Hey everyone! I'm so sorry for this late post. School's ending soon and I have a lot on my plate before it finally wraps up. I promise once school ends, the posts will become more regular. Just bare with me 'till June! Please review and tell me what you think! As a reminder, the poll for what scary movie you think Alise and the guys should watch is still on my profile and so is the picture of who Wash is based off of! Hope you all enjoy!
As always, I own nothing!
~Mel

After 22 very long hours of riding in the Liberty, the island of Diego Garcia was finally in view. The sky around the plane was dark, and the current time of the military base was 10:15 pm. Alise had spent her day on the ship mostly with Ironhide, but had come out during meals with an invitation from Wash. During those times she was able to meet some other of soldiers that were Wash's comrades and Lennox and Epps's men. She even got to meet the famous Chief. However, after these small gatherings she always returned to Ironhide. When she did, he was usually talking to Jolt, though she never heard what he actually sounded like.

She didn't talk to Jolt the entire trip. She didn't know why, but she didn't get a very welcoming feeling from him. Not that he was hostile, just that he didn't want to be there.

She wasted time while sitting in the Topkick by reading the few books she had packed with her, painting her dull nails (receiving a stern warning from 'Hide to keep the paint off his leather), and flipping through the pages of her photo album. She couldn't do that last activity for very long, however. At one point, she crossed an old picture of her and Sal from a few years prior, and it made her cringe. She had quickly closed the album and repacked it. After that she took a short nap before returning to her books again.

They landed at Garcia a few minutes after the island came into view. Alise and the soldiers had been eating dinner when the man on the intercom announced that they needed to find their safe flying zones once more, and she had to rush back to her seat with Ironhide. When she had managed to pull herself into the Topkick, the seatbelt quickly locked her in. Not long after, the plane then started to tilt forward and after a few moments, she felt the island's runway appear beneath them. After a few minutes of seemingly aimless driving on the paved way, the plane came to an abrupt stop, jolting both her and 'Hide forward a little. With the engine still on, the opening that they had originally come through to get into the back started to go down. A dim light poured in, and the ramp was created for them once more for them to exit. Ironhide turned his Topkick form around in the middle of the aircraft and then drove straight out the archway into the open air.

A bright light shined in Alise's eyes. It took a moment for them to adjust, and she then realized that it was a spotlight that was blinding her. The rest of the world around her was dark and they were still on the runway that they had landed on. Looking around, she saw that there was a large building in front of them, one of its walls missing to act as a massive doorway for the Autobots to move through in their bipedal forms. It was fully lit from the inside. To their sides, she saw the rest of the runway which was dressed at the sides with more spotlights. Ironhide started to drive towards the building, Jolt following behind.

Driving through the large entrance, the first thing Alise took into detail was the sheer enormousness of the building. Looking at the structure more closely, she realized that it more so resembled an airline hanger than anything else. There were walkways that were hanging from the ceiling around the room and one plane was already residing in one of the far sides. Alise assumed this was the Tyger Pax, and that Optimus and Ratchet were most likely walking around somewhere. To confirm her suspicions, she turned her head and saw that standing over on the completely opposite side of the hanger were the two in their bipedal forms. Ironhide, also seeing his comrades, pulled over to the side of the hanger and stopped.

"Step out for a moment, girly," 'Hide said suddenly, opening the door next to her. "And take your stuff with you."

Alise nodded and reached in the back for her suitcases. She pulled the two forward and carefully placed them on the ground next to the Topkick before stepping out herself. She placed the two items against the wall as 'Hide transformed next to her. When he was at full height, he carefully bent over and held out his hand for her to climb on.

"Come on," he told her. "Let's go see Prime and Hatchet." She chuckled at his statement and got on. He slowly lifted her up to his shoulder and she climbed on and sat down. She noticed how different it was sitting on 'Hide's shoulder than it was from Bee's. His was boarder and more rigid, but he was slightly easier to sit on because their box shape kept her from falling off. When she was settled and she had a good grip, he started to walk over to the Autobot leader and medical officer. As they traveled forward, Alise heard large footsteps behind them. She looked and saw that Jolt was in his bipedal mode as well.

He was about the same size as Bee in height and stature, but didn't have the same body armor. His was the same blue color as his vehicle mode and looked as if he structure of a plane on some parts of him even though his alt form was a car. He also sported a pair of electric whips at his sides. He walked with careful steps, and he was always looking over his shoulder as if he was being followed. At one point as she was looking at him, their eyes made contact and she quickly turned away, blushing slightly.

When they were a few yards away from the two other Autobots, they turned towards the three and nodded.

"Ironhide, Alise," Optimus greeted. "I hope your flight was well."

'Hide grunted in response, and then Alise spoke. "It went well. Was yours?"

The Prime nodded. "Yes." He turned his head a little and looked past the two. "And you Jolt?"

Jolt looked up at him.

"It was fine," he said dully, no emotion in his voice. It was the first time Alise heard him speak, and she was beginning to believe that he wasn't very social. Optimus nodded to him and then turned to the two closer to him.

"The Unity will be landing in about 5 minutes," he stated. "When they do, William and Robert will be directing their troops as to where they will be staying on base." Alise didn't recognize the name Robert at first, but then she realized that he must have been talking about Epps. She found it odd that she didn't know his first name until this point, and a little guilty. After he finished his statement, Optimus turned his full attention onto her. "Alise. To my knowledge, you will be staying in a separate quarters from the soldiers. William and Robert will be showing you to your room before showing their troops theirs. I recommend being ready when they arrive." Alise nodded in agreement. "Good."

As he said this, the sound of a plane riding the runway once more came from outside. The Unity had landed early. After a few more moments of the wheels of the plane steering on the surface, the sound of engine was the only noise polluting the air. Looking out one of the high windows from 'Hide's shoulder, she watched as the back of the plane opened and created a ramp once more, and the black vans drove out. Seconds later, they were entering the hanger, and stopping in front of the Autobots. Alise noticed that Jolt intentionally backed away from the vans as they entered, but she didn't put much more thought into it. Smiling, she watched as Lennox and Epps were the first and only to exit one of the vans and smile up at her, the door they used they used closing behind them. As Epps continued to walk towards her and 'Hide, Lennox went to the driver's window and said something to the driver. After a moment he pulled back, and the vans drove off.

"Hey, girl!" Epps yelled up to her, laughing at the sight of her on the weapons specialist's shoulder. Alise chuckled.

"Hey, Epps!" she called back down. 'Hide placed his hand in front of her and she gingerly got on, holding on as his placed her on the ground in front of Epps. When her feet touched the ground, he wrapped her in a large embrace. "How was your flight?"

Epps laughed and pulled away. "It was fine. Being with Lennox and the guys certainly makes for an entertaining ride." He chuckled to himself. "How was yours? I heard you rode with Wash. Did he introduce himself?" Just then, Lennox came up behind him.

"Hey, Lise," he said, and he pulled her into a hug also. Pulling back he said, "Yeah, did you met him?"

Alise nodded at the two. "Yeah, I did. He seems nice. Nearly scared the shit out of 'Hide and I last night though," she said with a laugh. "You should warn him about the dangers of sneaking up on a sleeping, trigger-happy robot."

Epps laughed heartily. "Someone pull a fast one on you, tough guy?" he said to 'Hide with a smirk. Ironhide grunted.

"He should count himself lucky that he wasn't turned into a pile of fleshy ash," he told them sternly. The three laughed below them. The two soldiers then turned to Alise.

"Tonight's going to be like an orientation night," Lennox told her. "We'll show our men around the base and their living quarters and introduce the recruits to the Autobots, but we won't go into major detail tonight. It's been a long time on the plane and they all need some rest. The real work starts tomorrow. We're going to be giving our men assignments, go over some basic safety measures, and putting them to work in the morning. For now, we thought we'd show you to your room. You'll be staying on the other side of the base with Wash and the other interpreters. Optimus tell you that?" Alise nodded. "Good. Have your stuff?"

"Yeah, it's over there," she pointed to her suitcases on the wall a few yards a way. Lennox nodded, then looked up to 'Hide.

"Mind giving us a ride?" he asked. 'Hide nodded once, and then proceeded to transform down into his Topkick form. The large vehicle's door opened for the three humans, and they quickly climbed inside.

"I'll meet up with you later," 'Hide said to the three remaining Autobots. Ratchet and Optimus nodded at him, but Jolt just stayed to the side and didn't say or do anything. Ironhide and the humans then started to drive away from the three, stopping only for a moment to gather Alise's belongings before driving towards her new room.

"Ready to see it?" Epps asked her. The three humans (with Ironhide waiting a few feet behind them) were standing outside of Alise's new living quarters. Her room was nestled in a corner in the hallway where the rest of the interpreters were staying. Apparently all of the other language majors (save Wash) had arrived earlier and were already residing in their rooms for the night, so she wasn't able to meet the rest of them, but she wasn't complaining. After a day of not showering, she wasn't exactly feeling or looking her best, and she didn't want a dirty looking her to be the first impression they got of her.

They had already shown her to where the restrooms and showers she could use were, and she was thankful that there was a separate women's room for her. She would most defiantly have felt awkward if she had to share the same showers as the soldiers. The location of her room was past the soldiers' quarters and the tech room, where all the communication with the government and the other countries would be taking place. She was told that this would be where she would spend most of her time working. After her very brief tour of the locations she would be using most, they had arrived at her room.

"Defiantly," she said with a smile. Epps nodded, and then proceeded to take out a key and unlock the door. When it opened up, he flicked on the light switch on the side of wall and opened the door wide for her to enter. She took a step inside.

The room was on the smaller size, but it was only a little smaller than her room at the Witwicky's. The walls were a neutral yet darker green, and the floor was made of wood. It had four pieces of wooden furniture in it: a medium-sized dresser with a mirror on it, a small bookshelf that had more width than height, a full sized bed with green bedding and two pillows, and a small nightstand next to the bed. On the stand was an alarm clock with the current time, which was 10:43. It was a charming little room, and Alise was glad to find that she liked it.

"Wow," she said as she walked in further. She examined the room closely before taking a seat on the bed.

"Nice isn't it?" Lennox said as the two others entered the room. "This is the military's first class. You really lucked out."

"I'll say," she said smoothing the bedding with her hand. "I don't know what to say."

Epps laughed. "You don't have to say anything. Just be happy you got a room this nice."

She laughed. "Don't worry. I am."

"Good. Now for our little gift..."

Alise, who had currently glanced over at the bookshelf, turned her head towards the men.

"Gift?" she asked, confused.

"Oh, just think of it as a little house warming present," Lennox said with a cheeky grin. Epps laughed. Lennox then pulled out a small box that Alise didn't realize he was holding, and he handed it to her as she looked up at them, dumbstruck.

"Guys," she said, shocked. "You didn't have to get me anything! Look at what you've done for me already-"

"Lise," Epps interjected. "Just open the damn box and say thank you."

She laughed and smiled up at them genuinely. She then started to open the small box in her hands. Because it wasn't wrapped, all it took was for her to open the top slots. She reached inside and pulled out a small, rectangular object that could fit in her hand. It was a flip-phone with a large antenna that could be pulled out.

"A phone?" she asked. She was happy for the gift, but confused. "I thought phones weren't allowed on base."

"Aaa, but this is a special phone," Epps clarified with a smile on his face. "It doesn't text, doesn't show your location, has unlimited minutes, and doesn't hold contacts. Well, all except for one."

"Oh?" she asked. "And what 'one' would that be?"

The two soldiers smirked at each other. "Well, actually, you should be finding out at any mome-"

The phone then started to vibrate in her hand. She looked at it and then to the soldiers and back, startled that it was being called. She looked at the number flashing on the front screen. It was 000-122-000. She looked back to the soldiers, who were starting to exit the room.

"Breakfast is at 8, but we'll be up beforehand," Lennox said before they left. Epps left the key to the room on the nightstand by the bed. "'Night," he said with a smirk, and then he closed the door behind them.

Alise, confused at their sudden exit, let the phone vibrate one last time before she slowly opened it to answer. She lifted it slowly to her ear.

"Hello?" she answered, not knowing who to except on the other side of the line.

"Miss me yet?"

She almost dropped the phone. Her heart immediately started to pound, and butterflies were fluttering in her stomach. She couldn't believe her ears.

"Bee?" she asked unbelievingly, shocked. There was laugh on the line.

"Hey, belle," Bee said fondly. Alise gasped and placed her free hand over her mouth in shock. Hearing his voice was like a light shining down on her in the dark. Tears started to appear at the corners of her eyes.

"Bee..." she said, her voice cracking slightly as she was hit with a tidal wave of emotions."What are you... how are you... what's going on?" She laughed as she asked her last question.

Bee laughed also. It had only been a day since she left, but it felt like a lifetime already. When he didn't see her for a few hours at a time when she was home, it always felt like weeks to him, and he didn't know how he was going to make it through the next few months. Listening to her laugh, however, made the feeling of loneliness he was feeling melt from his Spark. He smiled on the other side of the line.

"I asked Lennox and Epps if there was a way I could talk to you while you were over there," he transmitted to her happily, elated to hear that she was excited to be talking to him. "This was what they came up with. They told me to call around now."

She laughed. "Yeah, perfect timing actually! I just got into my room."

"How is it?"

"It's comfy." She laid back on the bed. "It's the perfect size. The base is huge, though. I haven't even gotten a real tour yet and the place seems larger than South Gate."

"Just be careful," he said sternly, his voice turning completely serious. "The last thing I need you to do is get lost or hurt. Or Primus forbid stepped on..."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, Bee. Do you really think that someone would step on me?"

"Not intentionally, belle. You're more fragile than you think."

She chuckled once. "I'll be careful, Bee, don't worry."

"Don't worry," he grumbled. "Like that will happen."

She laughed. "I miss you, Bee," she said wistfully.

There was a whirring on the line before he answered.

"I miss you, too, belle," he said sadly. "It doesn't feel right without you here. I always feel like I'm missing something."

"Same here," she practically whispered. She then smiled to herself. "It doesn't feel right without my big bot bodyguard."

The two then laughed together, their harmony causing each other to feel perfectly at ease.

"So what time is it over there?" Alise asked.

"A little after 9 in the morning. Sam's still sleeping."

"How are they all?"

"They're alright," he said hesitantly. "Sam and Ron are hanging in there, but Judy's... a bit of a wreck."

Alise didn't respond. A stab of guilt had just hit her heart. The thought of Judy being in pain because of her departure was heartbreaking to her. The woman had truly become like her second mother.

"Belle?" Bee asked worriedly, when she didn't respond.

"Sorry, Bee. Just thinking."

"Don't be upset, Lise. They'll be okay. Just give them a few weeks and they'll start to get used to it. They'll miss you, but they'll get better."

"And you?"

He didn't answer right away.

"I won't be okay until you're home."

Alise felt all the butterflies in her stomach start to fly again. A warm feeling started to grow inside her. She knew she loved this bot. She just didn't know how to tell him.

"I'll be home soon enough, Bee," she told him. "Just wait and see."

She knew what she told him was a lie.

Alise and Bee had continued to talk on her new phone for another hour and a half. It wasn't until Bee heard her try and stifle a yawn that they broke off their conversation, him insisting she needed to get some sleep. She unwillingly agreed, even though she knew it was true. She was tired. It took awhile before they hung up, however, neither one of them wanting to leave. When they finally did, Alise felt the little hole in her chest open up again, and she sighed heavily, knowing it would most likely not close up until they were together again.

Alise quickly opened her suitcases and placed her belongings in the dresser and on the bookshelf. When that was done, she quickly put on her pajamas, an old pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, and set her alarm clock to 7 o'clock. She then slipped into bed. Turning off the light, she waited for sleep to overtake her. However, it didn't come. She found the bed to be too cold and soft, lonely and unwelcoming. She quickly realized it was because it wasn't Bee.

With this thought in mind, she slipped into sadness. She stayed like this for about 30 minutes, just staring up at the ceiling. Was this how it was going to be every night without him? she wondered to herself. She hoped not. At this rate, she would never get to sleep for her entire stay there, which at this point was undecided. She could be there or a few months or a few years. The room suddenly felt hot and stuffy like it was suffocating her.

Wanting to clear her thoughts, she got up out of her bed and put on a pair of shoes. Maybe it wasn't the smartest idea she had, but she wanted to just get out of the room. She wasn't going to go far, just move enough to work her legs. She exited her room and closed her door behind her. Walking quietly down the interpreter's hallway, she walked into the main, open space of the hanger.

It looked even larger in the dark. The only lights in the large space were a few dim spotlights to at least give the occupants of the building a sense of where they were going, but there were still a lot of large dark spaces that seemed endless when she looked at them. Though there was now a soft breeze on her face, she was beginning to think that it wasn't such a good idea to be walking around late at night. She suddenly felt even more alone than when she was in the room. Only slightly satisfied with her venture, she turned around to head back towards her room when a voice caught her.

"You should not be walking the grounds of the base late at night."

She nearly jumped out of her skin. Quickly looking around, she saw that only a few yards away was a certain Topkick waiting in the shadows. She placed her hand over her beating heart and walked to the massive vehicle.

"Dammit, 'Hide," she said slowly, trying to regain her breath. "You scared the shit out of me! What're you doing here?"

"My duty," he replied simply. "I'm keeping watch over you."

She shook her head. "Shouldn't you be guarding someone more important than me?"

"I am. William is under my immediate protection in times of battle. However, he is also a trained military officer who can look after himself when there is no immediate danger. You, however, are a tiny, defenseless femme, who most likely could not challenge even the smallest of men on this base."

"Gee, thanks, 'Hide."

He grunted in response.

"Why are you not recharging?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"Something on your processor?"

She paused a moment before answering, blushing slightly when she did.

"I miss, Bee."

The weapons specialist didn't speak for a moment, but then, to her surprise, started to chuckle.

"The two of you have only been separated for a little over 24 hours and yet you act as if it has been millennia since you last saw one another. You can't recharge, and he's been asking for a status report every half an hour."

Alise smiled at him and laughed. "Sorry about that."

"Whatever."

She paused for a moment. A thought struck her, but she was a little nervous to ask it. She did anyway, knowing it was either that or a long night.

"Hey, 'Hide?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I stay with you tonight?"

He sighed deeply, but the driver's seat door opened almost immediately to her relief.

"Fine, girly."

She smiled up at him as she climbed in. She was certainly getting better and quicker with getting into the large form from having to do so for the last few days. She climbed in the backseat and laid out, using her arm as a pillow. She was in an awkward position, but she was uncomfortable nonetheless. Her eyelids suddenly felt like they had weights on them, and she closed them almost immediately.

"Thanks, 'Hide," she said sleepily. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he responded roughly.

Alise fell asleep then with a smile on her face, and Bee in her mind.