A/N: Now that I have a new method of writing my stories to prevent writer's block, I was finally able to finish this chapter. I'd intended to post this before "What If", but yeah, things happen.

This is a follow-up to the first chapter, "He's Gone". Someone mentioned this in a review, and while I was planning to do this piece from the start, that little suggestion helped a lot. That said, you'll have to read that chapter in order to understand some of what's said in this chapter. So go up to that nice shiny chapter selection area and chose "He's Gone", if you haven't already read it, then come back to read this, okay?

I was mad that Bumblebee didn't get a reunion with Sam after his friend was brought back to life; the two of them are like brothers, you'd think the movie would've shown SOMETHING, but nooooo- all we got was a short shot of Bee being knocked down by The Fallen's teleportation shock wave. So here, we'll get to see Bee's reunion with Sam!

Bumblebee's dialogue at the beginning comes from the novelization, you know, 'cause he actually speaks in his own voice in it. And I thought what he said was sweet. He didn't want to leave Sam behind to face Megatron alone. It just shows how close those two are, darn it!

Also, please keep in mind that Bumblebee is younger than Sam; he is the Cybertronian equivalent of a sixteen-year-old human. As detailed in "Lucky", the war forced Bumblebee to grow up extremely fast. Needless to say he has both insecurities and mental as well as physical scars from what has happened to him/what he's done in the war.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.

HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.

NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN REVENGE OF THE FALLEN! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND!

Writing Prompt #40/50

Title: It's Broken

Rating: T (Just to be safe)

Words: 4,084

Characters: Sam, Mikaela, Ron, Judy, Lennox, Bumblebee, Optimus, Megatron, Ironhide, Ratchet (mentioned), The Fallen (mentioned), Starscream (mentioned), Beachbreak (mentioned)

Pairings: Sam/Mikaela, Ron/Judy (I guess since they're married)

Takes Place: During Revenge of the Fallen; at the Battle of Giza

Spoiler Warnings: Reading the novels/comics/seeing the movies helps.

Other Warnings: Lots of Angst, Fluff, and Brotherly Love.

Teaser: Bumblebee reflects on a promise that Sam made to him a while back, and how, thanks to Megatron, that promise has been broken.

"BUMBLEBEE! YOU GET THEM SOMEWHERE SAFE, ALRIGHT?"

The yellow and black Autobot stared at his friend in shock as Sam argued with his father, trying to convince him to leave his son behind and go with Bumblebee. Bumblebee wasn't hearing a single word, too preoccupied with what Sam had asked him to do.

You want me to take them to safety, but leave you? Sam, I'm not leaving you behind to face Megatron's army alone!

Bumblebee made an anxious whining sound, catching the arguing humans' attention. Shaking his head, the Autobot made his opinion in the matter known with his hoarse, raspy, still-not-fully-healed voice. "St-stay with yooouuu."

Ron jumped on the Autobot's assessment of the situation at once. "He's right, Sam; this isn't a discussion!"

"Bee-" Sam started to say, but was interrupted by another loud explosion, this time much closer. This situation was bad, very bad. He looked back towards his friend; Bumblebee had readied his arm cannon and was looking around in trepidation. The Decepticons could be anywhere; they didn't have time to stand around arguing!

"Bee," Sam said again, more firmly. He took a step towards the Autobot. "Bee, you have to get them out of here! I'm not going to run the risk of them getting hurt because of me! The Decepticons are after me, Bee, and I don't want my parents anywhere near me because of that! Don't you understand? You have to protect them; I'll be fine."

I'm not so sure of that, Bumblebee thought as he started to power down his cannon, but still made no move to transform into his alternate mode. I don't want you getting hurt either!

Seeing that Bumblebee was obviously still not planning to go anywhere, Sam looked up at him, and continued on in an undertone, so that only the Autobot could hear him. "Protect our family, Bee. I'm counting on you. Please."

Bumblebee's resolve to stay dissolved at this. Sam had often referred to Bumblebee being as good as his brother, but he had never mentioned his family being Bumblebee's as well. He finally realized the magnitude of what Sam was asking him to do, and knew that continuing to refuse to do so would be the same as rejecting them as his family. Sadly, reluctantly, he nodded and initiated the transformation sequence, folding down into black-striped yellow Camaro.

As the Autobot transformed, Sam once again argued with his Dad, though his father's resolve seemed to be dissolving, just as Bumblebee's had.

"You have to let me go, Dad, you have to let me go."

To Bumblebee's surprise, Judy stepped forward then, placed a hand on Ron's shoulder and said, "Ron, let him go."

There was silence for a moment, and then Ron replied in a strangled voice. "You come back!"

Sensing the argument was over and that Sam had won it, Bumblebee opened his doors and honked his horn urgently. They had to go now, before the Decepticons came over this way. As Sam's parents got in, he noticed that Mikaela hadn't joined them. He honked his horn again. Isn't she coming with us? Surely you want me to get her to safety as well…

"Go with my parents," Sam insisted, gesturing towards the waiting Bumblebee.

"I'm not going to go without you," Mikaela replied stubbornly.

Sam turned to Bumblebee. "Go, Bee, go! Get them away from here!"

Bumblebee slammed his doors shut and took off, tires screeching. The scene of battle rapidly grew smaller behind him, taking the danger with it, but the young Autobot couldn't help but feel that he was making a terrible mistake.

Brothers stick together. That's what Sam told me. So why am I just sitting here, while he's there, risking his life to save Optimus? I know he wants me to protect his parents, but…what kind of brother am I if I leave him to face Megatron by himself?

Bumblebee knew the answer to that. Not a good one.

He had found a rocky outcropping that was both a safe distance from the battle and sheltered from the possibility of Decepticon flybys overhead. It wasn't large enough for him to transform back into robot mode while under it, but there was more than enough room for him and Sam's parents. Ron and Judy were situated a little ways away from him, watching the village on the horizon with worry. Bumblebee was doing the same, though he was finding it harder and harder to stay put. He could see from here that things were very bad, and he couldn't stand the thought of Sam and Mikaela running through the village unprotected, with Decepticons possibly around every corner…

Brothers stick together, not matter what.

His thoughts drifted back to that long-ago conversation in the garage. He had been devastated at the news that his friend Beachbreak had been killed, and Sam had been there for him, listening and trying his best to comfort him. Sam's words had been soothing, but the knowledge that one of his Cybertronian friends had been killed had given birth to a new fear-Sam was a human, and therefore far more fragile than any Autobot. If battles easily claimed Autobot lives, a human life would be claimed that much easier, and a glimmer of fear that he could lose Sam in the same way had taken root in his Spark. Sam had promised that nothing would happen; he wasn't going to go anywhere, and that he would stick with Bumblebee no matter what. And while that had reassured Bumblebee, the fear that he would lose Sam the same way he had lost so many other Autobot friends had never truly left. It had just been buried and put out of mind.

But now…

This battle, seeing Sam almost being smashed by a Decepticon, and then fleeing with his friend's parents while he left Sam behind to fend for himself, had brought that fear back full-force. He knew that Sam had wanted his parents to be safe. And, even though he hadn't said so, he also wanted Bumblebee to be safe. And while he accepted and appreciated that, Bumblebee didn't like this waiting around without knowing what was happening one bit.

Slag it, this isn't what I should be doing! Sam is out there and he needs me!

Reaching a decision, Bumblebee drove forward, opened his doors, and honked his horn at Sam's parents. He'd still do what Sam wanted him to, he'd still protect Ron and Judy, but not like this.

Sorry, Sam, but like you once told me, brothers stick together.

Once Ron and Judy had climbed back in, he shut his doors and floored it back in the direction he had come from.

And I'm not going to let you face Megatron alone.

Bumblebee drove towards the distant town faster than he had ever gone in vehicle mode before. It was reckless and most definitely not safe, and he was aware of Ron and Judy holding on to the seats they were sitting in. Under any other circumstance, he never would have dared to travel at this speed in his vehicle mode, especially when he had human passengers.

But Sam was in danger, and all he could think of at the moment was that he needed to get to Sam's location, and quickly. Ron and Judy were wearing seatbelts, so they would be fine. He couldn't slow down now.

The young Autobot scout was so focused on getting back to the abandoned, battle-ravaged town that he failed to notice the human-piloted aircraft that were closing in on the battle's location until his comm suddenly came to life, causing him to swerve in surprise.

Bumblebee, what the frag are you doing?

Ironhide! He managed to straighten out his course, increasing his speed-which had been slowed by his surprise-back up to what it had been before. I'm coming back to find Sam! Can you see him? Is he okay?

Sam is fine. He's with Lennox and the other human soldiers, and Mikaela is with him. But you need to stop and not come any closer, kid-there's an airstrike on the way and if you get caught in it you could be badly hurt, at the very least.

But-

No, Bumblebee! Stay there-here it comes!

Before the young Autobot could send a reply, his attention was shifted skyward as he heard the familiar sound of the human-piloted F-16s as they shot towards the battlefield. And he could also see, not too far behind them, the B-1s that were also on their way. A gleam of panic trickled its way into his spark, joining the fear and anxiety he was already feeling. This airstrike was going to be dangerous-he could see that just by the types of aircraft the humans had chosen; he knew what weapons they carried and what they could do- and Sam was right in the middle of it. Making the decision to disobey Ironhide's order for him to stay put-accepting readily that his Guardian would give him a world-class scolding for doing so once everything was over and done with-he resumed his course for the town, but the ordinance that was now dropping from the F-16s onto the Decepticons stopped him-any closer and he would get hit himself.

No!

Venting his frustration with a static-laced cry, he slammed on his brakes, trying to find a way through the danger to get into the town-but the fearful screams the airstrike and his sudden braking elicited from Sam's parents shocked him back into the present, back to the task Sam had entrusted him with.

Protect our family, Bee. I'm counting on you. Please.

Guilt now joined the emotions swirling in his Spark. He knew couldn't-wouldn't-leave Sam to face Megatron alone, but at the same time, he knew that he couldn't risk the safety of Sam's parents like he was currently doing. Sam had trusted him to keep them safe and right now he wasn't doing a very good job of it. As much as he wanted to drive headlong into the airstrike to find Sam, he knew that he couldn't if he wanted to keep his unspoken promise to Sam to keep Ron and Judy safe. His desire to protect Sam was clashing with his promise to protect Sam's parents. His Spark was in turmoil, and, as he hesitated on a dune close enough to the ruined town to feel the concussions from the ordinance explosions but far enough away to not be in any danger from them, he felt like crying out in frustration again, yet he knew that wouldn't help matters at all.

Bumblebee didn't realize that he was trembling from the worry, stress, and frustration, until he felt a hand lightly touch the center of his steering wheel. It was a gesture Sam often used to calm him down when he was upset about something, and confusion filled him. Sam wasn't here; who was trying to calm him down? The young scout turned his attention inward and saw, with a jolt of surprise, that Judy was the one offering comfort to him.

"We're worried too, Bumblebee," Sam's mother told him softly.

Before Bumblebee could sort what little speech he could actually make into some form of a reply to thank her for trying to comfort him, the second part of the airstrike-the B-1s-began their attack, and the young Autobot realized that, while time had seemed to stretch out for hours since the F-16s had halted his progress, it had only been less than a couple of minutes. The ordinance from the B-1s was different than what the F-16s had dropped-more brutal, dangerous. He pressed his frame closer to the ground as he felt the shockwaves from the bombs sweep past him. Bumblebee's tires twitched impatiently as he waited for the airstrike to end so that he could go and find Sam. He hated this waiting. It made him feel sick, realizing that he had no way of knowing where Sam was in all this.

Hopefully his human brother would still be uninjured when the young Autobot found him.

Finally, blessedly, after what seemed like hours but was only a few seconds , the airstrike ceased, and although the town was still choked with billowing dust clouds the B-1s were no longer dropping ordinance. Bumblebee shot forward, finally able to resume his previous course.

Primus, let Sam be safe. Please, let my brother be safe! Bumblebee silently pleaded as he rapidly approached the battleground. Those words had barely finished forming in his processor when he caught sight of a familiar, terrifying figure suddenly looming out of the cloud of dust in the distance.

Megatron.

The sight of the Decepticon leader caused him to slow down briefly as he felt the familiar fear that-ever since Tyger Pax-he felt whenever he saw Megatron take root in his Spark. But he knew he couldn't stop now and he increased his speed again. Sam needed him, and he forced his fear back down. Bumblebee knew it would only slow him down.

And he knew, in his Spark, that there was only one reason that Megatron would enter the battlefield himself with Optimus Prime dead and after-judging by the power of the airstrike-loosing most, if not all, of his troops. The reason was a single word that made Bumblebee's Spark clench in pain and fear.

Revenge.

And as he saw Megatron fire his plasma cannon and saw the debris cloud the discharge kicked up, he knew, without even being able to see the Decepticon leader's target, who it was he had fired at.

Oh, Primus, no! Sam!

Without thinking, Bumblebee screeched to a halt, opening his doors and expelling Sam's parents suddenly-but as gently as he could-onto the sand outside. They would be far safer here than they would be in the village with Megatron around. That done, he shifted into robot mode as quick as he could. Panic welling inside his Spark, Bumblebee began to run the rest of the way towards the bombed-out village. He barely even noticed that Ron and Judy were running after him, or that Megatron had been driven away by the fire from the NEST soldiers' weapons. He only had one thought in his processor. Find Sam. Nothing else mattered.

Nothing.

Arriving in the village at last, Bumblebee was forced to slow down in order to dodge around the obstacles the airstrike had created by collapsing what few houses had even still been standing. Ron and Judy managed to get ahead of him because of this; they had realized there could only be one reason for his panic-that Sam was in danger-and as they raced ahead, they screamed their son's name. Bumblebee tried to join them in calling for Sam, but all that came from his damaged voice capacitor were distorted, unintelligible electronic warbles.

Suddenly, Sam's parents were tackled to the ground by some nearby NEST soldiers. They continued to scream and cry, and when Bumblebee, approaching their location, noticed Judy pointing at something not too far away, he raced forward, leaning over a partially collapsed wall as he tried to see what it was that they were so upset about, even though he knew it could only be one thing.

His optics met the same sight, and he felt as if the world had dropped out from under him.

Bumblebee could see some of the soldiers standing there in disbelief. He could see an anxious Will Lennox, restraining a distraught Mikaela. He could see the medic preparing to use a defibrillator. But none of that mattered. Nothing mattered, nothing except the source of the soldiers' disbelief, Lennox's anxiety, Mikaela's distress, Ron and Judy's agonized screams, and the reason why the medic was preparing to use the defibrillator.

Sam, lying on the ground. Eyes closed, skin charred and bloody, not moving. Not breathing. And Bumblebee knew enough about human medical care and practices to know exactly what the presence of the defibrillator meant. Sam's heart…Sam's heart had stopped.

No.

No!

No, Primus, please…not Sam! Not Sam. Not my brother. Please, not him!

Bumblebee edged closer, optics remaining on Sam, even though the sight of his closest friend lying there, not moving or breathing, made him feel like someone was driving a spike through his Spark with each failed jolt from the defibrillator. It was too much, and the sight of the medic finally dropping the defibrillator with a resigned shake of his head, was the tipping point.

With a mournful, broken wail, Bumblebee fell to his knees. His optics focused on Sam again, and he could feel his Spark break. They'd already lost Optimus, and now, Sam was gone, too. He was gone. He wasn't coming back.

Once again, the words from that long-ago conversation with Sam in the garage came back into his processor, but this time, as Bumblebee remembered them through his grief, the words almost seemed to be mocking.

I'm not going anywhere, Bee.

But that wasn't true. Sam was gone. He'd gone somewhere Bumblebee couldn't follow, and he was never coming back.

You're my brother, as far as anyone can be.

Bumblebee covered his faceplate with his hands as he let out another mournful cry. You were my brother, too, Sam.

And brothers stick together, not matter what.

But I left you to face Megatron alone, the young Autobot thought dejectedly. I didn't stick with you and I'm sorry.

I'm not going anywhere, Bee.

I promise.

But Sam had broken his promise. Bumblebee knew, though, without a doubt, that it wasn't the human's fault. Megatron was the reason the promise was broken.

Sam would have never broken the promise himself. Never.

I'm so sorry, Sam. If only I was a little faster…if only I'd gotten here sooner. I could have saved you.

Bumblebee knew that he should be angry at Megatron, knew that he should want to go after the Decepticon leader and make him pay for what he had done to Sam. But he couldn't. He was too emotionally drained-he felt as if he was drowning in grief, and he knew that if Megatron were to come and kill him as well, he wouldn't even fight back. If he was dead, maybe he would be with Sam again. But in reality, he felt dead already. Part of him had died with Sam, and it wouldn't take much to finish the job.

He was dimly aware of Mikaela saying something to Sam, but he couldn't focus on what she was saying. Not that it mattered. Sam was gone, and he wasn't coming back. Nothing mattered anymore.

Suddenly, Sam's eyes shot open as he took one long, gasping breath.

Bumblebee jerked back in surprise, doorwings and antennae perking up in shock. It couldn't be…this was impossible…was he imagining this? Tentatively, not daring to believe, Bumblebee ran a scan to confirm what his optics were seeing. Was this just vision, nothing more than a product of his Spark and processor wishing that he had been able to save Sam?

No. It was real. It was real. Sam was alive.

Sam was alive!

Sam was alive, making his way unsteadily to his feet, and holding…the Matrix of Leadership. Somehow, he'd managed to reform it. Was that why he had returned?

Bumblebee decided it didn't matter. Sam was alive, and that was what counted. The young Autobot scout rose back to his feet, watching as Sam limped his way up to the motionless body of Optimus Prime.

Bumblebee had been starting to think that Primus wasn't watching over them anymore. But now, as he watched Sam use the Matrix to return Optimus to them, the young Autobot scout realized that Primus was watching over them. He'd allowed Optimus Prime and Sam to come back from a place where return should have been impossible.

As Optimus sat up, gratitude shining in his optics as he looked at Sam, and as Sam limped back closer to him, Bumblebee knew things would be alright.

Everything mattered again.

Bumblebee hung back from the reunions that were taking place. He wanted to be there as well, but he knew that Ron, Judy, and Mikaela needed this just as much, if not more, than he did, so he kept a respectful distance, merely observing.

After Optimus had been revived and the Fallen had shown up, the rest of the battle had passed in a blur to the young Autobot. He wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but the end result was all that mattered-the Fallen was dead, Megatron was grievously wounded, and Starscream and the Decepticon leader had fled. They were safe, for now, and for that, Bumblebee was grateful.

Sam was safe. But the memory of seeing him lying there, dead, would haunt Bumblebee's thoughts for quite some time, if not forever. Watching Sam hug Mikaela, the young Autobot couldn't suppress a slight shudder at the memory of the pain he had felt when he had seen Sam's lifeless body.

Sam noticed this, and pulled slightly away from Mikaela to look at Bumblebee before he turned back to her, whispering, "I'm going to go talk to Bee for a minute, okay? He looks like he needs it." He looked at his parents. "Alone, okay?" They nodded.

Bumblebee looked up when he heard Sam approaching him. He noticed that the human was walking with a limp that was obviously very painful and that worried him, along with the burns and cuts that covered Sam's body.

With a soft warble, Bumblebee tilted his head to one side as he looked at Sam, shifting through radio clips until he found one that suited what he wanted to say. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

Sam shook his head. "I'm not going to see the doctor yet, Bee. I need to talk to you. You okay?"

The young Autobot crouched down to be closer to Sam's eye level. With a very soft whine, he touched Sam's right shoulder gently with one finger. "S-Sam," he rasped in his broken voice, the words soft and sad, "I-I t-thought t-that I l-lost yo-youu."

Sam placed his hand on Bumblebee's finger. "Hey, it's okay, Bee. I came back. It's okay. I'm okay, see?"

Bumblebee's response to that was just one word. "Promise."

Sam caught on to his meaning right away, looking down. "I'm sorry, Bee. I didn't mean to break that promise I made to you."

The scout shook his head, carefully phrasing his reply one word at a time so his speech would be clear. "Not. You. Megatron's. Fault."

Sam sighed. "Yeah, guess you're right." He frowned. "But this is a new promise, Bee. From me to you. I promise that it'll never happen again. No more broken promises, by me on my own or by Megatron causing me to break them. No more, never."

"Brothers stick together, no matter what," Bumblebee replied, using a recording of Sam's words from that conversation long ago.

Sam smiled, and, knowing that Bumblebee needed it, stepped forward and hugged the young Autobot. It was hard for a human to hug an Autobot, but Sam always tried his best, and he knew Bumblebee appreciated it.

Sure enough, Bumblebee chirped happily, hugging Sam back as gently as he could. Which was, amazingly enough for a giant robot that could pound a Decepticon twice his size into scrap, gentle enough that if he had been asleep, Sam knew it wouldn't have woken him up. Pulling back from the hug, Sam noticed with satisfaction that Bumblebee seemed to be feeling better about the day's events.

"Okay, Bee, let's…" Sam stumbled, catching his right ankle at an odd angle. This brought a hiss of pain from the boy, and immediately Bumblebee was scooping him up into his hand, chirping worriedly. Sam managed a pained grin. "I'm alright, Bee."

"Nuh-uh," Bumblebee shook his head. "The doctor will see you now," he quoted as he began to head towards the area where Ratchet was conducting repairs on the injured Autobots, and the human medics were tending to the wounded soldiers.

Sam gave a sigh, resigning himself to the visit to the medic that Bumblebee was making him undergo. However, he couldn't help folding his arms and saying in a slightly pouty voice. "You're supposed to be on MY side, Bee."

Bumblebee feigned a hurt look. Sam laughed, and Bumblebee couldn't suppress a raspy chuckle of his own.

It had been an exhausting, trying day, yes, but it was over now.

And everything was right again.