Things had once again changed between the two, this time not for the better. Ever since the night they spent in that large two-story home where they shared a bed, Tim had become different. It wasn't much at first, just a precaution and concern here and there until he wouldn't let her out of his sight, a dominating but noticeable anxiety directing his actions. She had never seen him so anxious. Alexis had never really seen him anxious at all. And now with him acting as such, her own terrors and fears multiplied and divided as they became a life all their own. His nearness only exasperated her increasingly fragile perception on things.

She had felt uneasy before, during the Decepticon invasion, when she was separated from her brother, when she was taken as a slave, even when she was given her freedom. But the feeling she had now was malignant and twisted, wrapping around her like a cloak that held dark, ominous magic.

Something was going to happen. Something not good. And every morning she woke up that thought would announce itself once more, weighing down her outlook as she dreaded each day. Timothy knew something he wasn't telling her. Alexis would catch him looking at her, anguish in those gray eyes of his that darkened when he opened his mouth and made a motion to speak.

But as she waited for him to say something, he changed his mind. And then a perceptible harshness lined his jaw, and he never tried again. But that didn't make her stop thinking about it, didn't stop her from wanting to know.

"Whatever it is, Timothy, I want to know."

Only a couple of days had passed since the night the two spent in that two-story home, but the hours in between passed dreadfully slow. She wouldn't have been so on edge if Tim wasn't, and whatever he was keeping from her was creating a gap between the two that made her question where she really stood with him.

They did most of their walking at night now, sleeping during the day in whatever covered place they could find. Her schedule now reversed, she was accustomed to dark roads and bright moons, familiar with the colder weather and the shadows that stretched and expanded. Alexis had been staring at his booted feet for some time. She counted each silent step he took as she followed his light tread.

Her feet no longer hurt as they did, but they still protested to all the movement. Their pace wasn't exactly one of speed, but it was enough to feel.

He didn't stop, didn't look over his shoulder at her or give her an indication that he even heard her. Her mouth twisted, and she fought between holding back the tears of affront and the anger that twisted her guts into a state of rebellion.

How could she like him, care for him, and of late, not even stand him? He was now totally alien to her. And he still had the discomforting, troublesome quality of domination that tried to force her into some sort of submission to his commands. Even if he was trying to keep her safe, or protected, his way of suddenly going about it was wearing her down.

But she couldn't take any more of it, couldn't stand it any longer. Stopping, gravel and dirt crunching loudly under her rubber soled feet, she shrieked out into the night. Her frustration, anger and terror spilled into the short burst while signaling that she had had enough.

That got his attention. He turned, his head angling heavily onto his left shoulder before he slowly took long strides toward her. Timothy stared at her, his eyes calculating and unfamiliar. For the first time since she had met him, Alexis felt afraid of him. Distracted by the fear, she didn't notice when he grabbed onto her arm, but did when his fingers curled tight, pinching around her flesh and twisting hard.

"Let go!" she demanded, her voice coming out strained as it warbled.

He didn't.

She shifted, twisted, trying to get out of his hold. He only latched on more firmly, tugging on her arm hard until she could only let out a tormented yelp.

He covered her mouth with his hand, drawing closer as he spoke, "Silence, speak no further. You are threatening your own safety."

Alexis stilled and stared at Timothy. The fear bundled around her suddenly raw nerves as she tried to blink away the stranger. How could he become so unfamiliar in such a short time? She didn't know, but knew she couldn't stand the way he looked at her, or deal with the changes of his that had suddenly become so noticeable that he could have been another person. But she hadn't seen her Timothy since the night she talked to him of the stars.

"Please, Timothy. Please, let go," she whimpered.

He blinked and in that small action it was as if the familiarity flowed back in his eyes. He dropped his hands off her arm and mouth and stepped back. He appeared taken aback and then ashamed when she began to rub on her arm.

"I didn't mean to. That is, that wasn't me. You see..." And again, his words stopped.

Her mouth quivered, and she was suddenly blinded by tears. Wiping them off, she choked on the tightness in her throat. He did it again, bringing that something obviously important up only to swallow back his words.

"How can you, not be you? Who are you then? Why do you act like this?"

"Alexis, I..." he had been looking away from her, but his eyes shot back up. He straightened. Whatever debate he had gone through was filed away. "I can't tell you. I don't want to tell you. Just trust me, Alexis. Believe in me like you have, and I will make sure..."

"Trust you?" Alexis scoffed with disbelief from the suggestion. "These last couple of days I don't even know who I am traveling with! And you hurt me. You wouldn't let go... you... I..."

He made a motion to move toward her. Instinctively, she stepped back.

"Do you have some sort of... of a problem you haven't told me of? I've never seen you act like this. Where do you go when you become so distant? Why do you treat me so... so... strangely and indifferently? I thought... I mean... you have acted like this before, but never so bad, and never so long. I just don't know what I am supposed to think. I thought, I thought you..." Alexis couldn't say it because she didn't know anymore. Did he care for her?

But it didn't matter, not now. And she didn't want to deal with such things, or be bombarded by more fears than the ones that could be flying overhead at any moment. The instability of her friend was creating tension and paranoia that Alexis just didn't have room for.

So when she spoke with her voice shaking and trembling, she couldn't look at him, her eyes landing back on those booted feet of his that she made sure didn't move any closer.

"I don't know what to do with you, Timothy."

"I just had things to take care off, things that needed to be done." She could almost see him going over the last couple days as if catching up on all that had transpired of late. He frowned. "I never meant for all this to happen. I never meant for you to be hurt."

She frowned at that, not understanding in the least. Things to do? He never left her side. He had been with her since the attack by the Decepticons and had not parted since.

Alexis shook her head, mouth pushed into a tight frown. "That doesn't make sense. And it doesn't explain why you have been so strange these past days."

As if she caught him in a revelation he had not wanted her to find out, Timothy jerked back and balled his fists, his eyes once more diverting away from her gaze. He suddenly looked tired, weary even, and the sudden vulnerability made her uncertain.

It took him a moment to speak, but when he did his voice was low but determined. "I won't leave you again... I won't... become distant again," he corrected. "Forget the last couple days and let us move forward."

"You frightened me."

"I know."

"You still scare me."

He shook his head.

Alexis sighed with discontent. "I don't think we are going to have much time left together, Timothy. And I don't want my last moments of you to ones of mistrust and fear."

"What are you saying?" he asked with astonishment, her words of predication causing him unease.

"I don't know. It's just what I feel. I don't want to, but there it is."

"I won't let you..."

"But you can't stop it, Timothy. Without some miracle, I know the Decepticons are going to eventually find us. But for now, why don't we do what we were and try to at least try..."

"Alexis..." he approached slowly, giving her the ability to stop him if she chose. The fear was gone, and the tension she had felt over the last couple of days disappeared. Leaning into Tim, she slowly wrapped her arms about him. Her mind going over what he had said as she tried to make sense out of Timothy and the last couple days.

It only took a week of Timothy acting as he was supposed to that Alexis forgot about the couple of days of hell she had shared with him. No longer boggled by his remoteness and coldness, she easily settled back into the camaraderie she felt for him.

It was just the tension of being hunted, the uneasiness of the possibility of being found. He didn't mean to hurt and scare her, he just had a lot on his mind. And trying to protect her as he led them away, must have overwhelmed. Not that that justified his actions, but everyone felt strain in different ways. And Timothy did not act in that frightening manner again.

She stopped worrying about the future, started to force positives back into her mind and believe that everything would work out somehow. That her brother was okay, that humanity would make it and that everything, one way or another, was going to be just fine.

Waking, she found herself alone. Not yet dark, she was little concerned by Timothy's absence. He would disappear here and there but always return with food or water or some other essential item that she would add to the backpack she had taken.

Alexis walked to a nearby pond and got down on her knees. Pushing her hands together, she cupped some of the water in her hands and drank slowly.

Something cracked and broke nearby, a sound echoing out that made her skin crawl. And when trees started to part, and dust started to shift and move, all Alexis could do was watch the inevitable.

And as a familiar figure walked forward, the bright sun overhead making the metal glint blindingly, she found enough of her mind to act.

Jumping to her feet and turning on her heels, she started to run. Alexis could feel his nearness and the vibrations from every step he took as he got closer. Just when she convinced herself she was going to get away, the sound of crashing water thundered in her ear drums. She was caught in waves of liquid blue that came out of nowhere. The water captured her and sent her spiraling.

By the time the water subsided, and she coughed enough of the liquid out to breathe, darkness clouded her eyes as a dominating figure blocked the light from above.

What she had felt when Timothy was not himself was not fear. No, that was nothing. But what she felt now most certainly was.

Starscream found them.