I do not own Transformers only my OC's.

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I've got a long chapter here for you all, so without further delay...

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

It's amazing how different school feels after a week of being absent. The usual chatter and discord floated through the halls; people uninterested in being here so early, those discussing how they would skip classes, what assignments they left to do and the occasional student who was all too eager to be here. I was usually mixed right into the group wondering why I was up so early, but after everything that had happened this sense of normality was welcomed.

I had been given clearance to the base, but I would have to wait until Saturday, which was two days away. Part of me couldn't wait. I would officially be with Ron after that.

All the same I could not deny I was becoming increasingly more nervous. I would be on military property with a series of robots calling themselves Autobots. There was no saying what would happen.

I couldn't help but wonder if I would end up meeting all of them or if I would be spared a potential break down and only be subjected to meeting Ironhide. I really only wanted to meet him, the others could stay hidden for all I cared. Knowing what other vehicles these guys took would only make me fidgety on the streets.

"Hey Melry," Lucas popped up next to my locker with a grin. "How're you feeling?"

I shrugged, "still healing, but better than before." Much better, I thought with a faint smile. Despite the alien issues, things were looking up.

"Glad to hear." He dug into his coat pocket. "I kept forgetting to bring this over to your house," he produced my cell phone.

"Thanks," I had forgotten all about it. It was dead, which was not surprising, but at least it was one thing to have been given back. All the rest of my belongings from that night were still in military hands. I hadn't any idea what they thought they could accomplish with them, they only had Little Ironhide, my graphing calculator and a notebook or two with homework in it. Not anything that was overly dangerous… the toy truck was I suppose, but it had not been designed for such purposes.

"I must have a million messages waiting for me," I half laughed. My Texan friends were probably wondering what had happened to me, we usually texted every day. I would have to call them when I got a chance to charge it. Perhaps this was a sign for me to write their numbers down so if anything ever happened again I could get in contact.

School passed by slowly, but I was just happy things were normal. I could sit back and concentrate on my work and forget about my alien troubles. My teachers were surprised to find I had done all the makeup work and my injuries allowed me to skip gym, which was always a plus, especially considering we were playing basketball. I never got out of that sport without trying to break my fingers.

"Are you sure you're ready to come back?" Lucas asked at the end of the day as I headed to the bus with him.

"Positive," I replied. "I'm sick of being stuck at home. Going back to work will be a nice change. I'll just have to take it easy."

Perhaps I had made the wrong decision, but by the time I had realized it was too late to back out without looking foolish. Work wasn't strenuous, physically, but we had an overly aggressive customer causing a ruckus. He'd left me with a rather sizable migraine.

It was a relief to finally be able to collapse into bed that night. My mattress felt heavenly to my taxed mind and body.

I nearly cursed when I realized I had yet to touch my homework and I still had to hook my phone up to the charger. It took a great deal of effort to get myself up. All I wanted to do was sleep, but there was no time for such luxuries.

Turns out there were sixty-two text messages and eight voice mails awaiting my attention. Most of them were from Jessy, but there were a fair number from Jeremy and Patrick. They were worrying about me. It was touching, but I really didn't want to deal with it right now. Sadly, it wouldn't do to put it off another day.

'Hey guys' I started a text message, 'I'm fine – mostly – exhausted right now. Sorry for worrying ya.' It was quick and simple, but it would do.

I had barely put it down and grabbed my backpack when my phone started ringing. It was Jessy. "Hey," I answered with.

"Where the fudge have you been?" Jessy's frustrated, yet relieve voice rang into my throbbing skull. "I thought you died."

"Nearly did," I said before I could stop myself.

"What?"

I groaned, "please don't scream, I have a migraine."

"Well you better tell me what the hell happened or I'm gonna keep on screaming girl." I could almost imagine her with her hands on her hips.

How was I supposed to answer? I could tell her the truth, I trusted her to keep it secret, but somehow I didn't think the government or the military would be amused. If there was one thing I knew, it was to never mess with the government. "I got in an accident, broke several ribs." It was mostly true.

"Oh my God!" I cringed. "How bad is it? Do I need to come up and beat a drunk driver or something?"

"No, it's fine," I tried to calm her, "I'm pretty fortunate actually. I lost my phone shortly before the accident, that's why you haven't heard from me."

"Geez Mel. Give me the damn home phone number will you, so if anything happens again I can at least find out if you alive."

I nodded, even though I knew she couldn't see it and gave her the number. I should have done it months ago.

"How are you feeling now?" she asked.

"Better than before, but still rather beat up. The migraine isn't helping matters either."

"Then go sleep."

"I have work I need to do," I sighed and looked at my backpack.

There was a pause on the other end. "Mel, seriously, forget school for a night."

"I've been out for a week."

"Another day isn't going to harm anyone," she made a lame attempt to sound motherly, "so go to bed before I come and drag you fat ass back down here kicking and screaming."

I smiled, "I'd love to come back at some point. I miss you guys."

"And we all miss you," she cooed. "Come down soon. You know my mum, she won't mind you staying here for a while."

"Thanks," I really wish I could take the offer up. I missed Texas. "I'm going to go Jess."

"Get some sleep and feel better, ya hear."

"I'll do my best. Talk to you later."

"See ya."

My phone snapped shut. My head was throbbing, but it had been nice to finally speak to her.

"You should be taking it easy." I found Ron standing in the doorway, shoulder pressed against the frame with arms crossed.

I couldn't help but smile. "I don't know the definition of the term."

"Do I need to teach it to you?" He strolled in, the faintest hint of a grin on his lips.

"Maybe," I locked my hands behind my back to resist the urge of hugging him. I had promised.

He leaned in towards me, "I don't think you could handle the lesson."

"Really?" my voice was soft, cheeks hot. I could almost feel his lips on mine again, firm, loving and protective.

Ron's hand came up and stopped just shy of my cheek. "You're warm."

My blush intensified. He could feel that without even touching me? How embarrassing!

He chuckled and ruffled my hair. "Get into bed kid."

"Stop calling me kid," I groaned.

"That's what you are."

Huffing I stepped out from under his hand. "I may be younger than you, but that doesn't mean I'm a child. I'm fully capa- hey, what are you doing?" Ron slipped a hand around my waist and pressed me gently towards my bed. "Ron?"

"First lesson, don't ask questions."

I felt inclined to ask them, but with Ron so close to me, touching me, I could not find the words to vocalize them. His hand was warm against the small of my back and made my skin tingle.

"Second, put unnecessary work aside." He pulled the covers back, "and rest."

"But I have work to do," I half-heartedly protested as I lay down.

He rolled his eyes, "worthless work. That school of yours is deplorable."

"So says you."

Ron haphazardly pulled the blankets up, "just take it easy."

I squirmed, "that's hard to do when I'm thinking of all the work I have."

A frown overtook his face, "quite being obstinate."

"Then what are you being?"

"Your common sense."

"My common sense is male? Well now, that's rather peculiar."

He rolled his eyes with a faint smile. "Get some rest kid."

"Yes old man," if he was going to call me a kid, I could retort.

"Older than you think," he pecked me on the cheek.

An inferno erupted under my skin. "W-w-what about the – the week thing."

He froze, inches from me. His breath brushed against my cheek softly, fanning the ever growing flame. "I apologize." He started moving away and my cheek suddenly felt chilled. I didn't like this feeling, cold and loneliness. I wanted the warmth back.

A pair of firm lips crashed onto mine.

My arms were locked firmly around his neck. I don't know how they had gotten there, but I was glad they had. His warmth spread, enveloping me in a delicate blanket. His lips moved luxurious against mine, claiming my lower lip.

His hair, thick and smooth, slipped through my fingers as I stroked it lovingly. This felt so right, so perfect, as if I had found a piece of heaven here within him. I never wanted it to end, never wanted him to leave me.

But all things had to end and I was left with great longing as he broke the kiss. His forehead pressed against mine, causing a delightful tingle to seep through my skin. His breath, hot and minty, washed across my face in panted breaths as he caressed my cheek with his thumb.

Suddenly he snapped away, breaking the hold I had around his neck. A chill set in with his absence. "I shouldn't be doing this," it seemed more a comment to himself than me.

"Ron," arduously I sat up. "Hey," I gently cupped his face between my hands, grateful that he had wound up sitting at my level, "it's alright."

"No," he carefully slid my hands off, taking them up in his, "there's too much you don't know."

He kept saying that, yet would not explain. There wasn't even a reasonable answer as to why I had to wait for Saturday.

"This is for the best," he said before standing. "Two days," he reminded me, "rest until then." He ran a hand down my cheek with a faint smile.

Sighing, I leaned into his touch. "Lesson learned."

He only smiled.

XxXxXxXxXx

"Major," a black soldier saluted as uncle exited the truck two days later. The Fairchild Air Force Base, as its name turned out to be, was only about twenty minutes away from the house. It was pretty sizable, not that I had any expectations to compare it to. It had a section for its runway and hangers, which is where we were now, and a section designated for family housing. It made me curious as to why we didn't live here on site, but I was glad we did not.

I exited the truck quickly, trying not to stumble as I did so. Uncle had to do quite a bit of convincing this morning to get me inside of Ironhide. I was completely adverse to the idea, but it really would have been pointless to take Aunt Sarah's car since Ironhide was going to transform here anyway. All the same, I would have rather traveled in something that wasn't living.

"Epps," Uncle greeted as he shut the door. "Anything I need to know."

"The guys are settled. We're as ready as we'll ever be."

Uncle nodded solemnly. "Mel," he gestured to the soldier when I had come around, "this is Epps, Epps, my niece Melry."

"Pleasure," he held out his hand.

I smile and shook it, "like wise."

"There are a few things you need to see before we let Ironhide introduce himself," Uncle gestured for me to follow. "I don't much care to do this, but we're hoping it'll help settle you down before Ironhide transforms."

The hanger he led me into apparently had once held refueling jets. Upon the arrival of the Autobots here they had been moved to other hangers. The place was huge! There was more room than was being occupied. A raised platform sat not far from the entrance. A few people were up there messing with computers and filtering through papers.

"Well hello Melry." I turned to find Ratchet, hands in his pockets, smiling warmly at me. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," I smiled in return. It was nice to see a familiar face amongst all the strangers. "Still not perfect though."

He nodded, "humans do heal slowly." It was eerie hearing those words. I knew he had to have been aware of the robots, but it was still creepy.

"Is Optimus around?" I asked more out of respect than anything, but he was another face I would know here.

"He is, but as per usual he is over working himself," he frowned and looked over my shoulder. I followed his gaze across the hanger, but I didn't recognize any faces, just the flame decaled semi truck.

"At least you're ensured he's hard working."

Ratched shrugged, "working too hard is little better than not working enough. Eventually you grow too weary to function."

"True," I had burned myself out more than once because of school work.

"Have the twins been dealt with?" Uncle asked from beside me.

The doctor nodded, "they've been properly warned."

Hearing about them brought up a question, "What ever happened to my toy truck? Ron said the delinquents got a hold of it."

Uncle groaned. "That wasn't one of our best decisions." He shook his head in memory. "We have it here, but you won't be getting it back for a while. You created quite a mess with it."

"You're telling me," I mumbled. I had destroyed a park, damaged buildings, created a battle and effectively broke myself with it. "But what do you guys want with it?"

Ratchet smiled softly. "Interestingly enough, the military wishes to know how effective it would be out on the field."

Interesting indeed.

"It might not be effective in causing much damage, but it could prove to be a suitable device for distractions."

I had never thought of Little Ironhide being a soldier, but I had to admit it made sense. I would have felt proud of my little guy had I not been nearly killed because of it. If the military could find good use for him at least my injuries wouldn't have been completely in vain.

"Ratchet do you know…" I tuned my uncle out as I caught a surprising sight. There was a gorgeous car parked near the right wall of the hanger. Its sleek silver design was positively appealing and as I approached it I couldn't help but wonder where they had gotten it from.

"Wow," was all I could utter as I came closer. I was not a car person, but this was something else. I hadn't a clue as to the make or model, but whoever had created the design knew how to make a vehicle look sexy.

The engine revved.

Shrieking I jumped back, colliding into something. "Take it easy," someone said disapprovingly.

"S-sorry," I apologized when I realized it was Epps.

"Knock it off Sideswipe," Uncle kicked the bumper. "She isn't here to feed your ego."

A begrudging noise came from the sports car. Warily I back away. I should have figured it would be one of them, the military had no need for such a car and as I looked around the base I realized I was probably surrounded. There were two small cars, mini's of some sort, three motorcycles, an emergency vehicle, a nice blue compact and the flame decaled semi truck I had noticed earlier. I wasn't sure if all of them were alien, but chances were at least a few of them were.

"How long have they been here?" I half dreaded the answer, but the past was the past, the answer wouldn't change it.

"A bit over two years," Uncle answered as he ushered me back towards the front of the hanger.

Well that was just dandy. "How many are there?"

"A handful, Autobot wise anyway."

"Meaning, what?"

Uncle quirked his mouth to the side in thought. "There's no way of knowing who'll show up in the future, but for now their numbers are rather small. Currently there are only eleven."

That was far smaller than I would have thought, but the sheer fact they were huge and took a vehicle form made up for it. They hid right before our eyes, only revealing themselves when they wanted to. "What about the Decepticons?"

He frowned deeply, "we have no idea. Too many if you ask me. All we know is they outnumber the Autobots."

Why wouldn't they? The bad guys always seemed to have massive numbers on their side, made up for the lack of intelligence I suppose.

"Where did you hear the name Decepticons anyway?" He was clearly annoyed.

"Ron," I answered uneasily, afraid I was about to get a lecture.

Uncle shook his head, "he's telling you way too much."

"Given the fact I know they exist I don't think there is such a thing."

"Oh there is," Epps comment exasperatedly.

I wasn't stupid. I might be edgy about them now because I'd had nothing but bad experiences with them, but that did not mean it would last forever. Even with that logic though it was hard to be here, asking questions and knowing that I would be face to face with one soon. "Do they usually stay as cars here?"

Uncle shook his head, "they choose to be because it's safer for us, but they're free to move about as they please."

"Can they talk in that form?" It was a stupid question, but I'd never heard them do it. Even that sports car had not spoken when uncle had chastised him.

"They can," Uncle answered as he looked over a paper handed to him. "They're just being cautious with you here. They don't want to startle you any more than necessary."

I appreciated the thought, but I would keep that to myself for the time being. If all turned out well I would thank them, if I freaked... well, that wouldn't really be their fault... maybe. "Is there a reason you got tangled into this mess of an alien battlefield?"

"Many of us fought alongside the Autobots two years when they first appeared. I'm an ambassador of sorts for them now."

Made sense I suppose. When talking to the non-believing, frightful humans about aliens, it was always good to have one of your own explain. I for one had always believed there was life out there, but I suppose I had never thought it would be… mechanical.

It made me wonder if everything we saw in cartoons actually existed somewhere out in the universe. Did creatures out there have images of little beige people like we did of little green men?

It was mind blowing to consider.

"Can I just ask why they started coming here? Was it a random thing or was it a predetermined destination?"

Uncle's brows knitted together. Was the answer too top secret?

"They came here…" he considered his words carefully, "looking for something they had lost," he answered after a moment. Perhaps he figured if he didn't answer me I would just pester Ron.

"Did they find it?"

"Yes, but unfortunately it didn't survive."

Somehow that did not surprise me. "So are they stuck here without it?"

"No," he informed me, "but what they were looking for was crucial in helping their planet recover. Without it, returning is rather fruitless."

A pang of sympathy struck my heart cords. They were homeless, orphans in a strange foreign world. Now I really wondered how many of them existed out there. Was most of their kind clinging to a dying world, hoping for a miracle? Those here must feel so homesick, knowing they would never again see their world or at least never see it in the glory it had once been.

"All you really need to know," uncle continued, "is the Autobots are our allies and are helping us fend off the Decepticons. They have no will to harm you or any other members of our race."

Trusting them was easier said than done. Having seen these creatures in action twice I had good reason to fear them. Good or not, they could kill me in a fraction of a moment and not even leave a trace. But that all brought up one very good question, "where's Ron?" He was supposed to be the one doing the introduction.

"Ah," uncle and Epps looked to one another.

"He's in over his head at the moment," Epps said.

I frowned. What was going on? "He said he'd be here."

"He will," Uncle answered, "but we might have to start without him. It can't be helped."

Well that was just great. I huffed. Did Ron think this punishment he had begged for only entitled getting me here? He was failing to see it through to the end. The jerk.

"Cut him some slack," uncle handed the sheet of paper he had hands off. "He's been on edge as of late."

"Why?"

"There's a lot on his mind."

What could possibly be bothering him? He'd seemed shaken after we had kissed, but I still couldn't make heads or tails of it. Was he worried about what I would think of Ironhide?

As I thought about that it seemed to be the most probable reason. He had been hesitant to even speak about Ironhide and he had once said the truck was more important to him than Uncle. Ironhide could be his best friend.

Still, he had given his word.

"Sir," a soldier saluted. Uncle returned the gesture. "Everything is ready to go."

"Good, thank you." The soldier nodded and walked off. Uncle smiled weary down at me, "ready to see him?"

I don't think I could ever be ready to meet a giant robot. "I guess." I was here for this exact reason though. I had to see it through and, really, from the sounds of things these Autobots weren't that bad. I had to give them a chance.

All the same, as I followed my uncle back outside, I could not help but feel anxious. My muscles tensed as the cold air rushed around me and I crossed my arms in attempt to both settle my mind and keep myself warm.

This is crazy, I thought as I watched the truck cautiously. Ironhide was sitting rather calmly, as far as I could tell, not far from the entrance. Was it just a façade or was he worrying beneath that stilled exterior.

"This is all you," uncle informed me as he stopped.

Gee, thanks, my heart pattered within my chest. They're safe, I reminded myself. He could have been the robot who saved me. Ironhide was the right color, I think. It had been dark, but the one who had come to my rescue has either been black or some other really dark hue.

Taking a deep breath I nodded, not trusting my voice.

"Alright Ironhide," uncles hands locked behind his back.

For a moment nothing happened, but then the air filled with the same distinct clicking and clattering I knew from that frightful night. I watched in awe as the truck began to unfold before my eyes. The hood rose and split in two, the doors opened and shifted as two arms stretched outward, hands gripping the ground for support. Everything moved about, rearranging in a bizarre and complicated puzzle of gears and sheet metal. I had seen this once before from Starscream, but the lack of visibility in the night had marred the display. Now however I could see it all, mostly. Parts were moving all at once, making it impossible to catch everything, but it was still a spectacular sight.

Through the clanking and clattering I could make out Ironhide's grunting. It sounded rather familiar...

In moments, seemingly an eternity, he was towering over me. He was HUGE! Not just tall, but broad. Admittingly I could tell he was nowhere near that of Starscream, but all the same this alien truck had wide shoulders. There were even two very distinctive cannons sitting as easily as watches on his forearms.

My breath caught. Heart quickened. He was the same one. Ironhide was the same robot who had saved me from Starscream… and ripped his arm off.

Forcing myself to take a deep breath I tried to calm my thundering heart. This is a military base, I told myself, he's a friend of my uncle and he saved my life. He's not going to do anything.

He was even the same robot from the woods!

It was hard to believe. This was the third time I was seeing him. I had never known, never would have guessed. This was… this was extraordinary! Crazy! Downright weird. This was the same robot who had both made me curious and frightened the first time I had seen him and then saved my life the second. Now he was standing right before me, apprehensively even, watching me.

In a move that would have made the old cowboys proud Ironhide's cannons vanished. I could only assume they had melded into his arm structure.

This is so weird.

I opened my mouth to speak, but quickly shut it realizing I didn't have a clue as of what to say. This was like meeting a personal stalker. Ironhide had been practically following me around since day one. He knew far more about me than I knew of him. I'd only seen him twice before! He on the other hand had heard nearly everything I had ever said to Ron.

Ironhide, a bit too quickly for my liking, knelt down. He still towered above me, but at least the crick that had been forming in my neck was easing with the lesser angle. One arm rest on his raised knee, the other on the ground for balance. He tilted his head to the side cautiously, glowing blue eyes studying me.

Being this close to him I could make out all the chips and cracks in the paint, features I would have never imagined him having since the truck was immaculate. A few dents and dings perhaps, but the amount of feature damage here went far beyond all of that. It was almost as if these were all his battle scars and his truck form was a façade, a mask.

Something filtered across his face, an expression that came and went far too quickly to catch. It somehow reminded me of Ron.

He sighed heavily. "Hey kid," a deep, gruff voice came from between his metallic lips.

My jaw hit the floor. My heart stuttered. That was Ron's voice. There was absolutely no question. That was Ron's voice.

Human Ron.

Only a foot taller than me, Ron.

The guy I was in love with, Ron.

My mouth hung agape, but no sound came out. There was pressure on my throat, my air valves closed off. My hands rose to my chest. I stared in horror at this – this – thing that had Ron's voice.

This couldn't be right. Ron's absence couldn't mean… no it wasn't possible. It just couldn't be.

I couldn't breathe.

Ironhide's expression matched Ron's when he was anxious. No. I took a desperate step back, shaking my head. No!

They couldn't be the same. They couldn't! This had to be a dream. A nightmare. A trick. Anything but reality. This couldn't be real. It just wasn't possible.

Ron was human!

The imposter became alarmed, "Melry calm down. I can explain."

My heart was racing. Ears thumping. He sounded just like him. Act just like him.

Darkness seeped into my vision. I couldn't breathe.

Ironhide reached out as if to grab me. I sucked in a rib jabbing amount of air...

A shrill scream burst from my lungs.

XxXxXxXxX

Please review!

Way to go Ironhide, way to go...

No preview this time around guys, but rest assured there is more to come.