First day of classes, and I'm not too worried yet :) This story is getting so darn fluffy! I gotta mix it up next chap :) Thanks for all the reviews, you guys are sweeties :) xoxox

The second time I woke up, I wasn't sure where I was. I was warm, but wherever I had lain down was hard and smooth. I slowly lifted my head, and sure enough I could see Hot Rod's blue eyes glowing somewhat dimly. I realized, by the closeness and arrangement that I must be laying… on him.

The more aware I became of my situation, the more I could paint the picture in the darkness. His arm was cradling me, nestled in the crook, and I was rolled against his chest as he leaned against the wall. My cast-encased arm was resting awkwardly across my stomach. I didn't remember settling that way, but then, I thought dryly, I didn't remember much else either.

I was staring off into the darkness when my eyes picked up an almost imperceptible change in the darkness, and I looked back up at Hot Rod. His eyes had brightened and he was looking at me.

"Feeling ok?"

"Yeah, no pain yet… Not that I'm complaining, but how did..."

"We end up like this? Well…" He trailed off into a faintly embarrassed silence, and then picked it up again. "You were crying again, and I couldn't just let you cry alone like that, so… And you stopped crying…"

I rested my head down against the warmth of his chest and sighed contentedly. "Thank you for caring so much." The hardness wasn't uncomfortable. There was a soft, durable feeling to him. Not that I would want to try punching him… But I was willing to trade complete comfort for complete security.

"I saw what they did to your wrist."

I brushed my wrist against my fingers poking from the cast, and the gauze was in fact missing.

"It was voluntary. Skywarp suggested it, and it was the only way I could get Barricade to take me to town."

His eyes were hard now, and I knew he didn't really approve, but he didn't say anything else about it. "The important thing is that you're safe now. Barricade will pay for what he's done."

"I don't care what happens to Barricade, I just never want to see him again. He doesn't have a conscience, so it's not like he would regret anything."

He thought about what I had said, and then grumbled, "Fine. I won't look for him, but I promise that if he comes near you ever again, he's dead."

"That's all I want to hear," I replied, smiling faintly in the darkness. My pain pills hadn't completely worn off, so I was still tired, but I didn't want to sleep anymore. Besides, I was hungry. "What time is it?"

Hot Rod looked a little unprepared for the question, but he answered quickly enough. "Four in the morning."

"I could use some more dingdongs."

"Can do, little lady." He shifted me to his hand again, and we went back to the sparse kitchen.

After wrestling with the little baggies and eating a couple more dingdongs, chasing it with a glass of water, I felt better. Not perfect, but so much better. I was looking through empty cabinets when I heard and felt the large steps of another Autobot in the kitchen. I turned to look and was indisputably impressed. The biggest one I had ever seen, no doubt about it, and he radiated an aura of confidence and understanding that made me instantly trust him. He was colored in red and blue flames.

"Optimus-" Hot Rod started.

"I understand that you rescued someone from the Decepticons yesterday evening."

"Yes." Hot Rod sounded faintly uncomfortable.

"Why didn't you clear the mission with me first?"

"I… I just wanted to get her out of there. I didn't even think, Optimus. I'm sorry."

"You went into a dangerous situation without any backup. Would you consider that a wise decision?"

"Actually… yes… no… I just had to do it, Sir."

Optimus sighed, rubbing the bridge of a nose-like projection on his expressive face. "Did you endanger any other humans?"

Hot Rod stared down at the floor, and I got the impression that Hot Rod was much younger than Optimus. "No."

"There's that, at least. Even so, what you did is a very serious problem. I understand that you've been solo for some time now and the chain of command is difficult to readjust to, so I'm going to let this one go. Don't let it happen again."

"I won't, Optimus."

At this, the tensions lightened dramatically and Optimus turned his attention to me. He crouched low, intimidating in a fatherly way, and smiled. "My name is Optimus Prime. Welcome to Autobot City. If there is anything you need for as long as you stay here, feel free to ask any Autobot for assistance."

I smiled back. "My name is Bravura. Thank you, Optimus Prime."

"You're welcome."

With that he straightened up, nodded to Hot Rod, and left the kitchen. I stared at Hot Rod. "Who is he, other than 'Optimus Prime?'"

"The commander of the entire Autobot force. He's an incredible leader."

"Yeah, I got that impression. So you're not in trouble?"

"No, thank Primus. He didn't mention Bee, so he either doesn't know or plans to keep it private. Bee'll be fine, he's the baby."

"How old are you?" I asked, curious now.

"Um… you would call me old. Maybe even ancient. They make us pretty tough on Cybertron. I'm one of the younger Autobots on base. Bumblebee's the youngest. Ironhide is the oldest."

"Ironhide?"

"Our weapons specialist. He's a good friend to have in a tight spot, and he's been working with Optimus for ages."

"Oh. Am I going to meet the other Autobots soon?"

"Well, Hide is usually with Captain Lennox, and Bumblebee's usually with Sam. Ratchet and Optimus stay here, working on the base construction. I'm the only other one who's made it to Earth so far, so you've met most of our happy family."

"What about Decepticons?"

He was silent for a time, evaluating the reasoning behind my question, no doubt. "We know Barricade, Frenzy, and Skywarp are planet-side. Skorponok was severely damaged, but he could be in stasis healing. We believe Starscream left orbit in search of other Decepticons."

"Have any others crash landed?"

"It's difficult to say. It's possible to cloak when entering orbit, but it's too hard for most of us too handle. I know I lit up the sensors when I landed. Ironhide was on his way to meet me, actually, when he…"

I waited, and then sighed. "He's the one who fought Barricade that night, isn't he?"

"Not exactly. Ironhide shot at Barricade, but he ran. Old Hide's not as fast, so he came and found me in the hills instead."

"So the bottom line is, there probably isn't anyone else?"

"No promises, but right. It's a slim chance."

I sighed, looking around in dismay. The kitchen might be equipped and spacious, but its empty cupboards weren't ready for cooking. I swallowed a couple more pills with a glass of water in anticipation for the next round of pain.

I walked back to Hot Rod and he held his hand to the floor so I could climb aboard. We went back to his quarters, seeing as it wasn't even 5 am yet. When we got there, he pushed a large green pad in the wall, and from the side opposite the door a metal platform extended from the wall. I didn't realize its purpose until Hot Rod moved over to it and sat on it.

"Ok, my friend. You can sleep on your cot, or you can stay with me."

I was a little embarrassed to ask to stay with him, so I quietly asked, "Would you mind…?"

He smiled that charming alien smile. "Not at all. Anything to make you feel better."

"Then I would like to stay with you."

He leaned back onto his metal bed and settled me between his arm and his side. I felt small, but I knew he would be careful and his warmth was intoxicating. The heat and the drugs lulled me into a peaceful half sleep.

I couldn't be sure, but I thought I heard him murmur, "This must be how Bee feels about Sam."

Edited March 12th, 2010