Author's Note: That wasn't so BAD, was it? 8D .....yeah, yeah, I know. .___.

DISCLAIMER: Of course, I don't own any of the Transformers or Mikaela or Sam. :/
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Bumblebee woke up from his nap with a jerk. He checked the clock by Sam's bed--it was roughly midnight. Surely Sam's class was over by now. The rest of his dormmates had returned and were all snoring in their beds so why hadn't Sam come back yet? He wasn't sure if he was supposed to go out to look for him or not since the Witwicky boy had told him to stay put in human form. He remained on Sam's bed for another five minutes while constantly checking his bedside window, but it didn't seem like his best friend was coming. He began to worry. Optimus had left him in charge of watching after Sam while he was recovering. What would Prime say if he found out something horrible had happened to Sam? His worries worsened. He couldn't stand it; he jumped out of his bed and rushed out the door as quietly as he could. He'd find Sam even if he was up all night looking for him.

Bumblebee was feeling worse for the wear. He'd been searching for two hours across the entire campus and he still couldn't find Sam. He could've been offline by the time Bee found him. The thought made him panic. Where could he be?! Bumblebee was wandering back towards Sam's dormitory from the hall where he'd told him his last class would be when he noticed that there was a patch of woods nearby. He hadn't checked over there, had he? No, he hadn't. Bee began walking through the small patch of trees until he noticed it was too dangerous to travel in the dark. He pulled a flashlight from his pocket, still heeding Sam's word to stay in human form, and turned it on. A beam of light illuminated the thicket and he heard a rustling on the forest floor. About twenty feet away from him was Sam Witwicky in a mangled mess leaning up against a tree. He was unconscious and covered with gashes and bruises. His shirt was completely shredded and there were bite marks and slashes decorating his chest and back. Bee spotted a deep pool of blood beneath him. Sam had been there for a while although the Autobot wasn't sure exactly how long.

Bumblebee chirped in surprise, never having witnessed a sight quite like it before and came to his side. He shook his shoulders, hoping he would wake up, but Sam didn't respond. Bee's panic was now a reality. Something terrible had happened to him! He held Sam's books and papers in one arm and slung Sam over his other shoulder.

"B-Bee...." Sam muttered as if even that one word pained him to speak. Bumblebee shushed him comfortingly. He didn't know what to do or where to go next. Once he was out of the woods and made sure there were no nearby witnesses, Bumblebee traded his human identity for his favorite 2010 SS Camaro with Sam inside and darted off. He knew there was no way he was going to explain Sam's injuries to some hospital human. The obvious choice available was Ratchet; he'd been studying human medicines. He'd know what to do. At the very least, that's all Bumblebee knew to do.

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Sam's entire body ached and his head felt swollen. He groaned and opened his eyes, seeing distinct blue ones staring back at him. Bee? N-No...it wasn't. A shriek filled the room, causing the figure to jump. Sam didn't even realize that he was the one screaming. How could he be here after what he just did?! He recognized the face the instant his vision cleared. He had betrayed his trust, he had hurt him! How is it that he had the gall to stand there and act as if nothing happened?!

"You! Get out! Get away from me! Go away!" Sam yelled, waving his arms as if he were shooing a stray dog away despite the splicing pain he felt as he did so. "Bee! BUMBLEBEE!"

His guardian immediately responded to his calls and rushed to his other side. He was in his human form, as was the traitor, and warbled across Sam's bed questioningly. Optimus Prime stood there with an expression contorted with hurt and confusion. Ratchet hurried into the room as well and, upon discovering the source of Sam's screaming, dismissed a very confused and questioning Optimus from the room. Soon afterwards, Sam broke down and began to sob softly to himself with a very hesitant Bumblebee next to him.

"Sam, what happened?" Ratchet said as he took the place of the horrible creature that had been standing there.

"Bee, don't leave me. He's..." He muttered, fear prominent in his voice. Bumblebee looked to Ratchet with a face that asked 'can I?', which was met with a firm nod. The blond boy climbed onto the bed next to Sam, who hastily curled into his side. "Please...don't leave me."

Bumblebee's voice sounded strained but he attempted to make it sound as soothing as possible, "I will never leave you, Sam." His fingers ran through Sam's hair softly while the boy continued to cry, seeking comfort and protection. He kissed him on the forehead, as Sam's mother would've done when he was a child who'd awoken from a bad dream. Bee couldn't help the way he felt--it was his fault that Sam was like this. He hadn't been watching Sam as Optimus expected him to. In a matter of minutes, the distraught boy fell asleep in Bumblebee's comforting arms. Ratchet decided it was best if Sam was able to get some sleep before he asked any questions as to who had caused such injuries. As he left the room, he spotted Optimus standing outside the door. "Optimus, do you have any idea why Sam reacted that way when he saw you?"

"I...don't know. I haven't left this hangar in two weeks as I'm sure you're well aware--there was no way I could've done anything. Not that I would do anything that would cause him to react that way, Ratchet. I've...never seen him look at me like that before. His eyes were full of fear."

"Well, I need to get to the bottom of this. While he was asleep, I took samples of the epithelials under his nails and the residue in his cuts. I picked up cells of sythoplasm from his fingertips and, oddly enough, Cybertronian metal in his wounds. It seemed as if Sam tried to put up a fight with whoever committed these transgressions. Sam's far too traumatized to listen to logic right now though--it's better if you don't see him for a few days, at the least. You might further his emotional distress," Ratchet said, watching the expressions change on Optimus' face. "One more thing. Optimus, inside one of Sam's notebooks, Bumblebee discovered this." Ratchet held up a small flat sheet of metal about the size of a sticky note. It was carved into a jagged shape--a shape that Optimus knew all too well to be the symbol of the Decepticons. "He left a calling card. I think this is a trap to get inside your mind, Prime. Don't let irrationality cloud your thoughts because of him. I'll take care of him. You just lay low for a while."

"Starscream must have reported back to Megatron; surely my brother is involved. I'm going to go talk to Ironhide and the others and see if I can get to the bottom of this," Optimus replied, determination spreading on his face. "They all should've been on duty. They should've been watching Sam the entire time and---"

"Now let's not jump to conclusions and accusations just yet," He answered warily.

"Ratchet, you know as well as I do that I did not harm that boy."

"Based on my findings, I'm not sure who or what to believe at this point."

Sam awoke again and found Bumblebee at his side, having not left since the time when he'd panicked upon seeing him next to his bed. His entire being stung with a pulsing ache and he noticed his body was too weak to support any weight which meant he wouldn't be moving for a while. Ratchet was at his bedside in a chair, writing something down in a manilla folder. His personal doctor barely shifted when he noticed that he was awake.

"Ahh, you're up. You've been unconscious for quite a few days. I sent a note to your school saying that you got into a car accident and had to be rushed to the hospital. Sideswipe has been doing all your homework for you," Ratchet replied. Sam's battered face looked at him full of questions and surprise.

"What am I doing here, Ratchet?" He asked. Everything seemed like it had all happened too fast.

"You don't remember? Bumblebee found you lying in the forest on your college grounds five days ago. He drove you here and you've been in that bed ever since."

Sam remembered now. The walk with Optimus through the woods. The rough hands snaking their way down his chest to...No, he blocked it out. The very thought made him tremble and awoke Bee.

"Sam, you must tell me. What happened to you? The wounds I found on your body were insanely deep. You could've died from the blood loss had Bumblebee not found you when he did."

"O-Optimus, he offered to walk me back to my dorm," Sam struggled with each word, trying to get them out without a picture coming to his head. "He offered a shortcut through the woods. I was late anyway, I didn't want to be out after dark. There was something off about him--a harshness that Prime never had; at least that he'd never use on me. I wanted to thank him for saving my life again. And then..." He gripped the bedsheets tightly, knowing that if he spoke of it, he'd relive the events over again in his mind, "I told him to stop, I told him I didn't want to but he wouldn't listen. I don't know what he did after that. I blacked out."

"Sam, it couldn't have been Optimus. Five days ago, he was still here, recovering. I was with him all night until you arrived," Ratchet explained. He saw mass panic on Sam's face.

"No, you're wrong! I saw him with my own eyes! It WAS Optimus! He was the one who..." He stopped again, remembering the bright flash of red he'd seen before he had knocked out. Optimus' eyes were blue; he knew for a fact. Then how would that explain the firey red he had witnessed? He didn't care. He knew who did it. He knew who had put him in the state he was in. Optimus. Optimus Prime. It was all his fault. He had ignored Sam's cries and done as he pleased.

"Sam..." Ratchet began again, but Sam shook his head vigorously.

"NO. I don't care what you say. I saw who it was! I KNOW who it was! Don't try to make him seem innocent! After all the trust I put into Optimus...he--" Sam began to cry again which caused Bumblebee to wrap an arm around his shoulder.

Ratchet stood up from his seat, "Sam. Optimus would never hurt you. Look at yourself--is that what you honestly believe that Prime is capable of doing? To anybody? I know it may be hard to believe but sometimes your eyes can't be the first thing you trust. I can assure you, Sam, he was here the entire night."

Sam wouldn't even look at him. He was just going to defend Optimus. Defend the very one who had put him in the sorry condition he was in! He curled into Bumblebee's side, ignoring any words coming from Ratchet's mouth. He heard a defeated sigh and a rummaging of papers before there was a distant click of a door being shut. He loosened his tense grip on his guardian.

"What did you see, Bee?"

Bee made sure his vocal processors worked, which still made his voice sound distorted and odd, "You were hurt. Optimus was here. I don't know who did it but...it couldn't have been him."

That wasn't the answer Sam was hoping to hear. Was everyone going to take his side? Without another word, he turned onto his other side (despite the horrible pain he felt searing his back in two) and fell back asleep.