It was bad. It was bad and he wasn't really sure how it had gotten that way. His memories from the events that had taken place just hours before had already been forced from his mind and he had no desire to try and dig them out again. Sam blinked and tried to focus on the ceiling that lay above him.

He was failing at it miserably. His eyes didn't seem to want to focus and everything was going dark around the edges and fuzzy everywhere else. He knew that his fleeting eyesight wasn't a good sign but he didn't have the energy to care anymore. He didn't care about much anymore. What little hope he had had before was almost gone. His one chance at escaping had been crushed by Megatron and even though the mech from the day before had told him of his plan to get him out he seriously doubted that it was going to happen.

Not even Optimus could save him from this fate. And his fate didn't really bother him that much anymore. He was actually fine with dieing in Decepticon clutches if he really had too. Anything was better than this sense of fading. Of going towards the beckoning abyss and knowing without a doubt that sooner or later he was going to fall in and then he be trapped there forever.

And the last place he wanted to be was in his mind all alone. Because if he was all alone there was no way he was ever getting out again at least not by himself. And he didn't know if Optimus knew how to get to that deep dark part of his mind that he'd only just discovered existed. Optimus. Thinking about the Autobot leader sent the usual spike of pain through his entire being and the empty bond was the worst thing in the world as far as he was concerned. It was even worse than the abyss.

Sam's eyes moved as the lightest of noises reached his ears. There wasn't anything else in the room with him of course but still he couldn't help but look. As his eyes wandered they landed on the mark he had drawn on the crook of his arm months before. It had never washed off and it hadn't faded. Most people who saw it simply assumed that it was a tattoo. More than once he'd been asked what it meant.

Only he didn't have an answer because he himself didn't know. He'd asked Optimus once if he knew what it meant. He hadn't. It was funny though because Optimus had the same mark carved onto the blue pieces of metal that ran down his face. He wondered if Jetfire would have been able to tell him what it meant. The thought of the old mech caused a slight smile to cross his face. He'd liked Jetfire despite the fact that the old mech had been slightly wonky.

He'd been sorry to see him go but his sacrifice had been his choice and it had been what he'd wanted. Optimus still had the parts though they weren't really usable yet. Ratchet and Ironhide had been fixing the worn and rusted pieces of armor so that the next time Optimus used them they wouldn't fall off after the battle was over.

It was a nice tribute to the old Seeker in a way. Sam was sure that Jetfire would have been happy to know that his armor was on its way to being rust free. Sam had to blink back sudden tears as his thoughts continued to focus on the old Con. It seemed for just a moment that they were sharing the same situation. Both of them had been left behind. Sam shook his head slightly as if to get rid of the thought.

He was sure that Optimus and the others were still looking for him. He just had to keep focusing on that and not let his situation make him loose anymore hope than he already had. Because Sam knew that if he let go of that remaining hope he'd fall into that darkness for sure.

That darkness that was calling to him in voices he knew he should know but didn't even though they sounded so familiar and he knew he should know them. They were important he knew that much and they had told him things once.

Things that no human had a way of knowing because no human had ever earned it. Like the mark on his arm that he couldn't remember the meaning to no matter how hard he tried. Or like the name of the blue liquid that the purple Con had been forcing down his throat that had burned in his veins when it was there and left him feeling cold when it was gone.

Things were slipping and he couldn't remember the things he knew he should but none of that mattered because he was sure that he could hear footsteps coming towards him and he had do wonder if it was Megatron back for more or if it was the mech that he'd met before that had spoken to him and promised to get him out and back to Optimus because Optimus was all he had left. Getting back to Optimus was all that mattered and was all that was keeping him from falling.

December 27

Punch paced back and forth as he wrestled with himself. He'd been trying to figure out how to get the little human that Starscream had brought in back to Optimus and the others where he was safe. He had an idea but he wasn't sure if it would work or not. Not to mention that getting the human out of the base would be twice as hard now that he'd been taken to Megatron's personal quarters.

A shudder ran through his frame at the thought of that little human stuck where so few dared to go. It would be more than difficult to get him out and there was a chance that his plan wouldn't work but he knew he had to hurry. It was very likely that the human wouldn't last too much longer. He had a vague idea about what went on in Megatron's chambers and none of what he had heard was good.

So if he was going to do something he had to do it soon. And the sooner the better. But so much hinged on him being able to get the human out without any of the Decepticons finding out about it. And Primus forbid that they found out that he was the one that had helped the little human escape. He'd spent along time working his way into the Decepticons good graces and he had a good rank to prove it. It wasn't easy being a spy and yet here he was risking his life to get one human back to the Autobots.

He had to be out of his processor to be risking so much because if Megatron was the kind of mech that took delight in torturing traitors and spies. But from what he knew of the human he had to be worth saving or else he wouldn't be so valuable to the Autobots. A memory about hat he'd learned about the human flashed in his processor and that was all it took to reassure the spy.

He had to do this even if he got himself killed while doing it. Punch stopped pacing as he turned to face the rising sun. It took only a second for him to find a working Autobot frequency and an even shorted amount of time to get a hold of Optimus Prime.

Ooo

Optimus was shocked. He hadn't even known if Punch was still alive and yet here he was now requesting a talk.

"What is it Punch?" the Prime asked his voice betraying some of the weariness he felt.

"I think I may have something that belongs to you sir." For half a moment he dared to hope.

"Please tell me your talking about Sam?" Punch was silent for a moment before answering.

"Well I don't know his designation but I do know where a human is. The one that was taken from you has brown hair and brown eyes correct?"

Optimus felt his whole body shake. Punch had Sam. It was such a relief that he almost forgot to answer. "You have him?"

"Not with me Optimus but I can get him." Punch said.

Relief like he'd never felt before coursed through Optimus's systems. It was enough to send him to his knee's. The ground shuddered underneath him as he hit hand almost automatically reached up towards his spark. "Where is he Punch? What aren't you telling me?"

Punch seemed to hesitate for a moment. It was almost like he didn't want to answer. "He's in Megatron's personal chambers."

Optimus felt as if his spark had stopped upon hearing those words. Primus, if Sam was in Megatron's chambers he wasn't sure he wanted to know what was happening to Sam. Nothing good he knew and now that Megatron had him where none of his other mechs could get to him chances were that whatever Megatron was doing to Sam was far worse than what he'd have done if Sam was in the con's brig. He had to force the next words out of his vocal processor and even that was difficult.

"How - how is he?" Optimus forced himself to ask.

"Not good Prime. Not good at all. He won't survive much longer Prime. We have to get him out as soon as we can or he won't live much longer."

A wave of despair flooded through his systems followed by fierce determination. He was going to get Sam out of there not matter what. Even if he dies in the attempt it'd be more than worth it if Sam survived. He'd do anything.

"Prime? Are you still there Prime?" Punch asked. The silence over the comm had the other mech sounding slightly worried.

"I'm still here Punch. Where are you?" Optimus asked.

"No, Prime. I won't let you come and get yourself killed. I'll get him and bring him to you. There's less of a chance of me getting caught that way. That and I can't risk your life."

Optimus growled softly. It wasn't Punch's place to tell him what to do. Especially when it came to Sam and the boys well being. Of course the more rational part of Optimus's processor kicked in a moment later and he realized that Punch was right. He'd do Sam no good if he died and there wasn't any way of knowing if a broken bond would do more harm than good. There was a chance that if the bond between them broke while Sam was in whatever condition e was currently in it would kill him and Optimus didn't want that.

"I understand. So what do you plan to do?"

"In three days time I'll get Sam out of Megatron's chamber and out of the base. After that I'll try my best to get him to you before Megatron or any of the others notice. I have a place in mind for us to meat and I'll give you the coordinates before I cut off communication with you."

Punch's plan wasn't as well planned out as he'd have liked but the spy didn't really have all the time in the world to pick over a plan. If he was going to get Sam out it'd have to be fast and the less he had to do the better.

"All right Punch. I'll meat you at your rendezvous point in three days."

"Until then Prime."

Optimus's sighed. "Until then my friend. My Primus be with you." With that said the link between the two cut off. He'd see Sam soon and with that thought he proceeded to contact Ironhide and Ratchet.

As much as he wanted to get going right away he forced himself not to. He was only about two and a half days from the meeting point and he wanted to contact the two of them before he got going because he was sure that if he didn't before he left he might not do it at all. Besides they'd want to be there to help if things went wrong and he wanted Ratchet there when Punch arrived with Sam so that he could get Sam treatment as soon as he was able.

That and if things went south and something did go wrong like the Decepticons showed up he knew that he'd need the help fighting. He'd only been able to half focus on anything since Sam had been taken and he was sure that he wouldn't be able to completely focus while fighting especially if Sam was there. He'd leave it to Ratchet and Ironhide to contact the others when he was done with them.

Ooo

Ron Witwicky sat looking at the Christmas Tree that his wife refused to let him take down. She'd thrown a fit when he had tried. She wanted it to stay up and he wanted it to come down. Well the actual truth was that he didn't want to look at the still wrapped presents that sat underneath it anymore and it was a hard thing to ignore considering that the tree was sitting next to the TV and was visible from most places on the first floor of their home.

They were an all to painful reminder that his son hadn't been found yet. He wanted nothing more than to out there looking but he knew he couldn't and it killed him. He wondered for a moment where Bumblebee was.

The mech usually checked in with them everyday or so in order to let them know what was going on but he hadn't been seen since Christmas Eve. And while the yellow mech still wasn't a favorite around the house both he and Judy had come to accept that Sam was going to have something to do with the Autobots no matter what happened and no matter how much they protested and tried to get him to go another direction in life.

It didn't matter though because Sam seemed to be tied to the alien robots and apparently they were tied to him too. The day he'd found out that Sam an interest in the Autobot leader as more than a friend he could have sworn that he'd almost had a heart attack. It wasn't the fact that Sam was gay or at least bi that had taken him by surprise.

No, both he and his wife had though Sam was gay before he'd started going out with Mikaela. That conversation had been very awkward for all members involved and Sam had sputter and blushed and told them that to the best of his knowledge he wasn't gay. It had been the fat that it was Optimus Prime (he'd always though Sam would be with Bumblebee if such a thing ever happened) that had shocked him so much.

Sure he'd meat Optimus Prime after the whole thing in Egypt but still he'd never expected something to happen between the two. He knew that they had talked a lot on the way back to Diego Garcia but he'd never thought much about it. Then again Sam had said that he hadn't thought much about it either.

It had been the whole thing with Mikaela (he still didn't know everything regarding their break-up) that had apparently opened the pairs eyes. But still there were times that he wondered about wither or not they were really what the other needed. Major Lennox had tried to explain bonds to him before and Sam had even taken a crack at it but he still didn't understand it.

The transformers had so many different types of bonds that he'd wondered how Sam knew that the one he shared with Optimus was one of a forever love (Judy's term for soul mates and sadly it was now his term too) or not. He tried not to ask because he knew that it bothered Sam some when he asked those kinds of questions and his son was embarrassed easily enough. He supposed that it really didn't matter all that much so long as Sam was happy and being treated well.

If Sam really wanted Optimus then Sam could have him. He wouldn't stop him he'd just hoped that the Autobot leader wouldn't hurt his son in anyway. Whatever doubts he'd had about Optimus's loyalty had vanished when his son had. Optimus wouldn't have been driving himself as hard as he'd been told the mech had been if he didn't love his son. Ron sighed and ran a hand over his head as he leaned forward in his chair.

Judy was moving about the kitchen cleaning or so he thought. He wasn't sure anymore. She might have been cooking for all he knew. As things were it was more than likely either.

"Judy," he called, "What are you doing in there?" It took a moment for his wife to answer.

"I'm cleaning."

Ron shook his head. He knew that the kitchen was already clean and so was the rest of the house. Judy was tended to clean when she was nervous or worried. The sound of an engine caught Ron's attention and caused the man to rise from his chair.

Peeking out at the driveway from the front curtain he saw a sporty blue motorcycle sitting in the driveway its rider sitting on the seat. For half a second he thought the rider was Mikaela until he realized that the rider that was now looking at him had eyes that were far to bright to be Mikaela's.

That and her hair color wasn't right. It took him a moment to realize that the motorcycle was an Autobot. Turning away from the curtain Ron almost jogged to the front door. He would have to if it hadn't been nine feet away and senseless to do so.

"Honey! We have company!" he called.

Hopefully the Autobots sitting outside would have news about their son. And with some luck that news would help convince Judy to let him take down the Christmas tree.

Oooo

Okay so it's not much of a chapter but I wanted to have a new one to upload when I put up the last chapter of Full Moon Rising. I like this chapter okay. I'm sure it could have been better but I figure that the sooner I start writing chapters for this again the sooner I get back into the swing of writing for this story. So now that my other story's done I'll start updating this one every week or two. At this point I have 21 more chapters to do for this story. Now that's only taking into account that I do a chapter for every day and don't do multiple days in a chapter like I did for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Then of course I may do a few other than the one's I have planned out so far. So ya I have no set amount of chapters yet. As usual reviews make me happy so please leave me one.

Now I have a question for you my loyal readers. Would any of you object to a Transformers/Poke'mon crossover. I'm not talking about them going into the Poke'mon world but them landing on a planet inhabited by the creatures. Sam and Will and all the others would still be in it of course they'll just have teams of poke'mon.

I thought that'd it be an interesting story to do once Dog Collar's five or six chapters away from being finished. So if you like the idea then let me know and if you have idea's for teams feel free to give them to me in a review or a message. I have some teams I made up but I'm willing to change and probably will change them when Gen Five is all out. I figure that if I ask now I can start figuring out a chapter plan. I'm actually thinking about making it a Sam Optimus fic now.