I wanna thank all my reviewers! I'll write personal thank yous in the next chapter, because I'm too impatient and wanna post this ASAP! But thank you all SO much


Barricade wasted no time. After that, he had immediately gone to Optimus and asked for his permission to leave the base. Optimus, as usual, was hesitant, but seeing since Ironhide and the other Autobots didn't want Barricade there, (and I also think Optimus didn't fully trust him that much on base) and with my constant pleading, he finally let us go.

After all this time of not even having the thought to look at a clock, I lost track of time totally. By the time we were back in the US, it was about three in the afternoon. I didn't even realize how tired I actually was.

"Are you awake girl?" That voice wasn't Nate's. It was Barricade's. I had almost forgotten Nate wasn't with us. I worried about his safety.

Anyway, Barricade's voice was surprisingly soft and didn't sound like an air horn for once. I was stirred from my light sleep, and I opened my eyes fully, allowing the sun to enter them. "Yea, why? Did we find a place to stop?" I had so many new questions. "Can we go to my place? I could really use a shower or something."

"We're staying at a hotel," He replied.

I bolted forward, "What? Where the hell did you get the money?"

"I didn't get any money," He replied. "We're staying in the parking lot."

I growled. "Oh, you are cruel. You're gonna force me to stay just outside, in the cold, dark parking lot, in front of some nice and cozy looking rooms?" I could understand that he spent the last hundreds or maybe even thousands of years being a Decepticon, but he did not have to be so cruel! I pouted, folding my arms and pressing them against my chest tightly.

He seemed to ignore what I was saying, despite the fact he was looking right at me. "Are you alright?" His question surprised me. Even though I knew he was on our side now, it still shocked me to hear him attempt to comfort me or care even the slightest for my feelings.

I nodded with a shrug. "I guess I'm okay. So much shit in my life right now, I honestly don't know what to feel." It was true. I had gone through so much in such a short amount of time. I was all tired out, mentally and physically.

"I want to apologize.." Damn Barricade. You just keep on surprising me every minute I'm with you. Anyway, he continued. "I shouldn't have told you about your half brother so soon. I just wanted you to trust me."

I shrugged it off. "It's no big deal. "I wasn't lying. It really wasn't. "I mean, if you wouldn't have sooner, we probably wouldn't be here. So, don't worry about it. Besides, I've known I had a half brother out there somewhere for years, so it's not like it was so soon at all." Barricade wasn't bad at all. He was actually really cool.

Barricade's holoform appeared in the seat next to me, and I jumped slightly. It was going to take some getting used to. "Do you trust me?"

His question kinda confused me. Did I not show I trusted him enough? Or maybe he was just trying to feel reassured. So I nodded, "I could trust you with my life right now, actually."

He did something I thought I wouldn't see him do, at least, not in a nice way. He smiled at me. "Good, because I trust you now. I owe you for sticking up for me earlier." He paused and looked away. He seemed a little embarrassed to be thanking me. A human girl. "I've always hated humans. Never liked a single one, but I wasn't always like that. Megatron and his other followers rotted my brain. They told me humans were nothing but pests and they didn't deserve to live. He had me believing every single word he told me. He said we'd get all the energon in the world. I saw you, and hated you. He ordered me to take you both hostage so he could do whatever he was thinking of doing at that time to you or Nate." He looked around for a second. "When we were on the ship, you seemed to push aside the fact that I was on the bad side and you treated me like I was good. You said that you'd help introduce me to the others and I immediately remembered what I had originally believed in; that humans aren't bad at all and they aren't pests. They're a young and sometimes naive race, but they aren't bad." He looked back over at me, and my heart skipped a beat. I wasn't too sure why, but I was feeling funny. "You helped guide me back to what I once was."

Everything Barricade said was so touching. He was definitely a totally different person.. err.. mech.. in my eyes now. He was actually sweet.

I waved it off with a grin, "Don't worry about it. It was nothing, really. I just live by the rule of 'get to know first, judge later'. I kinda made that up, by the way, so that's why it sounds kinda lame." I chuckled.

He shook his head. "It makes sense. I wish I could've been more like that. Instead I was processorwashed.. well, I mean, brainwashed."

I couldn't help but laugh. Processorwashed? Oh boy, these guys just got funnier and funnier. "You gotta teach me your slang words so I can fit in better. Like, what the hell is slag? Aft? Frag? I'm assuming processor is your brain."

"Processor can be anything. For example: an audio processor is obviously our hearing. Our vocal processors are our voices. Things like that." He seemed pretty willing to teach me. I was glad he was beginning to warm up to me. It seemed like it was just yesterday that he was mean to me.. oh wait. Pretty close to it.

Anyway, I smiled at him. "Oh, okay, well, you can teach me later. What do we do now?" I asked, looking around out the window. The sun was pretty bright, and it made me less tired. I was fully awake now, but I knew that if I closed my eyes, I'd likely fall back asleep.

His holoform shrugged. "We stay away from danger until Prime or the others make contact with me and tell me it's safe to bring you back."

"What if it's years from now?" I asked. What? Wars went on for years, so maybe they'd never be able to capture Megatron and Starscream for years. It was a possibility.

He didn't seem to convinced it would be years, but he shrugged. "I'll guard you no matter what. Being a guardian isn't just for a temporary amount of time. It's forever. Unless, you don't want to be guarded, then I won't do it."

I smiled at this. I don't know why, but it made me feel funny inside when he said that. It made me feel wanted and protected. It almost reminded me of how I felt about Nate before I found out he was my brother... Wait a second! Please tell me I'm not telling myself that I actually might like Barricade? And not just as friends.. I'm talkin' like like.

"So," I cleared my throat, trying to think of something to talk about. Maybe I'd come up with a potential conversation starter. I was usually good at that, but for some reason, I couldn't think of what to say. "Uh, how is it exactly possible for Nate's dad to have been.. re-producing with his mother? She was a Cybertronian, so I don't get how that would work."

"If I explained it to you in detail, you would probably never look at me the same again," He grinned with a chuckle. "But, I'll try my best not to.. disgust you. You see, it is possible for Cybertronians to mate with humans. The process can be fatal, though, not just to the human, but to the Cybertronian because the male's.. sperm cells.. can actually interfere with the femmes.. parts, or cables. Think about a live wire touching water. If you're standing in that water, you're likely to get shocked, and it could be strong enough to kill a person. Imagine the shock a Cybertronian would give off. Laren had such a lust for a family, she didn't care what she did to herself, or her human." He paused, clearly trying to think of what else to say, so I kept my mouth shut. "Of course, Nate's father never knew she was a Cybertronian, at least I don't think."

When he seemed to be finished, I nodded. "Oh well, I mean, I guess it makes sense now." Even though it really didn't... "Is she still alive?" That was the big question I wanted to ask. "I just don't get why she'd walk out on Nate and his dad when she wanted a family for so long. She finally had one and she let go."

Unfortunately, Barricade shrugged. "She was likely scared. She might be still alive, but who knows. I haven't seen her since.. well.. I haven't seen her since before she had human children." He paused. "We were good friends."

"Why do I get the feeling you should look much older than your holoform appears?" I laughed with a raised eyebrow, my arms folded. I didn't purposely try to change the subject, but I had to ask before I forgot.

He shrugged. "Who knows how old I'd be in human years. There's no calculation for it like you humans can tell how old a dog is in human years."

I shook my head with a grin. "Well, I'd imagine you'd be slightly older, but then again, looks can be deceiving."

"Have you ever been in a long relationship?" He asked, and I could tell he felt a bit awkward asking. I'm sure it was because Cybertronian's don't likely use the word 'relationship'.

I laughed at his question. Ohhh, sooo many memories came flooding back. "I was married once." So many awful memories.

He seemed slightly taken aback. "You were married? Bonded?" He made a 'hmm' noise. "I've never seen your mate."

I rolled my eyes as my mind raced back to the past. I wasn't too thrilled about talking about it, but I felt like I could tell Barricade anything for some strange reason. "That's because I'm not married. I mean, my maiden name is Ackley, as you already know, but I kept Chambliss just because I got tired of my last name. No real reason to it. I got a divorce because my ex husband got some new job, when we were married, and cheated on me with some stupid whore. It's nothing really, now. He was kind of an asshole to begin with. He was eighteen when we met, and then by the time he turned around nineteen, we were already getting married. We got divorced shortly after."

"Then I suppose you did the right thing to leave him. When a Cybertronian is bonded, we are bonded for life and respect one another greatly," He paused. "Well, I wouldn't know, considering I've never been bonded, but those are the rules. Respect one another, never have affairs and always, always fight for each other. As evil as we may seem, those rules apply to Decepticons as well."

I was surprised. Cybertronians were so.. awesome. I mean, at first I thought they were awesome with their huge, strong looks, then their knowledge, and now I think they're great because they know how to respect one another when it comes to being in a relationship.

"I wish humans could be more like that." I sighed. "We're so.. stupid. We do stupid things and say stupid things. Nate and I have been best friends for a while now, and I really, really, started to like him. He knew how to respect women, and he was just an awesome person to hang around with. When I found out he was my half brother, I just nearly died. I felt like the one person who ever made me happy and cared for me, could never actually be with me."

He looked away. "I'm sure you'll find.. somebody."

I squinted my eyes in confusion for a split second, then softened them. Barricade was acting kinda weird, but I didn't wanna question it in case it was nothing.. but something told me there was something up with him.

I only shrugged. "I wish, but," I sighed. "I dunno."

"You're tougher than you look. Tougher than you think, too." He began. I looked up at him, my ears and mind listening intently on what he was saying. "When I was assigned to follow you, I learned a lot about humans. You and Nathan had a great sense of humor towards one another. It was as if you knew you were related, but you didn't. I looked at other human women and they were all the same. Stuck-up, full of themselves, too shy, too outgoing, attractive, not attractive enough, but I saw you and I heard you and I understood your personality, and everything about you was almost flawless." I squinted my eyes. Flawless? I wouldn't exactly say that.. "You may think it's not true, but the things that happen to you in your life isn't what gives you flaws. It's how you handle it. How you think about it. You handled your life with a lot of care. You are attending a good college for good purposes and you have an attitude that nobody would want to mess with, yet you are as gentle and kind as a little girl, but you're as mature as a woman. Sure you may have some smart or cocky remarks, but it's a good thing to be fun at times." He laughed. "Believe me, I feel like an idiot saying all of this, but, it feels.. nice to be able to share my true feelings with somebody, instead of having to pretend I'm so evil and hector everybody just to stay with the Decepticons."

I admit. I was pretty speechless! Not to mention very, very appreciative. Barricade was being so honest with me, I really didn't know what to say. "Thank you," I said, but I wanted to say so much more. So I tried my best. "Thank you so much for saying all of that. I mean, I would've never believed all of that about me, but after listening to what you had to say, I can honestly agree. I really do appreciate it. I'm also glad that I got to know you. You've turned out to be a good guardian and an even better friend."

"I'm just trying my best to get used to being.. sociable and approachable." He smiled weakly at me. I could tell he was embarrassed. He wasn't used to saying stuff like that, which made me believe it even more.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "You're doing a great job, 'Cade."

He smiled back at me. Barricade was truly a great Cybertronian and I was glad he was with the Autobots, because he made one hell of a wonderful Autobot.

And I'm sure as hell proud to say he's my guardian!

I had just one more question though. "What did Megatron want with me and Nate?"


Cliffhanger!

OMG sorry for taking SOOO long to write! So much school work! D: Anyway, Barricade and Corrie got their chit-chat in, and they seem to be getting closer. :P Woo! There will be more and better Barricade/Corrie alone-chit-chat time. ;)

Thanks for being patient!