I'm really, really sorry to have not updated for like, six months just to drop this bombshell on you guys.

School, writer's block and general laziness is still to blame. I'm awful. Please don't hate me. Not too fond of the very last bit of the ending, it felt like it dragged on. I wrote it pretty quickly, but whatever.

Edit 5/24/16: My chapter/story editing is finally caught up. Maybe this summer I'll attempt to finish this story, or at least add a few new chapters. I'm re-reading some of my favorite Transformers stories to try and get back into the world and maybe generate some new ideas for Stay. Wish me luck!

-:-

Sam tapped his chewed-on pencil against the desk, his gaze firmly fixed upon the clock mounted above the door. He was very much aware of the sense of déjà vu the situation gave him.

The detention teacher glared primly at him, his mouth stretched in a thin line so severe that Sam could practically feel his skin being mentally flayed off. The teacher said nothing, though, preferring to keep to the stiff silence that had settled over the room. The other two kids in the room, a messy looking boy with baggy jeans and a rather scared looking girl kept glancing hesitantly over at him. He sighed loudly, nearly startling the timid girl from her seat.

He had already shot Bee a text directly after class describing what had happened. Bee had replied with the usual reprimand that sounded exasperated even through a phone screen. Sam couldn't blame him; Bee was probably terrified of what could happen not just to Sam, but the entire planet now that he was held back for forty-five minutes after school. Okay, maybe 'the entire planet' was stretching things a bit, but knowing Bee, he was probably fretting about it anyway.

But Sam couldn't tell the detention man that the fate of the world lay in him being let out early. He'd likely stick Sam with a longer detention out of spite.

He sighed and put his head in his hands. This was going to be a long twenty mintues.

-:-

"God, you guys, I am so sorry about that, the teachers hate me here I swear," Sam babbled in a rush as he swung his bag into Bee's cab, throwing himself in after it. He instantly relaxed into the seat, grateful that detention was finally over. He could feel a tension headache forming from clenching his teeth all afternoon.

"It's fine, Sam, we still have time. They haven't done anything yet. We haven't even detected them yet," Sunstreaker spoke through Bee's radio. The mechs didn't sound aggravated, luckily, but Sam still felt like shit for holding them all back. He stil felt like he needed to apologize, but Bee cut him off before he could say anything.

"I have been monitoring the skies and have long since alerted the others to Ravage's warning. Though, I am not entirely comfortable with how easy she was able to get into your school building. If she were still with the Decepticons there would have been nothing stopping her from killing you," Bee said softly.

"Then it's lucky for us she's not with them anymore isn't it?" Sam chirped brightly with a quick pat to Bee's steering wheel. He was happy for the change in subject, and really happy to be out of detention.

"You would trust her that easily?" Sideswipe asked, unable to keep the incredulousness out of his tone. Sunstreaker snorted in silent agreement with his twin. Sam expected nothing less from such staunch Decepticon-haters. He still wasn't sure why they hated Decepticons so vehemently, but he was too afraid to ask. It seemed like a touchy subject.

"Honestly, at this point, I doubt she would have any reason to lie to me," Sam shrugged, gazing out of the window as they pulled away from their hiding spot. "If she'd had secret orders to kill me, she's had plenty of opportunities to do it. Sneaking into my school and accosting me in the bathroom while I was alone was pretty much an opportunity on a silver platter, and she could have killed a few more humans while she was at it. She didn't, though, and gave us valuable information about the Decepticons that will probably save our asses yet again. So yeah, I think at this point my human heart wins. I trust her...mostly."

"I'm not happy about it," Bee muttered. Two resonant hums sounded in agreement with him. Sam shook his head in exasperation, smiling. "But she did help us, so...yeah."

"Indeed she did," Sam smiled, patting his friend on the steering wheel again. "So everyone else is in the know?"

"Yes," Bumblebee affirmed. "I informed them as soon as you told me. Prime also believes Starscream isn't going to do anything today, seeing as you and the other humans have been released from the school safely. We cannot, however, afford to wait and see if he will decide that tomorrow is his special day. Too many lives are at risk. We must act fast."

"So, what do we do?" Sam asked, both nervous and perplexed. Starscream wasn't giving them a lot of options.

"We draw him out now," Sideswipe chimed in as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We discussed it while you were in detention, and the best plan we've got is to get him to come to us before he can snatch you up in his ugly claws."

Sam's mouth tightened, absently running a hand along Bee's leather seat. The engine purred a little louder at the touch, thrumming through his thighs like a gentle masage. "That could work, but how do we get him to come to us?"

"Barricade."

Sam choked on his saliva, not expecting that answer. "And how in the hell are we going to get Barricade to agree to use him as bait for Starscream?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, you said that he said that he wanted the war to be over, right? That he wanted peace? Starscream is basically our last roadblock to achieving any sort of peace within our species, and if Barricade is going to be lurking around watching you all day he may as well make himself useful and help us out a little," Sunstreaker said.

"Okay, so, um…how are we even going to get in touch with him? I'm willing to bet he hasn't made it easy to contact him."

"Again, very easy answer. We use you," Sideswipe said slyly.

-:-

Barricade was lurking at the end of the deserted street, stalling in the middle of the road as he contemplated why Sam and Bumblebee were waiting for him at the other end. Sam kind of found the sight of it amusing and couldn't stop giggling. He kept imagining a stand-off between two Old West cowboys. Imaginary Bumblebee would say "this town ain't big enough for the two of us," and imaginary Barricade would spit on the floor and sneer.

"Tell him to stop laughing at me right now," Barricade snapped. He had finally inched a little closer to them. Hisvoice cut through Bee's radio, deep and gravelley. Sam giggled harder.

"Sam," Bee reprimanded gently. "He will not agree to help us if you continue to treat him as a source of amusement."

"I'm sorry," Sam gasped, clutching his knees and still giggling helplessly. "You guys are just too cute together."

Barricade growled indignantly while Bee hemmed and hawed above Barricade's noise about Sam calling a Decepticon cute. Sam giggled some more.

"Don't get too jealous, Autobot, green looks terrible on you. Just stick to yellow," Barricade sneered, and Sam could practically feel Bee bristle, his chassis shuddering slightly with anger.

"You had better be grateful Sam is here or I would wipe the floor with your cowardly ass, Barricade. Oh, wait, I've already done that!" Bee snarled, and Barricade prompty began to spit out a scathing retort before Sam cut them off with a sharp clap of his hands.

"Boys! Honestly! We're supposed to be fighting Starscream, not each other. Now, can we accomplish what we came here for? Barricade, I'm sorry I laughed at you, you just looked really cute and I won't do it again, promise. Maybe."

"Whatever," Barricade mumbled. "What makes you so sure I'd even agree to help you get Starscream down here anyway? I told you I wanted nothing to do with this war anymore."

Sam opened the door and stepped out of the driver's seat, ignoring Bee's protests that he remain inside for his own safety. He shut the door a little harder than necessary. "For one," Sam started loudly, leaning casually against Bee's door, "you're here. That's really all I needed. For another, even though you want nothing more to do with this war, I bet you want it to be over even more. So, there's two damn good reasons right there. Should I keep going, or will you make this easier for me?"

Barricade eyed him silently. "You've been hanging around Ironhide, haven't you boy? Your intimidation needs a little work. But," he continued quickly as Sam opened his mouth, "I'll agree to help. Only because, what with my involvement with the Decepticons, I feel that it's only fair I do my part in ending it."

"A Decepticon with a sense of honor?" How quaint," Bee sneered. Sam slapped his hand against Bee's door none too kindly.

"Be nice," the boy hissed. He turned to look at Barricade. "So that's it, then? You're in?"

Sam could practically see Barricade rolling his eyes. "I'm in."

"That was easy," Bee mumbled, a little put out. He'd been prepared to argue.

"Yeah, it was. So let's not look a gift horse in the mouth and get back to the others before he changes his mind," Sam said hurriedly, opening the door and climbing back into Bee's interior.

"Don't look a what horse in the what?" Bee echoed, confused.

"Even I know that one, Autobot. I thought you were supposed to be good with humans. Spend a little more time with me, you'll get it in no time," Barricade replied snidely.

"Shut up."

Sam sighed, tuning out Barricade's flippant remark and settling back into the seat. His migraine was getting worse. Luckily, the two mechs decided to take their spat to their personal frequencies, leaving Sam out of it altogether. Thank goodness for small mercies.

-:-

Barricade, though he would never admit it even under pain of duress, glued himself to Sam's side as much as a robotic organism physically could once they grouped up with the other Autobots—because Ironhide was a little bit intimidating with his specialized weapons racked on his arms and the volatile disposition that he was so famous for. The never-ending glare in his direction didn't help.

Bee smirked at him, clearly wise to what he was doing. Barricade ignored him, turning away to eye the bristling group of Autobots.

"Tie him up out there and the Decepticons will smell the meat and come running," Ironhide hissed, clearly unhappy with Barricade's presence. Barricade shifted even closer to Sam, eyeing Ironhide warily.

"Ironhide," Optimus reprimanded the gunner firmly. "He will voluntarily transmit the signal or he won't at all. We will not force him. That's not our way."

Ironhide sneered, offering no reply, but did not take his eyes off of Barricade.

"So...I'm just making my presence known so Starscream can come pretend to finish what he started?" Barricade spoke up. He wasn't thrilled about being bait for a murderous lunatic, but he really wanted the lunatic dead. "Am I really the only one fit for the job?"

"Well, no, not the only one," Ratchet spoke up. "But you're certainly the fastest. And we need fast. Sam would have sufficed if he were capable of transmitting—Starscream wants him just as dead—but he can't. And I think Bumblebee would dismantle us all alive if we allowed Sam to be the bait."

"Good to hear you value my life so highly." Ironhide scoffed. Sam patted Barricade's leg from his position on the ground, offering a small smile up to the pointy mech.

"I value your life." Barricade shot him a strange look but said nothing.

"Anyway," Ratchet continued, "you're the fastest and easiest way to get himdown here. If we wait, he'll endanger more humans. We cannot allow that. Will you agree to help us?"

Barricade hesitated, quickly thinking over his options. His gaze, focused on the ground, subtly shifted over to Sam before he raised his head and nodded. "Alright. But you all owe me."

"We owe you nothing," Mirage snapped with a heated stare. Barricade's eyes fell on the slender mech, attempting to place him. He knew that build, would know it anywhere. He had been sure none of the Towers mechs had survived, but apparently at least one had. The shimmering blue paint and white-gold accents only matched one mech he knew - Mirage. His lip plates tightened into a thin line. He knew of Mirage, certainly. Everyone did. He was absolutely gorgeous, but a total pain in the ass.

"Why couldn't you use him? Starscream hates him too," Barricade sneered, throwing a taloned mock thumb in Mirage's direction. Mirage's armor fluttered with anger and his mouth opened, ready to retort, but Optimus quickly spoke up to diffuse the situation.

"He refused. You were our last option. Now, if you two would kindly agree to sort this out later, we should get started. The sooner this is done, the sooner we can move on. Remember...kill if necessary. I do not feel they will accept our mercy, as much as it...pains me to say. We cannot do much more for them. Maybe the others, when...if they get here."

"Brutal," Sam murmured.

"Sam, you should move to a safer position. We will keep them away from you, but hide if they come after you. Understand?" Bee had leveled him with a deathly serious stare, and Sam could only sigh in defeat. He knew fighting was out of the question for himself. He had no weapons or anything but his incredibly fragile human body, which would be crushed like an insect beneath Starscream's pinky finger.

"Yeah, alright," he muttered, beginning to make his way to a rocky outcrop near the mesa that could shield him if necessary. "That spot okay?"

"Good enough." Bee watched him walk away, not noticing Barricade doing the same.

"Barricade?"

He turned to look up at Prime. He was taller than Barricade by a good margin, more solid, though Barricade was heavily armored, lending him a bulkier appearance. He often wondered if he should shed the excess, cut down more to his protoform to differentiate himself from what he used to be. But, for now, he needed the heavy armor. Barricade inhaled deeply, immediately throwing out a long-range scanner to see if Starscream was lurking close enough. There were no blips to be concerned about so he cut on his personal frequency, which had been dampened for months, and transmitted it to the skies. Starscream, if he was orbiting, would pick up on it in no time.

Optimus turned to Bee, and Barricade dimly heard issue a quiet order. "Cover Sam's position. Keep them away from the rocks."

It did not take very long—though the ten minutes felt like torturous long, slow hours for the Autobots—for Starscream to show up. The signal had done the trick. He was jetting quickly towards them, straddling the atmosphere before hurtling through the clouds with a distant boom. Barricade smirked. Starscream was pissed.

"Incoming!" Ratchet bellowed as a few more dark shapes pelted after Starscream, coming in sweeping formation. "ETA in ten-point-four seconds!"

Barricade locked his eyes upon the foremost jet. He stood his ground.

The new leader of the Decepticons, unfolding rapidly in mid-air, landed with an earth-shattering thud in front of Barricade. The earth cracked around his feet and clawed hands. Dust rose about him in a great billowing sweep.

"Barricade," Starscream snarled as he launched forward, clawed hands outstretched and waiting for Barricade. There was no time to reply, no time to do anything but duck beneath Starscream's claws and sweep at his feet. Starscream backpedaled, baring a mouth full of bristling metallic fangs. An unsettling touch that Starscream had personally requested after they had met (and destroyed) a species of organics whose fleshy mouths were lined with razor-thin teeth. "You should be dead."

"Yeah, well, I'm not," Barricade hissed, blocking a vicious swipe that nearly cut open his torso. "Never could finish a job right, could you, Scream? Even a human boy was able to finish Megatron before you ever could!"

A hellish scream emitted from Starscream's ugly mouth and he leapt forward, slashing furiously at Barricade. The missles in his shoulders whirred up and burst open like flowers, aimed for his head.

"Ah, shit."

All around him the other Decepticons had already entangled themselves with the Autobots, the sounds of clashing metal reverbrating against him. Their metal bodies sang with battle, a sound that would raise the hairs on a human.

He acted quickly, lunging onto Starscream before the missles could go off, hopefully - but one did, shrilling from it's holder and directly into Barricade's arm. The resulting explosion took his arm with it. He screamed, a high and painful sound mixed with Starscream's triumphant laugh.

"This time I will make sure you're dead!" he snarled, gouging his claws directly into the open mess of cables and wires that was left of Barricade's arm. Barricade sobbed in pain, attempting to wrench himself away from the sadistic mech who now had a painful grip on his stump. "And I'll make sure it's a painful one."

His mouth was opened to say more but plasma erupted over his back, eating at his wings and into his back armor. It was his turn to scream as he dropped Barricade, clawing at the thick plasma that was eating into his armor. "You...ahhhh!" he screeched, fixing dimmed and angry optics onto Ratchet, who had fired his plasma cannon directly onto Starscream's back. Behind him, Vortex's crumpled and smoking body lay unmoving.

Ratchet's jaw was fixed with anger as he aimed the cannon again, directly for Starscream's head, but the Decepticon whirled out of the way and lunged for him. They met halfway, sparks flying as Starscream again attempted claw out sensitive wires from Ratchet's more delicate casings. It would be an ugly fight, but it always was with Starscream. He never played fair.

The battle was a whirlwind of mechanical bodies and flares of plasma and elemental bullets leaving bright washes of color over Sam's eyes. He wondered if any of it was radioactive - probably. Right now, his mind was preoccupied with watching his friends as they fell and got back up, battling the sharp and hulking Decepticons. He had forgotten their names long ago, but not their faces, not when they belonged in his nightmares. One of them was already down, a vast purple thing that was still vaguely smoking from somewhere. He doubted the Decepticon would be getting back up.

Sam had wanted to be a part of this fight, as he always did, but the whistling, singing bodies and screaming bullets and mayhem were swirling deliriously in his head. He was getting dizzy, his migraine growing thick and heavy in his skull, and everything slowed down as though there was a thick layer of hazy film over the entire scene. His eyes felt so heavy.

He watched Ratchet clout a Decepticon painted in a poisonous red underneath the jaw that sent it sailing backwards. Sideswipe went down under a powerful sweep from another, and his twin quickly leapt to his rescue, tackling their combined enemy at the knees and tearing at the hip plating until wires were being torn out. Ironhide's heaviest, most destructive guns were mounted upon his shoulders and blasting holes into the ground as he shot wildly at his enemies—they were barely moving out of range fast enough.

A flash of shimmery blue caught Sam's eye amongst the battle and Sam focused on Mirage. He had been surprised that Mirage had wanted to fight with the Autobots, considering his outburst the other day. Sam couldn't help but watch him, his slender body swaying around a bulky Skywarp in a sort of dance that was leaving the heavier Decepticon very frustrated. Mirage was quick, clever, and he was good.

Skywarp's mounting frustration eventually proved fatal. He grew sloppier with his attacks, more angry and offensive until finally Mirage was able to predict the next move with unfailing accuracy. Skywarp was met by the gun mounted on Mirage's arm, which blasted a hole through Skywarp's torso and tore straight through the thoracic plating into his spark chamber. Sam let out a sob, not realizing he had been holding his breath.

Skywarp fell in a heap of sharp limbs. A shrill, keening wail followed his body to the ground andThundercracker immediately appeared at his trine mate's side, desperately attempting to drag the body upright. Bumblebee, who had been fighting Thundercracker, stared in bemusement at the scene. Mirage stepped slowly away from the pair, appearing almost shocked at what he had accomplished. Kill if necessary. Sam suddenly doubted Mirage had ever had to kill anybody.

"You!" The bellow of rage halted everything momentarily, but still Mirage was staring at the Seekers. He hadn't heard Starscream. This enraged the Decepticon.

"You took him from me, you filthy Autobot!" he shrieked, the complex Cybertronian singing in Sam's ears.

Starscream's arm whipped upwards so fast it whistled in the air, the thick plates adjusting rapidly to unveil his guns. He aimed them all at Mirage and fired, still howling in despair and unequivocal, pent-up emotion that Mirage finally heard and turned to face.

He threw himself to the side on pure instinct upon hearing the gunfire. The powerful shots sailed over his head and hit Bumblebee squarely in the chest, one after the other.

"NOOOOO!"

Sam, the silent spectator, screamed in anguish, his cry bleeding into unintelligible sound as he watched his friend fall to the ground. Bumbleebee's chest was blown open, the pulsing light of his spark already extinguished. The blue light in his eyes faded rapidly. He was offline before he hit the ground.

Sam stumbled forward. Time froze around him, soaring past his ears in a loud rush. His heart was threatening to explode in his chest, he wanted his body to burst and spread over Bee until they were together again, and Bee wasn't dead, he couldn't be—his body lurched towards Starscream, intent on destroying the mech with his bare hands, but a wide hand scooped him up just as Barricade hurled the wide blade attached to his right arm straight through Starscream's spark from behind.

"Ratchet," Sam sobbed, crumpling into the medic's hands. "Not Bee, please," he moaned, his words choked with tears. His throat felt prickly, like it was closing in on itself. "You have to fix him, Ratchet, please. Fix him. His words were almost unintelligible, broken up by wrenching sobs as they were. Ratchet only shook his head and stared mournfully at the crumpled mass of yellow mech. He had always known war came at a price, but it never made the losses any easier. Especially when it was one so young.

"Why, Ratchet? He was just standing there, he wasn't even doing anything! You have to fix him, please!" Sam's cries were becoming hysterical. He looked as if he wanted to hurl himself from Ratchet's hand and hope the fall would break his neck. The medic subconsciously curled his fingers to form a tighter protective cage around the human.

The battle was over—the remaining Decepticons that were foolish enough to continue fighting were quickly dispatched, while the last couple attempted to flee.

Optimus kneeled next to Bumblebee, ignoring everything else around him. His hand stretched out to gently touch the body of his friend, and Ratchet could see the open expression on their leader's face. He was grieving, yes, but there was something sly hidden in his eyes that Ratchet could see even from where he was standing. Some hidden secret that flashed across those blue optics, a small spark of hope that instantly had Ratchet suspicious.

"Let me see him," a deep voice tore Ratchet's suspicions away from the Prime. He turned around to see Barricade's outstretched hand. "I will not harm Sam. I swear on Primus."

"I know you won't," Ratchet muttered, handing Sam to the ex-Decepticon. Sam did not even notice the exchange, still sobbing heavily. Barricade stared down sadly at the human, his mouth plates pulled into a sharp frown.

"Join the Prime. I will bring Sam over shortly, after he has calmed down," Barricade promised, his fingers already shielding Sam in a protective gesture that surprised even Ratchet. The medic nodded and quickly joined Optimus next to Bumblebee's body. Now was not the time to question Optimus, but Ratchet was intent on questioning him later on what he had seen.

"Sam," Barricade murmured, attempting to catch the grieving boy's attention, but he was drowned out by heavy sobs. "Sam," he tried again, louder, but a particularly loud sob again cut him off. He sighed and quickly made his own hologram appear on his hand, next to Sam. His hologram wrapped its arms around Sam in what he knew to be a comforting human gesture. Hugs were generally welcome during such times of duress, he had read. It seemed to work, as Sam immediately curled up into his hologram.

"Sam, you must calm down," he murmured, attempting to soothe the grieving boy. "I understand you are in great emotional pain, but you must calm down or you will hurt yourself. Can you do that?" Sam, in answer, collapsed against Barricade's hologram and sobbed harder. Barricade stiffened, completely at a loss. Bumblebee, the only one who could ever seem to calm him, was dead. He was not well versed in human emotions, or Cybertronian emotions, or any at all, but when Sam was crying brokenly into his chest, he forgot all of these aspects of himself. He only wanted to make the boy stop crying. For some reason, seeing Sam like this caused a deep ache in his chest, one he could not explain, and it scared him.

He let his instincts guide him and wrapped his arms in a tighter hold around Sam, bringing his hand up to run it through the short brown strands of hair. "Sam," he repeated softly, in as soothing a voice as he could muster. "Sam, please calm down. You will have plenty of time to grieve."

"He's gone, he's gone…" The chant continued, broken and hollow, and Barricade could do little but rub soothing circles on Sam's back—a quick search on the Internet had informed him this was also an acceptable gesture of comfort.

"It will be alright, Sam. When you've calmed down sufficiently, I will take you to see him, if you would like. Prime and Ratchet are with him right now. But for now, cry as much as you would like. It appears crying makes the human body tired, which is not altogether unwelcome right now."

"You didn't even like him," Sam spat suddenly, struggling away from Barricade. "What do you care? Bee hated you! You don't have to do him or me any favors, you can just...go! Like you wanted to!" His words, though spiteful, were still cut with harsh sobs and slurred with tears.

"We did not necessarily hate each other," Barricade replied curtly. "It was something more like a rivalry between two distant brothers that never really got along. Not that I am calling him my brother, but…I am not helping you because of him, Sam. I'm helping you because you helped me."

Sam scoffed, though it sounded more like a hiccup. "So you feel indebted to me? Great."

"Yes and no." Barricade observed the boy still wrapped within his arms. Sam was already becoming calmer. "I was very grateful for your help, though I am too proud to admit such a thing. We'll pretend I didn't say that. Because of that, yes, I felt like I needed to repay you somehow, but I have grown…fond of you, Sam. I am helping you because you need it, and I care enough to help." He paused, his mouth twisting sourly. "We'll pretend I didn't say that too."

Much to Barricade's relief, Sam laughed at his last statement. It was only a half-hearted snort, barely qualified as a laugh, but it counted in Barricade's book. "I'm relieved to see you have sufficiently calmed down."

"I guess." Sam's body slumped wearily against the hologram's. Barricade wasn't sure that Sam was even fully aware that he was slumped up against Barricade's hologram, but he said nothing. Sam's face was swollen and wet with the tears he had shed. Another quick search on the Internet had Barricade swiping the moisture away with a gentle thumb.

"Would you like to see him now?" he asked gently, unsure if taking Sam to Bumblebee's body was wise.

Sam did not give him much time to think too deeply on the matter. "Yeah. Yeah, I want to see him, please." His throat worked nervously as he swallowed, but he seemed determined.

"Very well. Is it alright if I disintegrate the hologram?"

Sam blinked slowly, pulling back to stare into the violet eyes of Barricade's hologram. His face was terribly red from crying. He shook his head. "Stay. Please?"

Barricade smiled softly, though he thought it probably looked more like a grimace. "Alright, Sam. Let's go."

His autonomous body moved slowly, careful not to jostle the boy in his hand. He had buried his head back into the hologram's chest, refusing to look at Bee's body just yet. Barricade slowly came up behind the Autobots gathered around their fallen friend and lowered his hand so that both Sam and himself (that was a weird thought) could step onto the ground. He let his hologram completely take over.

"Come, Sam." He took Sam's elbow in a gentle grip and guided him to Bee, who had been rearranged into a less grotesque position than the one he had fallen in. He looked peaceful, almost, lying prone on the ground, if it weren't for the giant hole through his chest. Sam choked on another sob as he finally met Bee's empty eyes.

"He's really dead," he whispered, tightening his grip on Barricade's arm. "Bee…you're really gone. I don't want you to be gone. You promised…that you would always protect me. I never thought you would die because of that. I want you back, Bee…more than anything." His words tugged at the stillness in the air with such sharp clarity that even Barricade found himself repressing the crushing weight of death.

Sam blinked, a few more tears sliding down his cheeks. "What will you do with him?" he asked softly, turning to Optimus. He and Ratchet exchanged a look.

"We will keep him as he is. On Cybertron, if we were able, we repaired the bodies and re-ignited their sparks if possible. Sometimes, when the spark joins the Allspark, they dismantle and become incomprehensible within the void. But sometimes they are left whole, and we could call them back. We always left the bodies intact, just in case." His eyes never left Bee's body.

"But the Allspark..." Sam's breath hitched as he nearly started sobbing again. "It's gone. I desroyed it. You can't...you can't bring him back."

Again Optimus looked at Ratchet, who was now boring holes into him with his eyes. "No...perhaps not. But we will still keep his body as it is."

Sam, in his state, was unable to pick up on the subtle hesitancy in Optimus's tone, much less interpret it. But several pairs of sharp eyes fell on the Prime, who shifted uncomfortably. He knew he would have a lot of explaining to do shortly, once Sam was out of earshot. His plan, though a long shot, was promising...he simply didn't want Sam to know just yet. Just in case it failed.

Sam sniffled. "What about...them?" he asked quietly, gesturing towards the bodies of the fallen Decepticons.

"They will be Ratchet's, to do with as he sees fit."

Sam gripped Barricade's arm tightly. "I didn't even get to say goodbye." His voice was so small, so quiet.

"None of us did," Ratchet said quietly.

The Autobot's stood stiffly by, eyes flickering from Bee to Ratchet to Prime, unsure of what to do or say. They knew very well there was something Optimus wasn't telling them, but they wisely stayed silent. Mirage, nearly forgotten, lingered behind everybody, his eyes fixated on Bee's body.

"Come, it has been a long day. Today we fought a difficult battle, and we won, at great cost. I commend you all for your bravery today." Optimus's voice rang like a knell in Sam's heart. His legs refused to move, and only at Barricade's gentle coaxing did he finally manage to turn his back on Ironhide and Optimus lifting Bee's body and begin the trek back to Barricade's mech form, sitting patiently in the grass.

"Sam..."

Sam turned to Mirage, who had crept closer to Sam while the others were busy. Barricade's grip on him tightened protectively. Sam's eyes hardened reflexively, but even he could not find it in his heart to blame Mirage for Bee's death. It had been an accident, he had seen it, but...it didn't change what had happened.

"What?" he said instead, his voice nearly devoid of life.

"I…wanted to apologize for my behavior. When we met. And for…this," he said, glancing at Bee. "I never wanted this to happen. If I could take it back, I'd have let him kill me. I...I didn't know...that he was behind me. I'm sorry."

Sam shook his head. "Don't apologize to me, Mirage. There's nothing to be sorry for. I'll miss him for the rest of my life, but there's nothing I can do. Nothing anyone can do now, to bring him back. I'll be fine."

"I just realize that you really cared about him." Mirage eyed Barricade's hologram warily, and his eyes darted to the larger body waiting for their return. "I know how it feels."

"I imagine you do," Sam muttered. Barricade quickly tugged him away again, leaving Mirage standing helplessly in the dying light of the sun.

Once he was safely back in Barricade's hand, with the hologram still sitting beside him and gripping his hand comfortingly, he watched the proceedings dully. Optimus had passed Bee's legs to Prowl, who carried the body away with Ironhide to be taken to wherever the Autobots were attempting to create their base. Optimus began to approach Barricade and Sam with a slow, heavy stride that belied his many years.

"Once," he began, after standing near them for a few moments in contemplative silence, "there was a Cybertronian I loved very dearly. We were inseperable, and loved with such passion that we were not the only ones deluded into thinking it would never end. He was everything to me, and when I became a Prime, he was so proud of me. I was happy I could share it with him. Everything we did reflected the other." Here he paused, tilting his head sadly to stare at the darkening sky. "One day, he changed. Suddenly, and drastically. I am not sure why, nor how, because it was never revealed how. He tried to kill me, and almost succeeded. He destroyed our home, our entire planet. He slaughtered millions of others, infecting and recruiting as he went. He was never the same. There was nothing that I could do. I was forced to watch the mech that I loved destroy himself, destroy me, and our home. Maybe that hatred was in him all along, and I never knew."

Sam swallowed thickly. Tears pricked at his eyes again, but for a different reason. He knew he answer, but he asked anyway. "Megatron?" he whispered. He remembered his conversation with Bee, mere days ago, and wanted to cry all over again.

Optimus was silent for a few moments. The air was thick with memories and sadness. "Yes," he said, finally. "Megatron was what you would call my soulmate. From the very beginning, we were drawn to each other. There would have been nothing, short of Megatron losing his mind to something like a virus, that would have torn us apart."

"Bee told me, once. He said it was rare, that two mechs were so perfectly made for each other that they became soulmates."

"There has not been another recorded case of such a thing since," Optimus affirmed with a nod of his head. "I have often thought, if I were able to recall his spark from the void, would it change anything? Would he still be a monster? Or would I have the Megatron I once knew returned to me? I'm afraid, even now, of my selfishness. But our species is dying. We once numbered in the millions, and now there are perhaps a few hundred left. Perhaps...I could afford to be selfish, a little."

Sam felt his lungs shudder, the breath leaving his body as though someone had punched him in the sternum. "Did you ever stop loving him?"

Optimus only smiled sadly. "Never."

-:-

Night had fallen rapidly, and Sam finally conceded to go home. He had not wanted to leave Bee, and would have easily stayed by his guardian's body all night and then some had Ratchet not wrangled him away and forced him to agree to sleep in his own bed that night.

"We will take care of Bumblebee, Sam. You need to sleep—you have school. While it would likely be permissible for you to miss a day of your education tomorrow, you need to sleep on that decision first. I'm ordering this as your friend and as a fully licensed medical officer. Now go."

"I'll take him," Barricade offered.

Optimus stiffened for only a second, before he slowly nodded. "Alright." Ironhide remained blessedly silent, though Prowl was staring with silent disapproval. "He no longer has a guardian to watch after him, and we are needed here." Prowl turned away, wisely opting to say nothing.

"Sam? Are you alright with this?" Ratchet asked gently. Sam nodded slowly, his throat too raw to speak. After the way Barricade had handled him earlier, he felt far more at ease with the former Decepticon. Even the claws still cradling him were less scary after they'd previously been used to keep him from throwing himself to his death.

"Alright, take him home. We'll handle everything here. If all goes well tonight, then we will have far more to discuss tomorrow."

Sam did actually pick up on the subtle hints in that one, and his head lifted to look suspiciously at Optimus. "All goes well? What does that mean?" he asked, his voice raspy and thick.

"Shit," Ratchet hissed, shooting a sharp glare at Optimus.

"Nothing, Sam. We've all had a long day. Now go home, get some sleep. Take care of him Barricade...we'll be watching."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Barricade huffed, quickly transforming and allowing Sam to scramble into his cab. "We'll be off now!"

Barricade left, driving surprisingly gently considering his usual manner of driving could be equated to something like 'constant road rage.' Prowl watched him go, eyes bright in the darkness. "Are we sure he can be trusted with the human?" he asked quietly, looking back to his commanding officers.

"Yes, of that I have no doubt. Barricade seems to be taking a surprising turn, all thanks to our little Sam. What's a better question is just when were you going to tell us that you had a shard of the Allspark, Prime?" Ratchet practically snarled, pointing an accusing finger towards their leader, who had the grace to look properly ashamed.

"When the time was right. Now seems as excellent a time as any, as well as a good time to test my suspicions about the capabilities of the shard."

"You're going to use Bee as a test subject?" Wheeljack asked incredulously. Even he, who had experimented under many dubious circumstances in the past, was hesitant to experiment on their freshly dead friend. But, if he thought about it, there was no sense in waiting. If the shard was truly capable of anything at all, they needed to know. And if they could potentially revive Bee by doing so, then...it wasn't all bad. He mulled the thought over in his CPU a bit more, becoming more and more enamored with the idea.

Optimus has remained silent, letting them all think over the implications of what he wanted to do. Ratchet huffed quietly, breaking the short silence. "Well, it can't hurt him. And...if it brings him back to us, then it's worth a try, I think. I'm very glad you kept that, Prime."

"I hadn't intended to do anything with it at first, except keep it out of the humans hands. Even this small amount of concentrated power could have created terrible things. I wanted to keep it safe, but the longer I kept it, the more I realized what we could do with this. It may take some trial and error, but the probability that we can revive Bee is favorable. I only hope his spark hasn't torn itself in the void."

"Only one way to find out," Ratched muttered as they transported Bee's body back to their temporary base.