AN: Wooh, another chapter, and this one ends with a cliffhanger! Five reviews before I post the next chapter! (The next one is already almost done for once)

Reviews: Thanks to all who reviewed! (Jacqueline Walker, Lady Quickshift, MissMary, Revak, sheekblack)

Chapter 10
Decisions part 1

:Barricade, report.:

Barricade slowly dragged himself out of recharge, the comm message flashing in his processor for a few moments before he replayed it to see what was said. He recognized the voice immediately, though he wished he hadn't.

:What do you want, Starscream?:

A pause on the other line, and Barricade took a moment to check the time. Three a.m. by human standards, and a quick scan showed no activity in or around his hangar. It was Thursday evening, meaning the teens weren't around. That usually meant the organic activity slimmed down, as well. The last thing he needed was for the Autodolts to know he was in contact with Starscream.

:Ah, so you are alive!: Starscream almost sounded slightly relieved, surprising Barricade. :Your location?:

:Classified.:

:Do not get smart with me, glitch!: A snarl. :I let you live. You should be thanking me.:

:Come meet me and we'll see how well that little idea works out for you, Starscream.:

Another pause, and this one lasted longer. Barricade growled in annoyance, running his claws along the ground.

:As much as I'd like to, there is no need for hostilities. I have a proposition for you.:

Barricade paused this time, making sure to keep the weariness out of his comm before he responded.

:I'm listening.:

:I've gathered some of the other Decepticons, but most of them refuse to listen to me and believe me when I say Megatron is dead. I have yet to find Soundwave, and for some reason Megatron always did favor you a bit. I would like you to join me as my Second in Command and lead the Decepticons to victory. I've already worked out a way to resurrect Megatron.:

Barricade snorted, :You want to bring Megatron back? What kind of fool do you take me for, Starscream?:

:Despite our past differences, I do have need of our great Lord Megatron. His loss benefits me very little, but when I-we-resurrect him, everything will be better. Surely he will reward m-us, too! And the Autobots will all be taken care of. Even their little organics.:

:What, you plan to take out Witwicky on your own?: The sneer was evident in Barricade's tone.

:I know Megatron will want the Witwicky to be his. Maybe he'll take him as a socket? Take the Witwicky as a socket and his little Guardian as a Sparkmate?: Starscream's laugh echoed through their comm link.

Once, those ideas would have pleased Barricade to no end. As Megatron's socket, Sam would be thoroughly defiled. There was no love there like it would be with an Imprinting, all the teen would be doing is keeping the Decepticon he hates alive for even longer, and suffering through humiliating acts to do so.

And forcing the insect to be his Sparkmate? Bumblebee wouldn't be able to try to kill Megatron, would defend him even from Autobots. And the Autobots would have to fight him, but most of them wouldn't be able to do that, much less kill the Autobot Scout. He'd have to watch as his precious Charge suffered at Megatron's servos, unable to do anything to stop it. Maybe Megatron would even force Sparking with him, and wouldn't that be wonderful?

:I'll contact you later.:

With that, Barricade cut the comm link, shutting down the connection to Starscream. He transformed into his alt mode, settling down to think.

Now those ideas just left a bad feeling at the bottom of his Spark. What kind of Decepticon was he?

"Prime." Prowl said, looking up from the screen.

Optimus was silent, battle mask down as he thought. Ratchet had been the one to come to them, saying Barricade was in contact with another Decepticon. The Med-bot had put a device in Barricade's comm system to alert him of such one of the first few times he was inside the Decepticon, and now it was coming in handy. They had just listened to everything Starscream and Barricade had said.

"We'll have to wait and see," Ratchet replied for Optimus, shaking his helm.

"But-" Prowl began, only to be cut off by his leader.

"Ratchet is right." Optimus interrupted, "We will have to wait and see. Prowl, I trust you'll keep an eye in case they talk again. Ratchet, you will tell Ironhide, Jazz, and Wheeljack."

"What about the twins and Bumblebee?" Ratchet asked.

"No, it will affect how they react and treat Barricade." Optimus replied, "Ironhide already goes between liking and hating him, and Wheeljack will be able to remain indifferent. Jazz will be able to do what needs to be done. I'm afraid Bumblebee has grown attached, and the twins, or at least Sideswipe, have been fairly friendly to him since their fight."

Ratchet nodded, "And the organics?"

"Tell none of them. This will be Barricade's one and only chance, the proof whether he can be trusted or not." Optimus vented softly, staring hard at the screen.

"What if he gives our location to Starscream?" Prowl asked, frowning.

"That's a risk we'll have to take."

None of them bothered mentioning the last part that Starscream had said, each of them not wanting to have it on their processors for a moment longer than necessary.

It was one of the few times Barricade had been outside of the base, and like usual he was with Bumblebee, Miles, and Sam during it. The four were out at an old abandoned barn, Bumblebee using his bipedal mode and projecting a movie on to the side of it so the place was like a make shift drive in.

Sam and Bumblebee's holoform sat close together on Bumblebee's bipedal mode's leg, and Miles was on Barricade's hood, the Decepticon not even bothering with his holoform. The new couple hadn't been focusing on the movie at all, even though Bumblebee was the one playing it.

Instead, Bumblebee had one arm wrapped around Sam's shoulders, holding his Charge close, and the two were feeding each other. Bumblebee had already learnt how to taste like a human with the one sharing of souls he had done with Sam.

About the time that the two shared a look, and the two leaned together for a quick kiss, Miles decided to speak up.

"God, if you two get any sweeter I'm going to get diabetes!" Miles groaned dramatically, flopping back on Barricade's hood with a grin.

Bumblebee looked horrified, pulling away immediately.

Barricade snorted, "Primus, learn organic jokes, insect."

"Maybe I should learn their dances instead." Bumblebee shot back with annoyance, causing Barricade to growl. He'd never live the one dance down if Bumblebee, Ironhide, Jazz, or the twins had anything to say about it.

"Bumblebee!" Sam admonished, "Play nice, or he'll never leave you alone."

"I can take whatever he throws at me." Bumblebee replied confidently.

Sam rolled his eyes, "But if you're occupied with him, that means you're not occupied with me."

The grin that appeared on Bumblebee's face was nearly blinding, but it wasn't there to be looked at for long. Sam quickly had the holoform's lips occupied with his own.

This time, Barricade and Miles groaned in unison. Sam couldn't contain a snicker, and Bumblebee raised the arm that wasn't holding Sam to give them an obscene human gesture.

Things quieted down once again, Miles getting enthralled in the movie, and Bumblebee and Sam enthralled in each other. Barricade couldn't help glancing over at the pair a few times, Starscream's words coming unbidden to his mind.

:I know Megatron will want the Witwicky to be his. Maybe he'll take him as a socket? Take the Witwicky as a socket and his little Guardian as a Sparkmate?:

They had moved positions, Barricade noted. Now Bumblebee's holoform sat on his own bipedal mode's leg, leaning against his own chassis, as Sam sat in between the holoform's legs, leaning his back on the holoform's chest, and his head on the holoform's shoulder. The teen had one hand in Bumblebee's hair, lazily playing with the blonde locks, and the other hand stroking the metal underneath him. He whispered something, and Bumblebee grinned, leaning down to claim his lips.

Barricade spent the rest of the movie trying to like Starscream's words.

This time, Barricade was waiting for Starscream to contact him. It was nearing three a.m., just like the previous night. Unlike the previous night, however, the teens were staying over. Barricade didn't bother to think that would change anything given the late time. He felt safe that he'd be alone.

Miles would be the one to prove him wrong, of course.

The teen just walked into his hangar, carrying a pillow under one arm, and a blanket in his other. Barricade raised an optic ridge, and the teen just shrugged, walking over and moving between Barricade's legs. He put the pillow down, and then made himself comfortable, covering up with the blanket.

"Yes, come in, make yourself comfortable." Barricade drawled sarcastically, eyeing the teen.

"Oh, shut up, Barry." Miles rolled his eyes, "Sam and I share a room and it's incredibly hard to sleep when all I hear is cutesy couple noises. Thank Primus they haven't moved on to coitus yet, or else no one would rest around here."

"And isn't the floor cold?" Barricade asked, more as a hope that it would bother Miles enough to get the teen to leave.

"As cold and hard as your Spark."

Barricade shuttered his optics in surprise, and then snorted. "Watch it, glitch."

Miles just grinned, staying silent. After a few minutes, Barricade just assumed the teen was actually trying to go to sleep. Barricade checked to make sure his comm link was slightly open, but not exactly inviting either.

"How did you know you imprinted on me?" Miles asked, rather out of the blue in Barricade's opinion.

Barricade glanced down at the organic, trying to decide whether to answer truthfully or not. He didn't see a reason to lie about it.

"I didn't get any joy out of imagining your death." Miles gave Barricade an incredulous look, so Barricade tried to further his explanation. "That beast of yours, however, I had no problem getting joy out of imagining dead."

"Remind me to never let you anywhere near Masey again." Miles snorted, "And I'd have to say I'm pretty pleased with how everything's turned out due to your… not getting joy out of killing me."

"I'm stuck with Autodolts and organics, I'm so happy." Barricade grumbled sarcastically.

Miles snorted, "Stop trying to con yourself, Barry."

Miles realized the double meaning of his words just about the same time as Barricade, the organic looking at the Decepticon and the Decepticon looking at the organic.

"You've been with the Decepticons a long time, haven't you? You're just a bit older than Bumblebee, meaning you've been in this just about as long, if not longer, right?"

Barricade just nodded in reply.

"What do you think would have happened if the Decepticons hadn't gotten to you?" Miles asked softly. The teen didn't think Barricade had willingly joined the Decepticons, and Genitors had never been mentioned.

"Who knows? Maybe I would've gone Autodolt." Barricade replied with a disgusted sneer, but both could see the underlying truth to it.

:Barricade.:
:Barricade! Screamer's being a tight aft again, how have you been?:

Barricade checked his internal clock, barely containing a growl. Starscream had managed to catch him in the middle of recharge again, and this time he'd brought a guest. Barricade was beginning to think that Starscream somehow knew when he was in recharge. It was now five in the morning, and the entire base was beginning to stir.

Barricade opened his optics and glanced down, confirming that Miles was still there. Though he didn't have to, he could hear the teen snoring well enough.

:Starscream, Skywarp.:

Skywarp was one of Starscream's trine, and one of the friendlier Decepticons. Barricade held a higher respect for Skywarp even when he had adopted that three headed organic on Urnon, looking strikingly similar to a large three headed squirrel with spider eyes, then Starscream any day. Despite the fact that Skywarp had once painted him pink from helm to ped.

:Enough idle chit-chat.: Starscream snapped, :Are you going to help me or not, Barricade?:

:I wouldn't help you if you were Unicron himself.:

A fabulous list of angered expletives floated across the link to Barricade, and he smirked.

Skywarp snickered, :Now, Starscream, calm down. We need Barricade, he could know where the Autobots are.:

There was a pause as Starscream let that sink in, the seeker having not thought about that.

:And do you know where they are?: Starscream asked, though it was more mocking than anything else.

:I do.: