(Thanks for your votes! Here's the tally thus far:

Twins: 4

Toaster: 1 {my mother said her vote counted so… I had to obey!}

Jazz: 7

Prowl: 1

Dino/Mirage: 1

Voting still has a few more chapters until I'll close it :3 we'll see how it end up ~ I have plots for ether, but admittedly, I could do a lot more with the twins :P

Short chapter after a long one; I am evil :P

Anyways, enjoy 11~)

Skyler sat on the ground next to my uninjured leg. She had one arm curled around Bell, having made me fetch her from the wreckage of my bedroom, the other looped around my shin. Skyler made not a peep, not even a whimper, as she numbly stayed with me. No doubt she was remembering the sounds of her parents deaths; she had been on the phone with them when they were killed, as I was told by an agent. Hally sat with her head in her sisters' lap, her face curled into her twins' stomach as she sniffled and snorted slightly. Idly, my hand stroked Skyler's dirty blond hair.

I was clean of the strange blue goop; the only exception had been the stuff I had unfortunately swallowed. I hadn't said anything about it; I didn't feel the need. The man who introduced himself previously, Lennox, had made me rinse down. My bathroom had also been mutilated, though the toilet was mercilessly left alone, so I had to rinse off with the hose. Hally and Skyler had unenthusiastically helped me rinse as the soldiers and the robots set off to make sure there were no more Decepticons. I had been reduced to walking around in my sports bra, since my shirt was… well… nasty. It wasn't like the blue bra wasn't ether, but it had the least amount of blood on it.

It was moments like this when I was glad that being a mechanic and a ruff and tumble farm girl had left me with few spots that weren't muscled more so then the average woman. The only spot that wasn't muscled was the slight pudge to my lower stomach, near my hips. That, unfortunately, was something I couldn't get to go away, no matter how many crunches I did, or whatever I did to make the weight go away. And, I guess to be honest, my ass is big. Heart shaped, but still, big. Not shelf big, but I have big hips and that shows in my ass and thighs. My jeans still covered my legs, so I was saved one embarrassment for the day.

My tongue had stopped bleeding about an hour ago; I had bitten clean through the center of it, and it had torn slightly, almost completely to the tip. If it had, I would have had a forked tongue. Lucky for me, it would be healed in a week or two, maybe less. Out of all the human parts of our bodies, our tongues literally heal the fastest. As for my ribs; Jazz told me, with his meager ability to scan our human bodies, that I had gone and broke two of my ribs and cracked another. It wasn't something I hadn't done before; broken ribs were usually a cause and effect deal. The cause of mine usually were from when I was in my teen and child years; climbing trees, attempting to jump the ravine, rope swing gone incorrectly, or even the time I tried to act like a barrel rolling clown in a circus. Broken bones were practically family… considering they were usually inside our bodies.

My gaze drifted sideways slightly, gazing at Jazz. He had come back about thirty minutes ago, transformed down to his Solstice form, and then hadn't said a peep beyond the occasional medical advice, and that the bots were cutting their show short to come up here quicker. Jazz had also said that the bones in my ribs hadn't splintered, meaning no bone shards to pierce my soft and squishy organs, but he said I needed Ratchet, the mechanic and medic to the Autobot faction as I had come to understand, to take a look at me to be sure. He said Ratchet had left earlier then the rest, and would be here in ten, fifteen minutes depending on the traffic.

I gazed away to look at the ruins of my home. I had grown up there; the trailer old enough to have been my home from infantry until now. My lips cracked dryly as I stretched my mouth into a dry and weary smile. It would have lasted much longer if I hadn't been stuck with these robots… The whole side of my room was in tatters; my dressers and clothes were dirty but fine, though my great grandma's giant wardrobe now needed new paint on it. Several of my other heirlooms, not worth much but the sentimental value now that the economy has gone to shit, had been damaged as well, including great great grandpa Orval's red cedar box that he had used to propose to his wife, my great great granma, Opal. The box, to this day, still smells like cedar; even damaged as it was. My bed was destroyed; completely. The wooden and hardy frame was all right, but my mattress was literally in pieces everywhere along with my carpet, my drapes for the windows, and my blankets. Insurance, though, would replace the house with a newer model, since these models weren't made anymore, and it would also replace everything damaged inside. As for the tractor and anything else; I was on my own.

Miraculously, my Kubota only had minor damage. There were some dents to the hydraulics, and the hydraulic system needed to be tuned up and replaced due to strain. The prong was bent, or had been, but Sideswipe had bent it back as easily as if someone were snapping a toothpick in half. The treads on the tires were worn out; and I needed to check the brakes whenever I got around to it.

It would be a long while, unfortunately, before I would be healthy enough to do much of these… that means I would have to hijack one of the Autobots for grocery shopping… Food. Houses. I sighed. We'd be sleeping ether in the twin's room, or in the barn. The barn was fully hospitable; it had a small room near my office that would work if we cleared it out. There's also the upstairs, if the girls didn't feel safe on the ground. I need to ask.

Peeling my lips apart, I used my damaged tongue to wet my lips. "Girls?"

Hally looked up at me, her blue eyes still glassy from all the sobbing she had done previously. "Yes Torrie?"

I hummed softly. "Do you want to sleep in the house tonight, or do you want me to move the beds to the barn until the insurance people can get around to getting us a new house?"

Hally curled her face back into Skyler's stomach, and Skyler answered instead. "Barn." She said softly. "No house. Not now."

I swallowed thickly and nodded. "Alright. We'll have to use your beds and push them together." My mouth felt dry again. "I'm not going to be able to carry them. I'll have to ask the soldiers…"

Skyler nodded against my knee. "That's fine… When are they going away?"

"The soldiers?"

Skyler shook her head on my knee again. "No."

"Autobots."

"Yes."

"I don't know." I rubbed my neck offhandedly, wincing when the movement pulled on my ribs. "Not for a long time, though."

There was a sniff. "Make 'm go 'way." Hally said, her voice muffled by her sisters stomach. "They're bad…"

I shook my head reluctantly. "They're not that bad. These are the good guys." I said with a tired truth in my voice. "They're here to help; but they don't have homes. John said they can stay here."

Hally whined. "Don't want em. Evict them."

"I can't." I said, exasperated. "The government wont let me."

"Do it anyways."

"I'll do it if you want to leave too." I said stiffly. It caught their attention, and both of them looked up at me. "If I make them leave, the government will take you in retaliation." I shifted again and looked down at them fully. "I don't like that they're up here ether; but if it means I get to keep you two, then I'm willing to put up with it."

Skyler nodded again, and this time Hally spoke. "So… it was ether we stay and they stay, or you get rid of them and lose us?"

I nodded. "Yes." Focusing my pale irises on Hally's blue ones, I gave her a soft smile. "You two are worth more then anything in the world to me."

"Mean it?"

I nodded again. "Yes."

"Then they can stay." Skyler murmured softly. "Only so we don't have to leave you."

"Oh, children," I sighed softly. "I wouldn't let them take you." I gave Skyler a gentle stroke through her dirty hair. "We'd run. I'd empty the savings, we'd flee, and we live under new names in some far off country… Canada? Russia? Turkey?"

Hally gave me the strangest look. "There's a country inside a turkey?"

I smiled softly. "No, no. When you're older, I'll teach you about the world. But, anyways… We'd live under new names. I'd be… I dunno… Gretchen? Skyler, you'd be… Sandra, and Hally, you would be… Jamie. You just say the word, and I'll sweep you all away."

Skyler let off a soft and dry giggle. "No Gretchen. We'll stay."

I smiled tiredly. "Good. I don't think I can run that far with a broken foot and no car. Flintstones style isn't that appealing." Hally gave me a soft laugh, but they both cringed down into my leg as Jazz transformed again. Hally lurched across Skylers lap to grab my injured leg and bury her face in it, while Skyler hid her face in my thigh. I glanced up at him, irritated. "What?" my tongue started to split with the force I used to spit out the word.

"We were unaware that you were unwillingly hosting us here on your land." Jazz commented softly. Don't worry; we'll help however we can." It seemed his temper had cooled down now. Civil talk seemed manageable for the moment. "Ratchet had informed me that he has pulled into your driveway with what also happens to be Ironhide, his other patient."

"The trigger happy fucktard?"

He gave an irritated trill, planting his clawed hands on his hips. "Language please, there are sparklings ears here. Yes, that Ironhide. Don't worry though; he's good with kids."

"The girls know not to use the language now, so I have no reason not to." I curled my lip defiantly. "Skyler and Hally wont go anywhere near him, or any of you for that matter, unless it is unavoidable, or if they so choose to and inform me of it."

Hally whimpered into my leg. "No robot…"

Lennox walked up, his gun in its resting position. "The property is clear; the twins stayed back to clean up the energon spill, though they should be done soon." He eyed me slightly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I lied easily.

"She was just telling me that her cousins weren't going anywhere near Ironhide or us unless they decided to." Jazz supplied, correcting my lie.

Lennox frowned at me. "Ironhide may seem rough and tumble on the outside, but when it comes to kids, he's got a soft spot for them. He got along well with my Annabelle, and has been around her since she was just a few months old."

I canted my head. "What you do with your children is your own business; what I do with mine is my business. Now butt-out, soldier boy."

He crossed his arms and arched a dirty blond-brown brow. "Show a little trust, kid. We fight for your country, to keep you all safe."

I snorted. "Sorry, for a second you actually sounded sincere. I don't give a rat's ass. I don't like the government, or its fratboys and jocks."

He turned to look up at Jazz. "Is she always this friendly?"

Jazz tilted his head back with a sigh. "Only when she's hurt or you try and govern her life, or you try and give advice, or tell her she's snappish, the list goes on and on."

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm a right old bitch." I snapped. "Off the subject.

Jazz held out a hand. "See what I mean?"

Lennox nodded. "Yep." Turning his gaze back to me, he frowned. "You don't have to be so defensive, no one here is going to hurt you or your cousins. A few people and robots aren't going to hurt you"

I curled my lip. "I'm defensive because that's how I am. I don't like people, robots, anything in-between. I'm no socialite, and you best get to know it well."

Lennox sighed. "Listen, Ms. Evans. I don't want to heckle you with things that are just going to blow through the hole where your missing gray matter, so just let me say this. Will you please clean up how you speak to the Autobots? They haven't done anything but help everyone. They've earned my respect."

"They're in the negatives with mine." I hissed back. My hand flew to my mouth as my tongue opened up again, blood welling up to fill my tongue. Hally passed me a clean rag that was used for staunching blood flow, and I stuffed it in my mouth, snarling around it. "Geee waaay efhore aii kikh yu en da mutts."

He blinked. "What?"

Hally looked up at him, her blue eyes unhappy. "She said get away 'fore she kicks you in the mutts."

"Nuts." Skyler murmured softly in correction.

Lennox held up a hand and backed off. "Be warned; some of the bots wont take kindly to your attitude and are likely to try and put you straight."

I took the rag out of my mouth and threw it at him. He dodged it nimbly, but left me alone to dribble my blood down my face and into my bra.

Jazz hummed. "You sure have a way with words."

I flipped him the finger tiredly.

Skyler glanced up at me with an innocent worry in her eyes. "Your bleeding 'gain."

"Noticed." I said offhandedly.

There was the sound of a medical siren approaching, and then an ambulance half rolled and have walked out of the trees as he transformed. Behind him, a black GMC top kick was transforming as well, though he was slower and seemed to be gimping.

The ambulance I figured was Ratchet, because he was said to be a medical officer. The truck probably was Ironhide, because there was no one else with them. Ratchet helped Ironhide to sit down against one of my trees, and then strode towards me with a purpose on his step. The big black robot's eyes zeroed in on Skyler and Hally, seeming to narrow as they shrank away from Ratchet, hiding behind my legs. The robot's colors hurt my eyes as he leaned down and ran a scan over me. I could practically feel him looking at each separate piece of my anatomy; running scans deep enough to burn my very blood cells.

"Hmm." His voice was deep, very strict sounding. "You, young femme, should be in bed resting, not up sitting out here in your underskins. Your tongue is torn, your blood level is low, though your stress, as well as the sparklings, reads higher then is good for your kind." He observed. "It seems your bones are broken, fractured, and your tissue will be bruised within the next hour. Your body is overstressed, over worked, and you might have a touch of whiplash and a concussion from your impact with the tree." He held out a hand. "Come. Let us get you to your abode."

I stayed planted on the tailgate. "Not happening. My house is torn apart, and I need to start clearing out my office bulk stock and small parts room so I can get it turned into an acceptable place to sleep until we can replace my house."

The robot seemed to snort; a big gust of hot, oily smelling air rolled over me and made me cough. "Nonsense. You will rest within Ironhide while we prepare the proper places for you and your family unit to rest. You have a mate, yes?"

"No, I don't have a 'mate' and we're not going in that hunk of junk over there." I snarked. Blood bubbled in my mouth again, and I spat out to the side, away from anyone.

"As my patient, I'll dictate your actions until I see fit to release you."

"No," I balked. "I have ruled up here," I prattled them off rapid fire. "Don't try and make me do anything."

Ratchet lifted his lip. "Ms. Evans, you seemed to be under the impression that I'm going to abide by your rules. Now, get on my servo, or I will place you there in a less gentle manner myself. Your children too."

I sneered. "Touch me, I'll go rabid dog on your hand, buckaroo."

The big black mech stood himself up, limping over to look down at us. "Your not going to get her anywhere without damage to her or yourself if you keep going at it like that." Ironhide scoffed. "Femmes don't like to be told what to do."

I jerked a thumb at him. "Scrapheap's right."

"Shut it, brat. We mean to harm to you or yours." Ratchet snarked back.

Ironhide knelt jerkily down, surveying me with calmer eyes then I would suspect from a weapons junkie. He pointed with his chin to the quivering forms behind my legs. "It might be best to get them to a more enclosed spot. They're terrified out of their processors."

"Of all of you." I pointed out.

He tilted his head. "Me? Probably not. Ratchet? Yep. Jazz? I dunno."

"Oh?" I snarled, spitting out another blood glob. "Why not you?"

"Because, I've cared for younglings and sparklings before," he rolled his eyes. "I know how to handle them, and I know my limits. I'm a front-liner and a protector; I used to work in the sparkling sectors in one of my planets cities before the war started."

"Sparkling sectors?" I warily asked.

"A place for orphaned sparklings, babies, to go to when ether they lost their parents, their parents rejected them, or lost custody, to use your human term, over them."

Easing a hand down to gently rub Skyler's hair, I contemplated what he said. "And what did you do there?"

"Care for and raise the sparklings." He rolled his eyes again. "Which, most of whom I cared for, were even more fragile then your soft organic children."

I hummed. "I don't like you," I said. "That's for sure." I jerked a thumb towards the other two. "But your up about three more points in the likable meter then they are, provided your not lying to me."

"I could show you a hologram, but I'd rather not. I'm not flattering in the red color I was before earth."

"Whatever." I said. I got myself standing, Skyler and Hally coming out to cling to my legs. In order to make my walking effort easier, I leaned down and with a pained half grunt half exhale, lifted them up to carry them around my waist. I started off towards the barn with Ironhide plodding along behind me, and the lighter less gimping steps of the Yellow-green bot following afterwards.

"You see, Ratchet? Your bedside manner lacks majorly. Instead of talking down a protective and almost rampaging femme, you drive her closer." Ironhide tsked. "For shame, Doc bot, for shame."