humans?" Elizabeth nodded slowly. "Good, it's the same on Cybertron." It took Elizabeth a moment but she soon realized that he liked her! She blushed a bright red. The scene changed again where Optimus, Sunstreaker, Ironhide, and Ratchet were standing around at NEST talking about what to do with Sideswipe.

"Sideswipe leaves for long periods of time at least once a month. What happened before we found him?" Sunstreaker said.

"And where is he going?" Ironhide asked.

"Sunstreaker, are you able to track him?" Optimus asked the yellow bot. Sunstreaker shrugged.

"Sure, but our bond isn't as strong as it used to be. It'll be difficult. Why?" Sunstreaker replied. He was starting to worry about Optimus' answer.

"I'd like you to follow Sideswipe and find out where he goes. Report back once you find out. Good luck." Sunstreaker nodded before transforming and driving off. He was surprised that he was able to find Sideswipe through their bond. The bond was strongest when he came upon a small ranch in the middle of nowhere. He heard voices from the forest and drove into the trees. He transformed and walked towards the voices. When he came to a clearing he found his brother talking to a human femme.

"Well, well, well Sideswipe. So this is where you're always disappearing to." Sunstreaker said sternly. The human jumped and hid behind Sideswipe. Sideswipe groaned and facepalmed.

"Sunstreaker, how did you find me?" Sideswipe asked. Sunstreaker smirked as Sideswipe picked up the human and stood.

"Wait, this is your twin?" the human asked.

"So you blew our cover and sneak out to visit the fleshy. Everyone's noticed your disappearance and Optimus wants to know why. And who the frag is this?" Sunstreaker demanded. The human looked frightened but he didn't care.

"Sunstreaker, this is Elizabeth Grimm. I crash landed in her yard and she let me stay until I was able to find you guys. Liza, this is my twin Sunny." Sideswipe introduced.

"Why do you always call me that?" Sunstreaker groaned. Elizabeth laughed at his frustration. Sunstreaker shot her a glare. "You know she has to come to base now." Sideswipe placed Elizabeth on the ground and pointed to her house.

"Go inside." He ordered. Elizabeth nodded and ran off. Sideswipe turned to his brother who didn't look amused. "Sunstreaker, I don't want her to get into this war more than she already is. I know it's stupid to sneak out to visit her but…" he didn't know how to explain it. Sunstreaker grinned.

"You like her! You fell for a human girl! Primus Sides I thought I'd never see the day that you found a femme you like!" Sunstreaker laughed. Sideswipe froze at his words.

"I do not! We're just friends!" Sunstreaker shook his head and leaned against a tree, careful not to knock it over.

"We have a bond bro, I can tell you're in love with her. You can't hide it from me. This is why you sneak out just to be with her without telling bossbot. Primus I knew someday you'd fall for someone but I never thought it'd be a fleshy!" Sideswipe sighed and rubbed his optics.

"Fine, yes I'm in love with Liza. Please don't tell Prime." Sideswipe said with worry in his optics.

"Alright I'll say I couldn't find you. But they're gonna question you about it." Sideswipe sighed and nodded. "But I'm with ya bro." Neither autobot noticed Elizabeth hiding behind a tree, listening to the whole conversation. She smiled when Sunstreaker made Sideswipe confess his feelings about her. Elizabeth walked out, still smiling.

"I heard that." She said. She laughed when the bots jumped in surprise and turned to her.

"WERE YOU EAVESDROPPING?!" Sunstreaker yelled. Sideswipe facepalmed, realizing that she now knows about his little crush. Sunstreaker laughed when he heard his brother's cooling fans turn on. To say that Sideswipe's embarrassed was an understatement. The scene changed before anything else could be said and Elizabeth was alone in her dining room. She seemed worried but happy at the same time. When there was a knock at the door the now 22 year old jumped up and ran to answer it. When she opened the door and it revealed Sideswipe she promptly hugged him.

"You said on the phone that you had news." Sideswipe said while looking down into her emerald eyes. Elizabeth smiled and pulled him inside. They sat on the couch with Sideswipe's arm draped over her shoulders. She hesitated momentarily before laying her head on his chest and looked up at him.

"I don't know how it's possible but…" she started but paused. Sideswipe's eyebrows furrowed. What was she trying to say? "I'm pregnant…with your child." Sideswipe froze and tensed. Elizabeth noticed and sat up. "Sideswipe?" she was now getting worried. Was he angry? His holoform flickered before he shook his head. "Are you…okay?"

"Yeah, Cybertronians sometimes glitch with shocking or illogical news; you sorta took me off guard." Sideswipe answered. His eyes widened as the news fully sunk in and he hugged Elizabeth while standing and spun her around. "Are you serious?!" his voice was filled with happiness and excitement. Elizabeth laughed with relief.

"Yes I'm serious!" Sideswipe set her down and grinned widely. "I wonder how Sunny will take it."

"He's gonna have a fit before giving me scrap about it. But all-in-all he'll be happy." Sideswipes eyes were glowing brighter than ever at that moment. The scene ended and Phoenix was back with Prima, Leylana, and her mom.

"What'd ya see?" Leylana asked. Phoenix grinned as she looked at Elizabeth.

"I found out how mom and dad met…and that Uncle Sunny is really grumpy." Phoenix replied. Leylana burst into laughter while Elizabeth just smiled. Prima stepped forward, earning Phoenix's attention.

"It's time for you to return to your new body. Ratchet had moved you into the same room as Bumblebee who just witnessed your transformation. He told everyone about what happened so no one will be suspicious of a sudden new bot." Prima announced. Phoenix nodded before hugging Leylana and her mom.

**End Phoenix's dream**

Phoenix's optics onlined slowly to see the yellow face of an autobot; it took her a moment to realize that it was Bumblebee. He helped her sit up and she looked around the room. Her gaze finally landed back on the scout.

"Bumblebee?" she whispered.

"What the frag happened to you, Phoenix?" he beeped in surprise. Phoenix smiled slightly.

"It's a long and complicated story."


*whistles* that was a long chapter. Hope you liked it!

Reviews are welcome! :)