This was supposed to be done around last week, but I suddenly hit a major writer's block. It's a little better, but this chapter isn't really one of my best, sorry :( .

Thanks for reviews; 99luftballonsx.o.x, TFHM, lizy2000, Xarine, Code NameBLOOD, SapphireSpark, jgoss, wolfimus prime, Bee4ever, CastieLunaWinchester, xVentressx, KHandFF7fanforever, JessieBwriting, Graceful-But-Forgetful-Writer, and Lunarburst23!

By the way, I changed the title of last chapter's to "Aftermath" because I think that it's more fitting. Now, on to the story!

Chapter Twenty-Five: Enigmatic Dreams

It was dark again.

I was floating around in the darkness gently, fear and confusion swelled in my chest. That same horrible feeling was brewing in my stomach, and I winced at the memory. And then, piercing white light flashed, and I winced, shielding my eyes as I was suddenly moving faster than the speed of light. Wind whipped my hair and stung my cheeks, the whispers became louder and intense. My heart was pounding in my ears, threatening to climb up my throat and I was about to scream when suddenly everything froze.

I wasn't in darkness anymore.

I was standing on melting, burning rock. The sweltering heat made my skin crawl, as erubescent lava bubbled within the large gaps of rock. Smoke rose from the burning rocks, and I let out a terrified shriek when the lava bubbled up and popped with a loud hiss right next to me. The obsidian rock I was standing on shook, and my whole body froze as I stared at the lava, the heat rippling my vision. I needed to get off this rock. It was hard to see what was in the distance with the thick, murky smoke covering everything around me. All I could see were the rocks, and the lava.

Carefully, I made my way around the rock, making sure to keep it balance so that it wouldn't tip over and burn me alive. My heart jumped in my throat about the thought of being burned alive, and I flinched as more lava burst and hissed with a loud pop. The larger, more stable looking rock was a few feet away, and I scowled.

How was I supposed to jump to get to there?

The rock I was standing on shook again, this time causing me to fall to my knees, and I gripped the jagged edges of the rock, ignoring the cuts it made into my hands as the ground kept rumbling. The burning lava hissed and spluttered, and I squeezed my eyes shut as my vision started to blur. More heavy rumbling, and I was starting to wonder if I was in the middle of an earthquake when the rumbling faded and my stomach dropped.

My eyes snapped open, and they widened in horror as I realized the rock was lifting, it was already at least six feet above the lava. It was floating?!

A small piece of the rock broke off, which caused me to slip. I let out anther shriek, before catching myself on another sharp, jagged piece. My legs were dangling helplessly in the sweltering, foggy air as I ascended higher and higher. The ground rumbled again violently, before the lava burst. All of it came flying up, and I let out a scream of pure terror as blinding white heat filled my vision.

I thought I was gone...

But when I opened my eyes, four blazing purple ones glared back at me.

"I am coming for you, human." A sinister voice growled out as the violet eyes narrowed. "And when I do, the Earth will meet its end."

"Charlie!" A familiar voice rang out, and the four crimson eyes disappeared.

Soft blue ones were in its place, and I stared up at the familiar figure holding me. He was in his holoform, his platinum blonde hair tickling my forehead because he was so close to me. Warmth spread in my stomach, soothing the pain as I stared up at his handsome face.

"Sideswipe..." I trailed off, my voice hoarse. I lifted a hand to the side of his face, "I'm sorry."

"Charlie?" He repeated again, his arms squeezed me slightly.

I didn't want to ever leave his arms. They were so warm and welcoming.

He leaned in closer, his mouth a few inches away from my ear. "Wake up."

"What?" I frowned.

"You got to wake up, Charlie."

"No!" I cried, grabbing on his shirt even harder, "I don't want to wake up! No please!"

"Charlie...wake up."

"Charlie!" A muffled voice yelled, and my eyes snapped open.

I sat up quickly, and heard a 'oof' as a clanking sound echoed throughout the warehouse. My heart was still racing in my chest, sweat drenched the front of my shirt, and I wiped some off my forehead.

"Hey!" A familiar voice cried out in protest, and my head snapped down to the little red bot. He was on his butt, rubbing his head softly before he looked up at me, "The frag was that for?"

"Oh, sorry." I said sheepishly, pulling the blanket off of me.

Quickshift stood up, "Ya had another nightmare?"

I shivered at the memory of the four red eyes, "It started off as one."

Quickshift frowned, "What happened?"

I shook my head, pulling myself to my feet, "I don't really want to talk about it. Where's Sunstreaker?"

He scoffed, "Sunshine went out ta try and test his comm again. He woke me up to watch ya."

"Did he?" I asked, uncapping the large jug of water and taking a swig.

"Uh huh." Quickshift replied, wheeling over next to me, "Since Cranky's not here, let's do somethin' fun!"

"Like what?" I asked.

"Tag!" He cheered, wheeling around in circles.

I chuckled, shaking my head, "I can't run, remember?"

Quickshift frowned, his shoulders slumping, "Oh ya, I forgot 'bout that." He then perked up again, as he wheeled around the workbench I sat down on, "Well, how 'bout we go explorin'?"

"This is pretty much as good as it gets when it comes to this place." I muttered.

"Not talkin' 'bout in here! I'm talkin' bout outside!" He said, stopping in front of me. With a big dramatic wave, he motioned to the large metal doors of the warehouse, "The other side."

I frowned, "I don't think we should."

"Aw, why not Charlie?"

"I don't think Sunstreaker would want us out while he's gone." I answered honestly.

Quickshift rolled his big, silver eyes, "Don't tell me ya actually do what he says."

A small smile pulled at the corner of my lips, as I shrugged. "He's the boss. And the biggest."

"If I was tha boss, I wouldn't keep ya stuffed in here all the time," He said, climbing on to the workbench, "Humans need vitamin D, right?"

I glanced down at my arms. They were much paler than usual. "Yeah..."

The warehouse's giant metal doors screeched open, and I turned to see the golden transformer walk in and Quickshift groaned. Susntreaker's beryl eyes narrowed in annoyance, before they landed on me.

I smiled at him nervously, and he frowned, "Why are you covered in fluids?"

I raised an eyebrow, "You mean sweat?"

His face twisted in disgust, "Never mind."

I rolled my eyes at his phobia of germs and being absolutely vain. He couldn't really say anything, his armor was still marred and chipped in many places. He sat down in his designated corner and pulled out a large tube of golden yellow paint, along with a few other tools for painting, a large (but small for him) buffing tool, and a container of pale white liquid that looked suspiciously similar to Jell-O.

Starting the buffing tool, he started on his left leg, where the paint was chipped and faded enough to look more like a pale banana than his usual brilliant gold. He cursed as the tool slipped through his big hands, and fell to the floor. He repeated the process at least three times, and it was becoming to get sadder every time the tool slip. I sighed, trying to ignore the urge to grab the buffing tool and do it myself. I was more than able to do it for him, but he's made himself clear on many occasions about his "humans, no touchy" rule. He dropped the buffing tool again, and I lost it.

"I could help you." I offered as casually as possible, ignoring the way my fingers twitched. The inner mechanic in me was desperate to do something. Anything was better than just sitting around and dwelling on the past.

"I know how to buff myself, I don't need a squishy to do it for me." He sneered, still glaring at his leg.

"How 'bout I make you a deal?"

He was silent.

"I'll wash you, buff you, wax and paint you. And in exchange, you tell me what happened after I blacked out in the battle."

I knew the battle was a sensitive subject for him, but I needed answers. I couldn't just sit around in the dark anymore. His eyes snapped up to me, fury blazing bright, and I flinched, wondering if I took it too far. A low growl emitted from his engine, and Quickshift popped up from whatever tools he was digging in. Sunstreaker's frightening gaze snapped down to the ground for a few minutes. Finally, his blue eyes flickered up at me.

"Fine." He said, his voice devoid of any emotion.

I let out a sigh of relief, as he transformed down into his Lamborghini form.

Taking the buffing tool, I buffed out all of the harsh areas. Then, I made him transform so I could give his leg more attention. Sunstreaker said nothing the whole time, and I sent Quickshift off to fill a bucket up with soap and water. The warehouse was silent, but for once, I found it comforting. I tried not to let my mind dwell too long on the dream/nightmare I had. I wondered if it piss Sunstreaker off that Sideswipe was in it.

The way his hair tickled my face, and his breath warmed my cheeks. It sent an odd shiver down my spine at the thought, and I tried my best not to blush as Sunstreaker's watched me warily. Twenty minutes later, I finally finished buffing out everything that needed to be buff, and Quickshift came back with a bucket full of water. He transformed back down into his Lamborghini form, and I was mildly surprise when classical music began playing.

I raised an eyebrow, "You're into classical?"

"It is the only pleasing music you squishy's create." He answered through the radio, his engine rumbling.

"Plus, it's the closet thing ta Cybetronian music." Quickshift added, swaying to the music.

I chuckled, adding sarcastically, "You never told me you could dance."

Quickshift twirled on one wheel, almost like a pirouette.

I laughed again, and plunged a small yellow sponge into the water, watching it absorb the bubbles before I put it on Sunstreaker's passenger's door. At contact, he shivered, and I didn't hide my smile as I began to wash him. He wasn't all that dirty, it was more along the lines of dusty. Very dusty.

Quickshift ended up pitching in, washing the top of him. We listened to the classical music drifting from Sunstreaker's radio as we worked. An hour after he dried, he gave me the tube of shimmering yellow paint, and I painted him in quiet complacence.

(Sideswipe's POV)

I stared at the Energon cube only a few feet way. I didn't bother drinking it; I didn't deserve it. For the first few days, Jazz just replaced the energon silently, talked for a few minutes, before making his way out of the brig. This time, it wasn't the same.

"For Primus' sakes Sides, drink tha damn Energon!" Jazz growled, his blue visor alight with frustration as he glared at me through the energon bars.

I snorted, "I'm not hungry."

"Not hungry my aft! Ya've been down here fo' nearly a week! And you ain't leavin' this cell till ya drink it!"

"Didn't you say Ratchet wanted to see me in the Med Bay?" I asked, tilting my helm.

Jazz gave something between a growl and a grunt, "Don't ya try and change tha subject! Ah'll keep ya here till tha cows come home, if ya don't drink that damn Energon."

"Ratchet won't like waiting." I went on, hiding my smirk.

Jazz was dangerously silent, and I wondered if I pushed my luck too far.

"Imma beat your silver aft when Ratchet's done with ya." Jazz snarled lowly, and the energon bars disappeared.

I warily watched Jazz as we trudged through the brig, and followed him all the way to the Med Bay. I wasn't exactly thrilled to return, but if it got me out of the brig momentarily, I was for it. Ratchet was there, along with First Aid. Ratchet looked up from his datapad as we entered, and guilt wracked through my entire frame. There were still some scratches on his chassis, thank Primus they weren't deep.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked quietly.

Ratchet nodded, tossing the datapad into a pile and moved over to a large holographic computer. "Sideswipe, I don't hold you fully accountable for your actions. You're spark and proccessor was under a lot of stress after the battle, and all that strife had caused your berserker's coding to activate."

I reeled back in surprise, "What?! But...I thought only Sunny-"

"Sunstreaker's short temper does cause him to activate his berserker mode more quickly, but you're still his twin. It's just been buried a little deeper, because you tend to fight with a little less brutality and energon-thirst."

Thoughts of Sunstreaker swarmed my processors and I tried to reach out for him in the twin bond again.

Nothing.

A low growl emitted from my chest, and both Ratchet and Jazz tensed, as if I was going to pounce on the medic again. I forced myself to dial down my anger and listen to Ratchet. It was my beserker mode, and it's causing all this access anger and violence...I needed to calm down.

"Sideswipe..." A voice echoed in my helm, and I froze.

What the frag?

"I'm sorry..."

Charlie? I pressed two fingers to my helm to try an clear out the static. How the slag did she comm me? It wasn't even possible, she was human.

"No!" I winced as a burst of static invaded my helm with her outburst, "I don't want to wake up! No please!"

Something was wrong, something's happening to her!

"Charlie!" I tried to comm back, "Charlie! What's wrong? Where are you? Are you okay?"

All that was left was the static, and panic rose in my spark. I lost Sunstreaker, I couldn't lose her.

"Charlie!" I tried again. I was met with static-silence.

My spark felt like it dropped into a pit of acid, and my helm swayed. I couldn't lose her too. It felt like something pulled the ground right from under my pedes, because I crashed on to my knees, my helm still swaying as it echoed throughout the Med Bay. Images of Charlie swarmed my vision next, her laugh, her smile, the horror in her eyes when I found her in the hallway. My knees gave out, and I crashed on to the floor, the world around me faded off into darkness.

(Third person's POV)

"Frag." Jazz cursed, rushing to Sideswipe's unconscious frame.

"What the pit? Jazz!" Ratchet snapped, turning his glare to the mini-bot.

"Ah knew Ah shouldn't have let him out! Tha fragger wouldn't drink any Energon eva since he's been in that cell!" Jazz growled, wrapping one of Sideswipe's arm around his shoulder while First Aid grabbed the other arm.

"I should string both of your afts on the back wall for this," Ratchet growled, preparing an energon drip as they brung the silver twin on to the nearest berth. Ratchet rushed over to them, and plunged the blunt end of the drip into his wrist. Ratchet quickly scanned him, and nearly fell back from the results. Once again, he turned his scathing glare to Jazz, really tempted to rip the horns of his helm and beat him with it.

"He was at fraggin twelve percent! Twelve percent!" Ratchet snarled.

"How did he even make it into the Med Bay?" First Aid asked.

"Ah don't know! Ah'm sorry Ratch, Ah screwed up!" Jazz said, putting his servo's up in surrender, "Ah should have forced it down his throat!"

"Damn right, you should have!" Ratchet snapped, before scanning the silver twin again. He was out cold.

The medic sighed, watching Sideswipe sympathetically. "Primus bless his soul", He muttered softly.

What a chapter that was. Even though it was hard, and took a fraggin' whole week to write, I'm kinda happy with the way the ending turned out. Hoped you guys liked, please review :)