I do not own Transformers, but I wish I did.

I am still deciding if I will do a last chapter/epilogue. Let me know your opinions on if an epilogue would be nice, or if it is better to leave the story here.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, including Shadethedemon and reader as I cannot contact you directly.

Unexpected Love Chapter Ten

Sam stood in a traveling version of the clear box. Maximus was carrying it to the ship, which was not quite ready. Ratchet was already on the planet with Ironhide, setting everything up for the transfer. Hook, Jetfire, and Starscream were there, as Sam requested; they were his teachers and he thought they had a right to witness. Soundwave was needed on Earth.

Sam was certain that his human body was going to die tonight, though Maximus was not as pessimistic. "It is very possible that you will simply begin to age like a normal human," the Prime said. "If so, then with care you could live to the end of the vorn, and go into the shell when the Decepticons expected you to."

Sam only shrugged. I have lived the equivalent of three and a half lifetimes of the humans in the era I was born in, he wrote, about five of a pet's longest lives, and seven of a work slave's. There were times when I would have done anything to be put out of my misery, but to be honest, my earliest life and my later life has been good. If I die as a human, I have no regrets.

"We will see," the Prime said. "I will stand by the terms of our deal."

I do understand why this is a terrible risk for you, Sam told him, knowing Megatron would go ballistic if his youngling died, and the Prime would have to deal with that disaster. But from the moment he set eyes on the planet, something in his screamed for him to go to it, heal it the way only he could. But I hope we can avoid the corruption of the past, Prime. Megatron had his reasons for starting this war, and they were good ones. The means he used were terrible, don't get me wrong. I agree with Optimus there.

"Should I say the same to you, when you begin rebuilding human society, Sam? "

Sure, but since humans don't live as long, I won't have the problem you will. Humans change more quickly than your folk do; it's the benefit of our short lives. And the children can learn fresh.

Maximus picked up the box and began to walk toward the bridge of the ship. Sam was in the box for air. Mechs on Cybertron were getting breathable air into the rooms they would need. "Megatron is not going to give up his empire, Sam."

Why should he? But he has always planned to expand into space, and with Sentinel Prime's bunch, he can. There are plenty of resources in space that no one is using. Earth will be a small part of his empire in a few vorns, and he'll leave the humans to me.

"And why should he do that?" Maximus strapped down the box. Sam could see the planet from his box. There were voices coming from somewhere else in the ship. Ironshide and Ratchet, he guessed.

If you haven't figured it out, I'm not going to tell you.

"I guessed when you demanded that Megatron be there when the data retrieval was completed and the final transfer was close. "He went to one knee to look at Sam. "You're bonded to him already, aren't you?"

As close as you can come without a full spark merge. He admitted that, last night. He's as scared for himself as he is for me. The conversation was cut short when the ship's engines began to whine.

"As soon as Megatron wakes, I'll bring him. By that time, the process will be too far along to stop." He paused. "Ratchet is going to go over the risks with you, in front of the witnesses. If you have any doubts, voice them. You are in control. If you want the process to stop, it will stop. " Sam nodded, and the Prime left.

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Megatron woke to find he was alone. When he came out of his room, he found Bumblebee waiting for him. The yellow scout escorted him to a conference room, where Maximus Prime was waiting for him. Silently, Maximus handed him a cube of energon, taking another from the same stack for himself. "Where is Sam?" Megatron asked. Maximus told him, and why, before escorting Megatron to a ship. "He should have waited," Megatron said. "What difference would a few years make? The risk he's taking-"

"Ratchet has done the upgrade of shells many times, Megatron," Maximus told him. "He will explain the process to Sam, with Hook, Starscream, Ironhide, and Jetfire as witnesses."

"Jetfire," Megatron growled.

"Has done you and Cybertron as a whole a great service, out of his love for his humans," the Prime said, "or I would not be here talking to you now. Sam could only show you what was happening; Jetfire guided you, and gave you reasons to act as you did. " He paused. "Here are the conditions Sam gave me for completing the transfers."

Megatron sifted through the databurst. Until now he did not know how well Sam knew him. "He is choosing to stay with me," Megatron said slowly.

"I did not expect that," Maximus said calmly. "I will emphasis to you as I did to Sam- if he chooses to become an Autobot, I will welcome him to my ranks. He does not. He wishes to be neutral until he is considered fully adult to both sides. He told me he hopes that by that time, there will be no more need to choose. He has no intention of leaving you."

"Unless he dies doing this."

"His human body may or may not survive. You know this. Ratchet and Hook tell me that his spark is strong enough for the transfer now."

"He is very strong," Megatron admitted. "For a new spark to endure what he did, as a work slave, it would have to be. " He turned burning eyes to the Prime. "What have you done with Swindle?"

"He is in stasis. I want to execute him," the Prime said, and this time his voice was not calm.

"He's all yours," Megatron told him. His eyes were on the viewscreen. "How much longer before we get there?" Then he roared out, "Why Sam?" Why did he have to give up the one being that he felt safe caring for? He took Sam as his pet to ease his loneliness, and his pet had become his unexpected love. Sam took him from being a lonely, bitter tyrant to someone his men respected as a leader and not only because he was stronger. He thought he could love Sam with safety. How could he possible give him up?

"Not long. Ratchet has finished the download. They are waiting for us." He turned suddenly intense blue optics to Megatron as they began their landing approach. "On landing, you will understand."

On the planet, Megatron looked at the devastation of their world with fresh eyes, and his simmering rage died. Anyone with a spark wanted what he wanted now, wanted what Sam's sacrifice of his human body, and perhaps his existence, would give them. He wanted to see this nearly dead planet alive again.

He never wanted to give Sam his freedom. Sam was his pet, then his youngling, and Megatron planned to spark- bond with the Cybertronian youngling as soon as his spark was strong enough so he would never lose this one being that he needed. He believed that if Sam ever knew the Autobots still existed in any strength, he would go to them as soon as he devised a means. Now he knew Sam would have stayed with him for love and for what good he could do for others as Megatron's bonded sparkmate. Sam chose him. He took comfort in that fact.

Megatron looked at the planet that their civil war tore to pieces, and knew that Sam made the right choice. Yes, it was worth giving up the human he loved, and risking losing the spark he desperately wanted to survive. Yes, it was worth risking that the youngling being created would choose to stay with the Autobots and reject him.

But it hurt. His spark ached.

"Sam is asking for you," the Prime said.

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Sam waited in the room for Megatron to appear. He could see the shard of the Cube that Ironhide took from Optimus Prime's chassis.

"Sam," Ratchet said, standing over the shell, "Megatron is coming. Before he gets here, I want to be sure that you don't want me to put some of these memories into text files. There is no need to subject a new youngling in a Cybertronian body to the abuse in these files. How you survived as strong and sane as you are I will never understand!"

Sam eyed the two resentful Decepticons on the other side of the room, but they did not explode. "I agree," Starscream said. "You will no longer be a human, Sam. You do not need the files at all. They can safely be deleted."

"No," Hook disagreed. "Sooner or later the new spark is going to wonder what happened in that vorn. That's not good for a new spark either. Ratchet's right, they can be turned into text files. That way he's have the information, but not the trauma." Ratchet gave him an approving look.

You cannot hope to change the future unless you remember the past, Sam wrote patiently on the datapad they left in the room with him. I have dealt with that pain as a human. Didn't all of you tell me that the person I am won't change, just the form? Or were you lying to make me feel better?

Jetfire intervened, between the two factions, as he had all day. "No, Sam, no one has been lying to you about that. But as a spark you are still only a toddler in our eyes."

I am the oldest human that has ever lived, Sam corrected. That means that I should come across as an adult needing to learn a new body, but not an idiot or a child. No, Ratchet. Leave the files alone, just as they are. He shifted restlessly. He knew for certain now that the Prime was correct. Part of him was wailing to go to that piece of material, needing to be completed. His spark was throbbing so strongly that his chest hurt.

He looked at his body dispassionately. After today, he would no longer be flesh and blood. He would not need to eat or eliminate; he would never taste the sweetness of honey or the bite of chili pepper, or the relief of cool water sliding down his throat. He would not appreciate the soft feeling of silk beneath his fingers, or the gentle fingers of a lover over soft skin, or the sweet completion of a human orgasm. He would not enjoy the relaxation of being in warm water, or the joy of sliding through cool water while swimming.

He looked over at the grey shell that waited for him. But it will still have feeling, he reminded himself. It will still smell, still touch, still need energon, still be alive in its own way. If what the four before him told him was correct, he could experience all the memories by calling up a file.

Was he afraid to die as a human? he asked himself. What about all those times when you would have given anything to end your existence?

I am afraid of giving up the only life I have ever known, he acknowledged to his inner self. But I want this planet to live again. The Cybertronians left will never forget what they did to their planet. They will cherish Cybertron now, and teach their younglings to cherish it when they share these memories. I will not forget what it is like to live in despair, he vowed. I will not forget what it was like to be human and afraid. I will not.

He saw the feverish hope in the optics of the ones in front of him. He remembered the talk in the recreation room. He was doing the right thing, and he knew it.

Then he heard familiar footsteps. He pressed against the clear exterior of the chamber of the All-Spark shard, waiting for the last look at his master/lover/ love with human eyes.

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Megatron saw Sam looking for him from the chamber-shrine, he thought, looking at the place. It was full of artistic material scavenged from the old temples. He recognized most of it.

He thought his spark ached before; now it was agony. Sam was calm, but he knew his youngling- he was afraid as well. Megatron reached the partition.

"Don't go in," Ratchet said swiftly. "You'll let his air out."

Megatron gave him a nasty look. Then his holoform appeared in the chamber. Sam latched onto it desperately. Megatron held him tightly. Then he let go and stepped back. "I'll stay with you until it's over," he said.

Sam reached out and touched his cheek. Then he pointed out, firmly. Megatron understood, and the holoform was gone. Sam turned, and walked over to the shard. He put his hand on it.

The light flared. Everyone dimmed their optic sensitivity so they could watch. The glow flowed over the human body, lighting it from within. Slowly, that bright white light got stronger, as the body it was in began to fade and the shard began to grow. Watching, Megatron keened, and with him Hook, Starscream, and Jetfire keened as well. They were losing their youngling, the one they taught and worked with. Even knowing he would be reborn as a spark did not make that loss easier. Ratchet and Ironhide only watched in awe.

But the Prime was transfixed. "Primus," he whispered. "So beautiful! The release-" He could feel it, the joy of something being released from a long, long captivity. But he did not understand why there seemed to be two releases. Then, as the body almost completely faded, there was left behind a clear form with a glow inside it. The form slid toward Ratchet and Hook waited with the shell . Ratchet opened the door and the form slipped into the shell, leaving the glow behind.

Megatron was already moving, but the form went to him, and for one last time, he felt what was left of Sam as a human, not on his chassis but in his spark. I'm free, it told him, and joy coursed through both of them. I am free, to go where humans go when they die. I will see Optimus first. Take care of the other me, Megatron.

Just like that, his loss was soothed. The form left him, going by to touch everyone else for one moment, and was gone.

Then he heard a cry, and saw the shell move. Ratchet and Hook helped the new youngling sit up. The new Cybertronian looked around, terrified. When he saw Megatron, he whimpered and reached.

Megatron shoved the Prime aside and ran to him, taking the trembling new youngling into his arms and holding him tightly. Then he helped the new one stand.

"What is your designation?" the Prime asked him.

"Changeling," Sam said, and they all jumped in surprise. He laughed, and they smiled at the sound. "I am Changeling."

Then he turned to look at the other room. The Cube was back, glowing slightly still.