A/N: Whoa, bro. This was supposed to be out like days ago, but for some reason I just haven't found time to write. I've been busy prepping for Christmas. Anyways, after this chapter there are just two left. Chapter 36 will be the last chapter (plus an epilogue). So as a heads up, you officially have until one week from today for any last minute contest entries. I know that seems like I'm cutting it short, but I had to change my plans. I want to post the first of the sequel before my break ends and that means announcing an official winner so we can work on their OC for the sequel and what not. So final turn in date is now: Dec 25 (aka Christmas day!).

So, hope you enjoy this chapter. Leave me reviews b/c they are my lifeblood and I swear to you all, I not only read and squeal about every damn one, but it also makes me write way faster ;D

Chapter Thirty-Four:

Hatred

"Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die." –Buddha

"Daddy says that we can go searching for seashells and he'll let us go swimming with him-"

"But only if we wear our floaties-"

"Yeah, and then mama says we can go to the movies too!"

"And we don't have to go to bed early!"

I grinned as Tyler and Taylor bounced in front of me excitedly. Peter was sitting to my left on the couch, while the twins danced in place. Both of them were too excited to stay still longer than thirty seconds. They had been woken up this morning and got ready for school as per usual only for Aubrey and Wes to pull them aside before they walked out the door with the news that they were all going on vacation to the beach this weekend. To say they were happy was the understatement of the century. The kids were beside themselves in excitement. Even after Aubrey explained to both of them that none of the mechs were coming with.

Taylor gasped mid-rambling sentence, "Aj! Can we take Bear with us!?"

"Well I don't know…" My nose scrunched up in aversion.

"Please, please, please!?" Taylor and Tyler both begged now.

I sighed, "We'll see."

The kids cheered and rushed off crying for Bear and for Bumblebee and Bluestreak. Peter let out a low sigh and leaned against my shoulder. I smiled and wrapped my arm around him.

"Why can't you come with us, Aj? It won't be as fun without you."

Yesterday, when Wes had explained his plan it had sounded like a good idea. I haven't been to the beach in years and I knew going with the kids would be a blast. However, sometime last night I had turned down the invitation with the plan to spend my weekend a little differently.

"Someone has to baby-sit Grimlock." I joked and Peter couldn't help but crack a smile. At the sound of his name, Grimlock leaned forward and peeked his head into the living room while the rest of his body laid in the hallway in front of the back, sliding door. He let out a low growl. "You'll have plenty of fun, regardless of my presence."

Peter sighed again, but he didn't argue. The truth of why I decided to stay behind had nothing to do with the dinosaur shaped mech. I trusted these guys enough to leave them alone for a weekend. There was something I needed to do this weekend though and it involved someone I owed everything to.

The plan was to spend this entire weekend with Granny. Kind of like old times, but without the lies and fighting ring. It was long time due. I mean, soon I'd be gone again, leaving her behind and this time I wouldn't be able to jump on a plane and come back to her. I was determined to leave the right way this time with the proper good-bye that she more than deserved.

Aubrey breezed into the living room, "Ok, so we're going to leave around 1 in the afternoon after lunch. That way we don't have to stop. Optimus said we all need to have some sort of meeting though before we leave."

"Meeting about what, mom?" Peter sat up and asked.

Aubrey's eyes widened as she came further into the room. She must not have noticed the small boy curled up against my side. She shook her head, "Just boring stuff. Day to day operations and what not." Peter scrunched his nose up in confusion at his mother's vague answer. Aubrey was quick to change the subject as her wide eyes darted to mine, "Can you do me a favor, Aimee?"

"Sure." I replied and tore myself away from Peter to stand up. I ruffled his hair with my hand, creating a tangled mess that he groaned at, before shooting him a cheeky grin and following Aubrey out of the room. She led me into the kitchen where Thundercracker, Prowl, and Jazz's holoform sat at the dining room table while Wes scribbled on a piece of paper while talking on the phone. I still wasn't sure if she actually needed me to do her a favor or if this was still just her trying to avoid Peter's question. Aubrey hadn't exactly mastered avoidance yet like I had. "Hey mechs."

The three holoforms greeted me in turn before focusing back on whatever it was they were whispering about. Aubrey turned to face me, "How do you feel?"

"Er, good?" I replied with a shrug. Last night, I had actually managed to get a few hours of sleep. None of which were plagued with nightmares or terrors. My body still ached, unsurprisingly, but I was whole. I was whole and for the moment it didn't feel like I was losing my grip on sanity. All in all, good was an apt term for my condition.

She shook her head, "Wes is on the phone with some old friends and I'm still packing the kids' bags so I was wondering if you could run out to the store for me?" Aubrey smiled, "I know you've been whining about being cooped up in this house and neighborhood."

"I'd love to, but my ears are still ringing from Ratchet's rant yesterday." I crossed my arms. The moment Jazz and I had got back from our walk, Ratchet had whisked me away upstairs so he could chew me out on the dangers of exercising while still injured.

"I already talked to Ratchet. He agreed as long as you took a mech with you and didn't strain yourself."

I scoffed, "You should've started with that. Where's the list?"

Aubrey chuckled and pulled a folded slip from her back pocket. I unfolded it to see her neat handwriting, but she read it off for me anyways, "We just need some basics like sunblock and a pack of water bottles. Also, Tyler needs a new pair of flip flops, he destroyed his, and the twins need new arm floaties."

"The kids made it sound like they already had floaties."

Aubrey crossed her own arms this time, "They did. I sent Wes out to get them from our summer bin in the garage only to find that Wheeljack, Soundwave, and Starscream had already rifled through it."

"So?"

"Apparently, Jackie used their floaties for something on the machine." Aubrey shrugged.

My gaze drifted over to the mechs at the table who were watching Aubrey and I now. Their own conversation must have ended. I shook my head, "What the fuck would he use floaties for?"

Prowl was the one to speak up, "I am honestly not sure at all."

"Well", I folded up the list and shoved it into my own pocket. This was one of the few mornings this week where I had woken up and changed from pajamas to actual clothes rather than house clothes. Of course, my actual clothes still consisted of just jeans and a hoodie, "I guess now I just need to grab my partner in crime."

Aubrey grinned brightly, "How about you take Jazz?"

Jazz's holoform stood up with a smile of his own. However, I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at Aubrey. In the same way she was lousy at avoiding things, Aubrey was also lousy at being subtle. I briefly chewed on my lip in thought, "Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Aubrey let out an awkward laugh.

Wes set his phone down on the counter and came over to wrap his arm around Aubrey's waist, "I'm sure Jazz is too busy preparing for that meeting later today. He is an officer after all." Prowl let out a snort of laughter, but Wes continued, "Sunstreaker's free isn't he? Or Sideswipe?"

Now I narrowed my eyes at Wes. Him and Aubrey were having a silent argument as they stared each other down. Wes had a small smirk on his lips while Aubrey wore wide eyes and a slight pout. My gaze drifted over to Jazz who was making his way over. He clapped once, "I don' know what's happenin' 'ere, but how 'bout we head out, sweetspark?"

"The sooner this stuff is bought the better." I agreed. Aubrey's pout slipped away as she beamed happily. I would almost call her smug. Without missing a beat, I walked right past Jazz who turned his head to follow me with his gaze. My own eyes were set on Thundercracker who looked shocked as I clapped him on the shoulder with a smirk, "But TC was my car buddy the last time I needed a babysitter due to my health. Why break the pattern?"

Wes chuckled in amusement as Aubrey crossed her arms. Jazz's holoform looked tense, I could tell, but he didn't let his small smile falter. Thundercracker slowly stood up and my hand dropped away, "I'm not sure-"

"You are the best one for the job. Now come on, TC." I scooped the truck keys off the spot by the fridge and waltzed over to the front door where my shoes were haphazardly lying off to the side. "We'll go to the nearby Wal-Mart so you can keep your real self here."

Thundercracker was standing to my side as I pulled my shoes on. He didn't seem overly comfortable, but he always seemed that way anytime a lot of attention was on him.

"Where are you going?" Sunstreaker's bipedal form came walking down the stairs with a glare. Once I stood up I realized his heated look was directed at Thundercracker's holoform. "You're going with him?"

I looped my arm through Thundercracker's, "We're going shopping, and we'll be back soon, relax."

Sunstreaker scoffed and threw his arm forward as he neared the bottom of the steps. I raised my arms and caught the item he had thrown through the air. It was my wallet. "Oh hey! I needed this!"

"Yeah, and apparently you were just going to walk out without it."

I grinned, "Thanks, SpongeBob. You're a real pal."

Sunstreaker groaned, "Seriously, femme?"

"If it makes you feel better, if you're SpongeBob that makes Sideswipe Patrick in my eyes." I joked.

Sunstreaker leveled his glare at me, "You're going to run out of those soon."

"Nope. I can go for vorns." I joked and pulled Thundercracker out of the house with me. Halfway to the truck I gave Thundercracker a sheepish smile, "I totally lied just there. I am seriously running out of nicknames. I'm in big trouble." Thundercracker's shoulders relaxed as he let out a low chuckle of amusement. The two of us got into the truck, "You aren't still in the running right?"

"No." He shook his head as I started the truck, "I was one of the first two mechs to drop out. In my defense though, at the time I hadn't cared that much about it."

I chuckled and glanced in his direction, "But now that you've gotten to know me and see how clever and witty I am, you care a whole lot more. Huh?"

"Something like that." Thundercracker replied warmly with a low chuckle of his own.

Aubrey shot her husband a glare as the front door shut. Wes shook his head, playing dumb, and shrugged innocently. Rather than press further she turned to look at Jazz who's brow was furrowed as he silently communicated with Prowl's holoform. It only took a moment for Jazz to realize her attention was on him and turn to greet her with a small smile, "Yeah, Aubrey?"

She had quite a few questions on her mind. They swirled around, all begging to be voiced, but the one to slip from her lips wasn't the one she expected, "Did Ratchet do something to Aimee?"

"Other than consistently scold her for everything?" Prowl questioned as he pushed himself up from the table.

Aubrey smiled but shook her head, "No, I mean, my shoulder healed pretty fast, I'm fine now, but her injury was so much worse. How is she…ok?"

"I wondered that myself actually." Wes added. He set his hand on her hip and pulled her closer.

"We're…not sure ourselves." Jazz admitted with a frown. It didn't seem like he planned on explaining further.

Prowl cleared his throat, "Your sister heals better than any human we've seen before. Not only speed, but in quality as well. Ratchet believes it to be a miracle that she's survived for as long as she has doing what she does." He shook his head, "I have no answer for either of you, but I know Ratchet plans to find an answer the moment he has the proper equipment."

"Are you saying my sister is going to be Ratchet's new science experiment?" Aubrey questioned in worry.

Jazz pressed his lips together, "Ratchet cares 'bout your sister too much to ever even consider somethin' like that."

She could believe that. In the short time spent here so far, it was obvious the medic had taken Aimee under his wing, so to say. Her sister reciprocated the feeling. It was clear to see.

"If you'll excuse us." Prowl nodded before him and Jazz left the kitchen.

Aubrey slowly spun where she stood to face Wes who pulled her even closer. She pointed at him, her finger flicking the tip of his nose, "I got a bone to pick with you."

"Oh?" Wes grinned, "And that is?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." She argued lightly, "I was trying to get Aimee to go with Jazz and you were absolutely no help."

Wes shrugged, "I made a deal."

"A deal?" She pressed.

"Sideswipe said he'd put a good word in for me with Pete if I kept Aj from going anywhere with Jazz. To the best of my ability at least."

Aubrey let out a gasp of surprise before pushing her husband in the chest. He chuckled, but she pouted in response, "I can't believe you!" Her pout slowly turned to a small smile as he grinned at her, "Stop that! I'm mad at you!"

"Exactly how mad?" Wes asked before leaning forward to press his lips against her neck. The kisses quickly turned to nuzzling and Aubrey shrugged her shoulder in a poor attempt to escape from the tickling sensation as her laugh rang out loudly.

He scared her. Megatron could tell that Aj's older sister feared him. The female didn't outwardly avoid him or act in a negative manner around him, but he could see it in her optics. There was worry and anxiety. Distress and unease. Even when he was in holoform, the organic tensed in his presence. He wasn't upset at this prospect, pit, he wasn't even surprised.

Despite his uncanny ability to unnerve her, she didn't act differently when he was around. She remained cheerful, kind, and lively.

Aubrey was exactly what Aj was not.

Megatron had kept a close optic on her since she came, her and her mate, and he hadn't been the only one. He wondered if the others made the same observations he did. They had to have. It was so painfully obvious.

Everything about them was as different as night and day.

Aubrey walked with a bounce in her step; her pedes seemed to float as her shoulders remained light with no cares. Aj walked confidently with a hint of caution. Her steps were sure and heavy, but she kept to her balls of her pedes in preparation to run or fight.

Aubrey wore no masks. What you saw was what you got. She was unguarded in her actions and in her emotions. More so, she was incredibly easy to read. Every line of her faceplate gave away what she felt internally, it gave away the thoughts that drifted through her processors. Aj, on the other servo, still remained guarded. It was hardly as bad as it used to be, but she still held parts of her self back. Granted, it had become easier to read what she thought. The femme's large, bright optics simply gave away too much once you got to know her, but Aj still tried to hide herself away.

Aubrey spoke softly, she tended to 'beat around the bush' as humans would say. Aj spoke bluntly, she got to her point.

Aubrey was gentle. Aj was the definition of tough love.

Aubrey seemed to constantly wear a kind, sincere smile, but Aj was more often seen with a smirk.

Megatron wasn't entirely sure how these two had become so different. They had started off in the same place after all, had gone through the same trials as younglings. Were they even true sisters? The similar faceplate structure would suggest so.

The Decepticon warlord was interrupted from his thoughts by a nagging comm. He opened the line and at the sound of Starscream's voice he regretted the decision immediately.

::What exactly is your plan if Aj's energy is unable to push through the veil and send us home? You refuse to address this issue!::

Like the seeker had mentioned, this wasn't the first time Megatron had been asked this, but it seemed pointless to address. Mainly because it was just as obvious as the differences between the sisters.

No matter how much Aj had protested that she didn't care whether they left or not last time around, he could tell she didn't want them to go. That must have been the reason why the portal wasn't pierced open. Aj's energy refused to let them leave. Now though? With the plan of her and the others coming along with the mechs, there was no doubt in his processors that the portal would allow them access. Soundwave would put on a good show toward the Engineer and CMO when it came to setting up the portal with the extra energy he had somehow found, but it all came down to Aj's readiness to go.

She was ready now and nothing would stop them.

He deleted the comm line with a huff only for a new voice to grab his attention.

"Um, Megatron?"

The mech turned around slowly, careful not to let the large arms of his bipedal form scratch the wall. Aubrey stood a few feet behind him. There was fear in her optics, but a bright smile on her lips.

"I'm making a batch of, uh, of coffee for some others." Aubrey shifted in her stance, "Would you like some?"

Aj avoided what she feared. She was threatened by what she didn't understand. Aubrey, however, met her fears with patience and thoughtfulness.

"Yes, I would." He replied and she nodded, "Thank you."

It was very strange, indeed.

I stopped drumming my hands against the steering wheel to smirk at Thundercracker who was sitting beside me in the truck, "Ok, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you think the kids are going to like their floaties? I think it's a solid 11." The shopping trip had gone swimmingly and I had bought everything Aubrey needed. The floaties I had bought for the twins were transformer themed. One wing had Bumblebee on it and the other had Optimus Prime. "Although, I'm starting to realize that only Bee and OP are ever on these things. I've never seen a Wheeljack themed t-shirt or Barricade floaties. Have you seen any?"

Thundercracker didn't reply to my question, but it hadn't been asked very seriously anyways. It just seemed odd that he flat out ignored me though because our conversations had been pretty light and rather fun up till now. I glanced over at him to see he was no longer lounging in his seat lazily and instead was sitting upright with his eyes glued to the side view mirror. My eyebrows scrunched in confusion, "TC? What the hell are you looking at?"

I looked in my own mirrors, but I didn't catch sight of anything out of the ordinary. We were about halfway home, in the downtown area, but the sidewalks we drove past weren't very crowded.

"We're being followed." My eyes widened. Had I just misheard him? Obviously I had because there was no way in hell he had just said what I thought he just said. "I noticed the dark blue SUV as we were leaving your neighborhood. It started following us again."

"Are you sure?" I pressed. My voice was strained as a pit of fear began to form in my stomach. Who the hell would be following Thundercracker and I? The only logical answer fell to Wes' terrorist buddies. This was just fucking fantastic. A group of angry, evil terrorists were stalking me in a blue SUV. Was this my life now?

"Very sure." Thundercracker replied. There was a beat of silence before he pointed out my side of the windshield, "Turn at that light." I followed his instructions. My eyes were constantly darting to the very obvious dark blue SUV now. It was too far back for me to see who was behind the wheel though. "Keep going straight now. Soon I'll be in comm distance."

I kept driving straight, my eyes glued on the car behind me, as the blue SUV got closer and closer. As we got toward the edge of downtown I realized the person driving was a guy in a baseball cap. My eyes danced from the road back to the mirror just in time to see the driver lift his hand in a small wave. It hit me like a bag of bricks in that moment and I nearly slammed on the breaks. I knew him. I fucking knew him.

"Aj?" Thundercracker pressed as I spun the steering wheel forcing us onto a small abandoned lot behind two buildings. It looked like it used to be the parking lot for one of the nearby places, but now it was overtaken with weeds and debris. "What are you doing?"

The blue SUV parked behind me and I barely even registered Thundercracker's words as I ripped off my seatbelt, turned the truck off, and rushed out of the cab. Suddenly, it felt like my shoes had been filled with concrete. I was stuck in place, right outside the driver's door, as the man slowly exited the SUV. He pulled off his baseball cap, tossing it into the car before shutting the door.

"Hey, Aj." Kyle breathed. His soft green eyes, the ones I had fallen hopelessly for, were glued to me unwaveringly. His messy blond hair looked a shade lighter and his skin seemed a shade darker, but he was still the same Kyle. Straight, strong jawline and a slightly crooked nose from the many times it had been smashed and broken. It occurred to me then how much I wanted to break his nose myself.

This was the man I had trusted with everything. This was the man I had let into my life after being so scared, so afraid, for years. This was the man I thought I could have a life with.

Yet, as he stood before me, wearing plain clothes and a warm smile, all I wanted to do was smash my fist into his unbroken nose. I wanted to break his jaw and let him choke on his perfect, white teeth. More than anything, I wanted him to feel pain the same way I had when I found out about his betrayal. The sight of him made my blood boil. Seeing Boss had made me angry, sure, but it had filled me with fear more than anything. Seeing Kyle? All I felt was revulsion. There was a ball of hatred in my core that made my hands shake and my vision go red.

"How dare you?" I breathed between clenched teeth. His smile faltered and I took an unsteady step toward him, "How fucking dare you?"

"Aj-"

"Are you stupid or suicidal?" I growled and took another step toward him, "If you had any sense of well-being, you'd get back in that damn car and leave before I do something that will get me arrested."

Kyle's shoulders slouched in dismay as he put his hands together. His fingers laced together as his thumb pressed against his palm. It was a nervous tic of his. He shook his head, "Aj, I'm sorry, I just came here to explain- I needed to talk to you, I-"

"You don't get to say you're sorry!" I screamed and lunged forward only for arms to wrap around my waist and hold me back. It took me a moment before I remembered Thundercracker was still here with me. "You put them in danger you asshole! You put my kids in danger!"

"That wasn't my intention!" Kyle argued loudly, "I was trying to save you, Aj. I had a plan-"

I scoffed, "Save me?" I tried to break out of Thundercracker's grasp, but he held me tighter, "Boss tried to kill me, Kyle! He showed up at the house with Joey. I got shot!"

Kyle's face paled as he slowly rubbed his face with his hand. He began to shake his head again, as he shifted in place, "I know. I heard. I-I didn't want it to happen like that. I didn't think-"

"You're fucking right you didn't slagging think." I spat.

"Aj." Thundercracker mumbled in my ear.

I slumped against him in exhaustion. This anger, this hatred, was tiring. It made my arms and legs heavy and it made my chest ache in pain, "What did you think was going to happen, Kyle? Boss was going to be ok with what you did? He was going to leave me alone?"

"Aj, I left to make a place for us." Kyle took a step toward me. Thundercracker stiffened at his movement, I could feel him. "In Italy. You said you always wanted to visit there. I left with the money and made a place for us. I was going to come back for you." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I just couldn't- I thought that if I didn't tell you my plan you would have plausible deniability. Boss wouldn't blame you for anything."

"He did blame me. I nearly died for your mistake. My kids could've-" I couldn't bring myself to finish the statement. I pointed to his car, "Get in that fucking SUV and leave. I don't ever want to fragging see your face again."

"No." Kyle blurted and my eyes narrowed. "Not without you."

It was like his words reignited the fire burning in my chest. Exhaustion be damned. I wanted to rip him limb from limb even if it meant causing myself bodily harm. Did he honestly think I'd ever go anywhere with him?

I tried to pull away from Thundercracker, but he held me back. I finally managed to tear my eyes away from Kyle to look at the mech holding me. Thundercracker's features were hardened. I had never seen his holoform look so tense and angry. The mech looked dangerous.

"Let me go." I said quietly and his gaze softened slightly as it fell to me, "Please."

Thundercracker hesitated before releasing me. I wasted no time and crossed the space to stand in front of Kyle. It took every ounce of willpower not to lunge at him and claw out his eyes. He stared back at me with a hopeful look of all things.

"I found a villa. It's by the-"

"I don't want to go anywhere with you. Ever." I interrupted venomously. "Kyle, I- I hate you. After everything I told you about my dad and my sister…you still lied. You still turned your back on me."

Kyle shook his head, "I had a plan."

"I don't care."

His face grew desperate, "Please, you have to come with me. I've heard rumors, Aj. He's looking for you now." Kyle reached out for me, but stopped when he saw me tense, "Boss' brother is coming for you. He heard what happened too. He's looking for revenge, Aj."

"Boss doesn't have a brother." I rolled my eyes, "That was just some stupid rumor-"

"No! It's true." Kyle argued loudly, "He lives in Vegas. Him and Boss weren't close, that's why Boss never talked about him, but they were still brothers! He- Everything I've heard points to Boss' brother being worse than Boss himself. You need to come with me. I can protect you."

I shook my head, "You can go fuck yourself."

"Aj-"

Without thinking, I lashed out and punched him in the jaw. His head snapped to the side as my knuckles throbbed. I scoffed and turned to walk away when his hand clamped around my forearm tightly. He pulled me toward him with frustration and anger in his eyes, "Don't just blow me off! I came to warn you, to try and save you! Why are you being such an ungrateful bitch!? Those kids are a useless weakness and your cunt of a sister-"

Suddenly, I was pulled back, out of his grip, and Thundercracker pushed past me. Kyle let out a cry of pain as Thundercracker shoved him against the side of the SUV hard enough to make the entire car rock.

"You do not touch her." Thundercracker snarled. He pulled him back just to shove him against the car again, "You do not speak of the younglings like that. You do not say anything bad about the ones she cares about."

"Get the fuck off me." Kyle tried to get loose and became surprised when he couldn't. Kyle was a hell of a good fighter. He should've been able to escape and throw a few hits of his own, but this wasn't a human holding him to the car. Kyle didn't stand a chance against a mech. "What the hell?!"

Thundercracker slammed him a third time and the driver's window cracked at the force, "I am no Autobot, human. There is no order keeping me from ending your existence."

It was only then that I realized how serious this had become. Cars were starting to slow down as they passed us. The few people who had been around were growing curious. I set my hand against Thundercracker's back and leaned forward, "We have to go, TC. It's ok, I'm ok."

The mech didn't immediately react to my words, but after a few more seconds he threw Kyle to the ground. His fists were balled up and pressed against his thighs. I wrapped my hand around his wrist and began to tug him toward the truck. Thundercracker let me pull him along and I force myself to keep moving forward despite Kyle calling after me. If I turned around, if I made eye contact with him again, things would go badly. I'd attack again or worse I'd let Thundercracker follow through on his threat. The two of got into the truck and I wasted no time in peeling out of the parking lot.

"Is your cell phone still in here?" Thundercracker asked in a strained voice.

"Glove box." The mech pulled open the drawer in front of him and dug through it until he found my crappy burner phone. It started ringing in his hands. "How did you-"

Thundercracker flipped it open, but offered it to me, "It's your 'bots. They don't believe me."

"What?" I narrowed my eyes, but took the phone, "Hello-"

"Aj, are you alright?" Optimus asked urgently. My eyes widened in surprise. I didn't really know what to expect from this phone call, but I never would've even guessed that Optimus would be on the other end. "Aj?"

I shook my head as if he could see that, "I'm fine, OP. What's going on? Why- Why are you- I'm…confused."

Optimus let out a low sigh on the other end of the line, "Thundercracker told us the male who betrayed you showed up again. He said you were ok, but we didn't…" He paused before continuing, "We could feel your anger over the bond. We wanted to hear from you ourselves."

"Oh." I mumbled. The bond had completely escaped my mind. I briefly wondered what it felt like for them to experience my strong emotions in that way. "Sorry, I- I am fine. We're on our way home now."

There was silence for a moment before a new voice came onto the line, "Babe, did that slagger hurt you?"

"Kyle is a pest." I spat bitterly, "I'd like to see him try and lay a punch on me."

"That's good to know, but I was talking about the fragging seeker." Sideswipe replied and the anger in his tone made his voice come out almost like a growl. "He lost his temper, I know he did. Did he hurt you?"

I nearly let the truck roll off the road in surprise, but caught myself at last minute, "What? No! TC, he…he helped me. He wouldn't hurt me."

"You don't know the 'cons like we do, Aj. We-"

"I gotta go. See you soon." I quickly hung up and let the phone fall to the seat between us. Rather than looking to Thundercracker, I kept my gaze on the road as my knuckles tightened around the leather steering wheel.

Thundercracker must have been close enough in that parking lot to comm them about the situation, but that hadn't been enough for some of the mechs at home. Sideswipe had sounded so sure that Thundercracker had something to do with my flare of anger. Even Optimus had sounded genuinely worried.

As I pulled into the neighborhood, something I had known all along really hit me. This rivalry between the Autobots and the Decepticons, this hatred they had for one another, it ran deep. It made me wonder how this whole 'living in their world' thing was going to work. Apparently, hanging out with Thundercracker like I did today wasn't going to be as easy as it was now.

"Are you alright?" Thundercracker asked as the truck rolled onto our street.

I glanced over at him to see he was still tense, "I will be."

The moment I parked the car, there were people spilling out of the house. Thundercracker grabbed all the bags and jumped out of the passenger seat. I rushed around the front of the truck to help him, but Aubrey who reached me first cut me off. She was ranting about how the mechs had gone tense and how some nearly rushed out of the house. Ratchet and Jazz were outside as well, they came closer asking me questions, but I couldn't focus on their words. My gaze followed Thundercracker's stiff shoulders as he slunk into the house.

I wondered when was the last time we were all in the same room like this. Although, the kids were upstairs with Bluestreak and Bumblebee so I guess not everyone was here. I let my hands wrap around the warm mug filled with hot chocolate as Bear napped in my lap. Aubrey had made it for me, but being drugged by Ratchet kind of ruined the drink for me.

My eyes glanced around the room awkwardly. I was sitting at the head of the dining room table with Aubrey to my left and Wes to my right. Across the table from me was Optimus Prime who had Megatron to his left and Wheeljack to his right. Soundwave stood between Megatron and Optimus and had refused the chair that Aubrey offered to bring in for him. Every other mech, minus the two babysitting upstairs, stood scattered around the kitchen. They were all in their holoforms to preserve space. Even Grimlock was here. His body sat in the foyer as his head rested on the kitchen floor with bored eyes.

"So", Aubrey cleared her throat. Wes was tense in his seat, his hands clasped together, "How do we begin?"

Optimus offered a small smile, "I thought we could start with Wheeljack catching us all up to speed on the status of the project, explain the specifics to all of you, and then we could answer any questions. Then anything else can simply go from there."

"Sounds fun." I bobbed my head, "So what's the deal, Jackie?"

Wheeljack's holoform cleared his throat and a slow smile spread across his features, "Well, to begin, let me first state that the machine is still running as well as it was last time."

Sideswipe's holoform, who was lazily draped across the counter top of the island counter, snorted, "Is that a good thing? The thing didn't work last time."

Prowl shot the mech a glare, one Sideswipe ignored entirely, while Wheeljack shook his head, "The machine was not at fault for the failure last time around, you see- Well, that's kind of getting ahead of myself. Let me start again", Even though he was in his holoform, I could picture Wheeljack's fins lighting up brightly, "The machine is working well. It's in good condition and I'm thankful for Starscream and Soundwave's expertise." He scratched at the side of his face, "Although, we did alter some of the processing circuitry in an attempt to fine tune the portal selection manner. That way we can get sent as close to where we left physically. The plan is to go through the portal and end up on the battlefield we were on when we first went through the accidental portal."

"Where exactly was that?" Wes questioned.

"Our ship, the Ark, is located in Oregon." Optimus answered, "The battle we were involved in was outside of Portland."

Aubrey let out a soft hum as her eyes darted toward me, "I've always wanted to go out west."

"I've always wanted to travel through a portal made of spare parts to an alternate universe." I replied. Aubrey gave me a deadpanned look and I grinned in response.

Wheeljack spoke up, "I'm not really sure how much I should explain when it comes to the details of the project. Maybe it would be easier if we jumped to the portion where you ask questions? Then I'll know what direction to go in."

"Ok, I'll start." I pushed the mug away from me then buried my hands in Bear's fur, "What's different Jackie? Why is it gonna work this time?"

The mech smiled, "Right! Good question! I have the answer to that now thanks to Soundwave." He motioned toward the holoform that stood at the table, "He was able to find energy that I was not able to pick up on. Most likely because I wasn't looking for this kind of energy. You see, the reason why the portal didn't work last time is because although we had enough energy to create the portal we didn't have enough to actually break through the barrier that separates our universe from yours."

"Current energy levels: Sufficient." Soundwave stated. I had grown used to the way the mech spoke, but it was odd to hear him speak that way while looking human.

Wheeljack continued, "Exactly. Soundwave was able to find an energy source located in this house, or rather under it. This house sits atop a strong pocket of…hmm, well, there really is no word in your language to describe it. We have a term for this kind of energy because of how unique it is and how, well, useful it can be." As Wheeljack spoke he became more and more excited, "Regardless, now that we know that it is here, Soundwave is able to use an algorithm to tap into this energy and essentially punch through the barrier allowing us to travel!"

"What about when we're gone?" Aubrey asked. "An entire family disappearing from a suburb will be noticeable."

Wes was actually the one to first speak up, "I've been working with Prowl on that actually."

"Yes", Prowl nodded, "I offered to start working on wiping your existence from all digital records, but Wes pointed out that this would catch the wrong kind of attention as well."

"I've been talking to my boss, Nick, and he's going to do that for us." Wes added, "When we go, it'll be in the news initially, he can't stop that, but he'll make sure it becomes a cold case real fast. He's also going to make sure no attention is drawn to any local friends we're leaving behind."

I chuckled, "This sounds like a government conspiracy in the making. Your super spy pals weren't surprised to hear this request?"

"Hardly." Wes shook his head, "We come across some really weird shit."

Megatron's voice grabbed the attention of the table, "We need to discuss the timeline. I'm sure I speak for all mechs when I say we're able to leave at this moment. When are you ready to leave?"

His gaze was on me throughout the entire question, but I looked away to Aubrey and Wes. The two seemed to be having some sort of silent conversation with just their eyes. It must have been something they spoke about before. I shook my head, "The sooner the better, right? I told all of you about what the slagheap named Kyle said." No one in the room corrected my language, "Boss' secret brother is looking for my head, or something… If we don't want to deal with that, which I'd rather not, then we need to leave soon. I have no idea when he might be here. There's also Wes' terrorist buddies to consider too."

"Actually, Nick has them cornered." He smirked, "They got stuck out in Paris and it looks like they might finally be taken down. He called me with the news earlier today." Aubrey grinned with him, "He offered to fly me out to complete the mission, but I told him I had a important, highly classified breifing to attend."

Aubrey and a few other mechs chuckled at his joke, but I stared at him in surprise. He chose to stay. He had the opportunity to leave, to deal with the people that plagued his life, but he had said no. Wes chose to stay here with Aubrey, to stay with his kids. Eyes were beginning to dart my way, Wes' included, and I shook away the shock. I cleared my throat, "Great, so my shitty life is the only one threatening us. Glad things are back to normal."

"Not this coming new week, but the one after is the kids' spring break." Wes commented, "I think we should leave then. I can talk to Nick about clearing out this neighborhood, that way if something does go wrong or if the energy levels flux or whatever, we won't have witnesses."

"How will he do that?" Optimus asked.

"Send them on vacation to wherever. Tell them they won a free trip to Disney or something. Nick has the funds to send a few streets away."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "The more you talk the more scared I get of the people you work for."

Wes just smiled in amusement. The meeting continued for another ten minutes or so as details were discussed and hammered out. My mind started to wander though and I had a feeling there was a lot I missed. As long as they knew what they were doing though, I'd be all right. What I needed to do was contact someone and see if I could get more details on Boss' brother. The problem was, I didn't have many friends back home to call and ask questions to. I also couldn't go back and as Kyle without actually murdering him, so that was out. Maybe Wes' scary friends could figure something out.

The group in the room was beginning to disperse. Bear had woken up and jogged away from me. Some mechs walked out and some just turned their holoforms off and disappeared. I grabbed Wes' attention before he rose from his seat, "Dude, you think your pal Nicky can find out more about Boss' brother? See if we can figure out when they might come knocking?"

"He can try. I don't see what that would hurt." Wes shrugged, "What's his name?"

I bit my lip, "Er, well, I don't actually know his name. I thought he was a rumor until like two hours ago."

"Oh, ok." Wes nodded, "Well what's Boss' name? Full name that is."

"I don't actually know that either."

"You don't know his last name?"

"I don't even know his first name." I admitted sheepishly. Wes raised an eyebrow at me and I just shrugged, "He just went by Boss, ok?"

Wes crossed his arms, "What do you know about Boss' brother then?"

"He lives in Las Vegas? Runs his own illegal ring of fighting, I assume." I tried to think back to all the rumors I had heard over the years, "Some people said he was more into drugs and prostitutes than actual fighting, but then others said he was into cock fighting. Cock as in the chickens not-"

"Yeah, I get it." Wes interrupted me. "So you basically know nothing?"

"Uh, yeah. Basically." I rubbed the back of my neck, "So, you think your friend is up for the job?"

Wes chuckled, "I'll give him a call tomorrow. He's busy today."

"Busy kicking terrorist ass, yeah?"

He nodded, but before I could press further the sound of Taylor humming filled the kitchen. I glanced over my shoulder to see her dancing toward us. She wrapped her arms around Wes' legs and he didn't hesitate to scoop her into his arms. She beamed at him, "Daddy, will you play a game with me?"

"Of course, hon. Anything you want." He replied and began to carry her out of the kitchen.

"Can Tyler and Pete play too? Oh and Bee?" Taylor asked.

"Sure."

I watched them walk toward the living room before grabbing my cup of hot chocolate to dump into the sink. Aubrey had left the room already with all but one mech. I set the empty cup down in the sink and turned to look at Megatron who sat in the same seat he had during the meeting. His holoform continued to just stare at me. I shook my head, "Take a picture, Megsy. It'll last longer."

"Why are you and your sister so vastly different?" He blurted.

I blinked in surprise and slowly came toward the table, "Um, what?"

"The two of you are nearly opposites. Black and white, night and day." Megatron looked perplexed, "Why?"

I chuckled and leaned against the back of the seat in front of him, "We just…are."

"The two of you had the same upbringing. She came out of it soft and you…" Megatron tried to explain his reasoning. He wasn't able to finish his statement, but I heard enough. I knew what he was thinking.

It was hard to put my own thoughts into words as well. I sucked in a quick breath and shrugged, "We took on the stress of our mom dying, of our dad leaving, differently. We endured the same situations, but we…had different coping mechanisms." I lifted my gaze from the table to Megatron's own eyes, "She's stronger than I am." He raised an eyebrow, questioning my statement without any words. I smiled and nodded, "When everything happened to us, I chose to be bitter. I chose to be bitter and angry and I chose to hate the world. Aubrey chose to smile, she made the decision to be happy regardless of what life threw at her. I took the easy way out."

"I see." Megatron replied slowly.

"All her hardships, they just made her kind."

There was a short silence between the two of us, and that brief moment of nothing behind said was the only reason why I heard the start of a faint argument in the living room. I stepped away from the table, to stand in the kitchen archway, just in time to see Peter stand up from where he sat on the couch, "I already told you! I don't want to play, and stop calling me Pete!"

Peter whipped around to storm out of the room. He spared me a quick glance before running up the stairs. My eyes landed on Wes who was sitting on the living room floor between Taylor and Tyler. His face looked so broken and hurt that my own heart ached. He noticed my gaze and tried to hide his pain with a smile directed toward the twins who asked questions. Without hesitating, I turned and ran up the stairs.

"Is everything ok?" Ratchet asked. He stood outside my room.

I nodded, "I'm gonna take care of it, Ratch."

He walked into my room and I stepped into Peter's. The boy was sitting in the middle of his bed with a comic book held between his hands. He hadn't opened it yet. Instead, he just stared at it with twisted lips and tense shoulders. I shut the door behind me, "Hey, Pete?" He looked up at me, "We need to talk."

"I don't wanna talk about Wes, Aj."

"Well we need to." I replied firmly.

Peter shook his head and his face grew angry, "I don't want to play board games with him! I don't want to talk to him!" He let out a frustrated scoff and threw the comic book toward his desk, "I hate him, Aj!"

"Don't say that." I snapped and crossed the room. Peter looked shocked at my raised voice. I hadn't meant to snap at him, but it couldn't be helped. To hear my Peter say that word, to say he hated his father, with such venom and determination, filled my soul with dread. I felt hatred today staring at Kyle. I felt the way it filled every inch of my body, the way it infected my mind, and made my vision clouded and red. I got to see how prolonged hatred turned to bias in the way Sideswipe glared at Thundercracker when we first came home. Hatred ruined people. It took the best of someone and poisoned them. "Peter just- just don't say that, ok?"

Peter let out a frustrated sigh, "Aj, you don't- I can't- I really don't like him, Aj."

I came over to sit on the bed beside him, "Yeah, I'm picking up on that, buddy."

"He left us." Peter said softly. "He explained why and I- I- I get that, but it still…it still hurts, Aj. What if he leaves again?"

I nodded, "I see your point, but I could've left too. You gave me a chance, and though I have hurt you, I'd like to think there's more pros than cons."

Peter gave me a light smile at my comment, "It's different with you though."

"Not really." I argued. "There's always going to be a chance you get hurt, Pete. I wish that wasn't true, but it is. When you care about someone you automatically give them the opportunity to hurt you, but that's better than the alternative. It's better than shutting them out and being alone. Trust me on that."

"Even to people who have hurt me before? I'm supposed to give them another opportunity?" Peter argued.

"People deserve a second chance, Pete." I said firmly. Giving second chances was hard as hell and I wasn't exactly the role model to follow in that sense, but if anyone could master it it would be Peter Williams. He was too good to be bad at it. "Here's the thing, Pete. Wes- Your dad, left you without any contact or answers and regardless of his reasoning that was a dickhead thing to do, pardon my french." The boy laughed at my language, but I continued, "But I really do think you should give him a chance."

Peter's laughs died down, but he didn't look so angry and closed off to the idea anymore, "Why should I? Really?"

"There are a lot of shitty fathers out there who bail on their kids. I know one personally, but I don't think Wes falls under that category."

Peter's eyes narrowed, "He did bail on me!"

I nodded, "Yeah, Pete, he did, but he also did something those shitty dads don't do. He came back." Peter's eyes softened and I set my hand on his shoulder, "He came back to you and he's truly sorry, Peter. Call it a guess or intuition, but I honestly don't think that man is ever going to leave you again. Not if he can help it."

"How do you know?"

"Well", I pulled my hand away, "He had the chance to go to Paris today and finally get revenge on the people who ruined his father's life and ruined part of his."

Peter's eyes widened, "He did?"

"Yeah." I replied, "Yet, instead of kicking ass in Paris he's downstairs playing Monopoly with your brother and sister. Which isn't super fun. You know how Tyler cheats in that game."

Peter chuckled and paused in thought, "What if I do give him a chance and I still don't like him?"

I couldn't hold back the loud laugh that erupted from my lungs, "You know what?" My laughter turned to chuckles. "We'll cross that bridge once we get to it, little man. If we get to it. Right now, I'm just asking that you give the poor chump a chance." I clapped him on the back, "Kinda like the one you gave me."

Peter nodded and the two of us pushed off the bed to leave the room. I walked down the stairs with my arm slung around his shoulders.

"Thanks, Aj."

"That's what I'm here for, kid." I replied and lightly pushed him toward the living room where Tyler was loudly counting fake money while Bluestreak corrected him every other number, "And tell Tyler he better not cheat."

Peter nodded before heading into the living room and taking a seat with the twins who excitedly cheered at his presence. The kid said something and Wes grinned with a nod. Taylor, who was pulling him into a hug, distracted Peter, and Wes lifted his gaze to meet mine. He nodded with a small smile and I shrugged in response. If someone like me got a second chance in life then this guy definitely deserved one.

"That's a good thing you did, sweetspark."

I turned and walked over to Jazz who was leaning against the kitchen wall, "I'm known to do nice things every once in a while."

"You ok?" He asked. Nothing was wrong with me, but I did feel extremely tired. Tired enough to even go to sleep early tonight.

Rather than answer, I wrapped my arms around him and leaned against his chest. Jazz didn't hesitate to wrap his own arms around me. With a tired sigh, I just stayed there and let him hold me up. Aubrey, Wes, and the kids would be leaving for the beach in less than an hour and I'd get to spend the entire weekend with Granny.

I was surrounded by darkness. So much that I couldn't even see my own hand if I held it up in front of my face. Standing there, alone and in the dark, I suddenly realized I was dreaming again. I remembered Aubrey, Wes, and the kids leaving for the beach with Bear in tow. I remembered going to bed. This was another nightmare, but it was different. Never before had I ever realized I was having a nightmare until after I woke up from it.

"Hello!?" I yelled, but got no response. If I pinched myself would I wake up? The movies always made it seem like that was the solution. Before I could even try, the darkness began to disappear as the area around me slowly lightened up. I turned, hoping to notice something about my surrounding area. My eyes landed on another person. "Hey!" I walked toward them even though it was still too dark to make out any details of the person. All I could see was that they were walking toward me as well.

Then the sight was clear. It was me. The person I was walking toward was me.

The darkness was gone, replaced by an odd light with no source, and now I could see that I had been walking toward a mirror that seemed to stretch on to the right and left endlessly. Despite the fact that I was wearing my ratty pajama shorts and shirt, my reflection wore jeans, boots, a flannel shirt, and my usual leather jacket.

I lifted my hand to touch the mirror, but my reflection didn't move. A hand slowly appeared on my reflection's shoulder and the thing that looked like my mother slid out from behind her.

"Here we are again." She hummed in disappointment.

"I want to wake up." I declared and dug my nails into the skin of my arms. It did nothing but make me grit my teeth in pain. I pushed harder, I'd draw blood if I had to. "I want to wake up now."

She chuckled, "You can't wake up. This isn't a dream. This is your future."

She lifted her hand and caressed the side of my reflection's face. Carefully tucking a strand of loose hair behind my ear. The same way my mother would so many years ago. She wasn't physically beside me, just in the mirror, yet I could feel her fingers against my cheek.

"Get the hell away from me. Leave me the fuck alone!" I barked.

"No." She dropped her hand and stared at me, "I've said this so many times, repeated it over and over, but you don't get it. You don't understand."

I scoffed and stepped toward the mirror, there was thunder in the air, "Oh, I understand just fine. You want me dead."

"I don't want you dead, Aj." She replied. It seemed strange to hear my mother's voice address me by my common nickname. "It just has to happen. You need to die, it's the only way to end the line of defenders. Your mother took the first step needed to destroy the lineage, but without your death…it will come back."

"What the frag are you even talking about?" I cried in confusion. "Nothing you say makes sense!"

"That's why we're here." She said softly, "You will not take me for my word so I will show you the consequences of your actions. I will show you the path you are destined to walk."

With those words she faded away and the mirror became foggy. I tried to wipe it away with my hand, but the fog was on the other side of the mirror. It slowly dispersed and I could see myself again, but my eyes widened at the sight of my unusual reflection. My features were the same, the build of my body was the same, but it was like everything else differed. My hair was long again, braided down my back, and my blue eyes seemed dark and lifeless. My reflection wore a sleeveless black dress that draped to the ground covering both my legs. The outer material was sheer and it glittered in shades of white, purple, dark blue, and light pink. It looked like the night sky. Around my lower arms and hands were silver…gauntlets of sort. What really caught my eye was the dried blood that seemed to be splattered on the strange gauntlets. It mingled with a dried, dark blue splatter that reminded me a lot of energon.

A dark red image began to form on the mirror between us. I watched as the familiar symbol I had found with the three-headed snake like figure was drawn. When it was completed, my reflection stepped forward and set her hand against it. With a bright flash of light, it disappeared as quickly as it had come and now my reflection's eyes glowed a bright blue.

"Walk with me." My reflection hummed. She turned to the right and began to walk away. After a moment of hesitation, I followed her side-by-side with only the mirror between us. "Let's find your family."

A vorn ago, if someone had told Optimus that one day he would be standing across from Megatron in a human kitchen, speaking peacefully rather than fighting, he would have hardly believed it. Yet here he stood in his bipedal mode staring at the dark gray mech. The human day had gone fairly well, all things considered, and it seemed like everything was going according to plan. Aubrey, Wes, and the younglings had safely arrived at their destination with the organic hound, the project was well on it's way, ready to be of use, and Aj was healing well.

"Brother." Optimus spoke cautiously.

Megatron shook his helm, "Don't. I know what you plan to ask of me. Don't, Optimus."

"Can't we be done with this? Can we not put aside this endless battle and come to a better solution?" Optimus question. He longed for peace. He craved it more than anything. The leader was hesitant when it came to dealing with Megatron period, he had been betrayed by the mech one time too many, but he would never forgive himself if he didn't at least bring the subject to the table.

Megatron tensed, "That is not for me to say."

"Of course it is." Optimus replied sharply. "You can end this. If you gave up this cruel crusade and worked with us, we could-"

"There will always be those out there fighting for the Decepticon cause."

"We can end that belief together." Optimus replied. He received no response and this frustrated him to no end. He could see the change in Megatron's demeanor. He could see the mech he used to know in those dark red optics. The mech he thought had died, his brother in arms, had suddenly returned and the energon-thirsty warlord had vanished. "Can you at least promise me a temporary peace when we travel through the portal? Enough time to get our new friends settled and to safety."

Megatron shook his head, "I cannot promise that."

"Megatron-" Optimus growled.

::I do not know what will happen when we cross through that portal, brother. You should remain prepared for anything and everything.::

The sudden comm message had startled Optimus, but not as much as Megatron's words had. He planned to push further. Optimus could see that Megatron wanted to explain more, to confide in someone, but the world came to a screeching halt around him as pain flooded his spark. It was so sharp that he didn't initially realize that it wasn't his own physical pain. The pain came from a bond. Optimus could see Megatron's own pain, own shock.

The pain was fear. Intense, processor-numbing fear.

A high-pitched scream erupted through the house and suddenly Optimus was moving. His pedes left dents in the stairs as he stormed up them, Megatron and other mechs following behind him. A flash of red and yellow streaked in front of him from the office to the medbay where more screams erupted.

Optimus wasn't sure who was where or how they all managed to fit into the small medbay, but when he entered the medbay his spark ached in pain again. Aj was thrashing about the berth, her optics shut tightly, screaming at the top of her lungs. Water dripped from her tightly shut optics. Ratchet, in bipedal mode, was on the bed trying to hold her down.

"Youngling, wake up!" The medic cried before quickly barking in cybertronian for the other mechs to back away from them. "Aj, it's a nightmare you need to wake up!"

Aj's optics shut open suddenly as he body stiffened and stilled. There was so much fear and panic and pain there. Optimus could see it in her optics and he could feel it in his spark. She began to hyperventilate as she sobbed hysterical. Aj sprung forward and clung to Ratchet's chassis. She was yelling now, but it was words this time yelled between bouts of sobs, "I killed them! I-I-I- Ratchet, I killed them. They were dead! My kids were dead! The-They were- No!"

"Shhh. It was a nightmare young one. Shh." Ratchet replied soothingly as he carefully wrapped his arms around her.

Aj clung to him tighter, "Don't le-leave me. Don't let me go. I'm sorry. I'm so so-sorry."

Her face was buried against his chassis as she sobbed. Optimus didn't know what to do. It pained him to see her like this, but he felt useless standing there watching. Ratchet's gaze met his and a comm was sent his way.

::Get everyone out. Now.::

Optimus nodded, "Every mech is ordered to leave the medbay." Voices rose in argument but it squashed it quickly, "Now."

The mechs began to file out of the room one by one. Optimus gave the femme one last glance. She shook and cried in Ratchet's arm as he cradled her gently. He turned and left the room to see Grimlock standing outside the door. Down the hall by the stairs were Jazz, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, and Wheeljack. While others had cleared the second floor, they remained.

"Don't order us away, Prime." Sunstreaker spoke roughly in sharp cybertronian. Optimus could hear it in his tone though, it was a request. Sunstreaker would follow any order he gave, but he was pleading, in his own way, for Optimus not to do that to him. "She needs us."

Optimus nodded, "No one is to enter the medbay until Ratchet deems it otherwise."

"Grimlock is guard." The dinobot rumbled from behind him. Optimus watched as he transformed to his alt mode. The metal dinosaur was almost too big for the small hallway. Grimlock was forced to lay down and his tail rested up against the wall, but he made do. "No mech get near dinobot pet."

Optimus nodded and forced himself to walk away from the door. He wanted to purge the image of Aj thrashing and sobbing from his memory banks, it was painful to see, but there was no place in this house he could go where he wouldn't hear her continued sobs.

Morning came quickly enough, but it felt like vorns before Optimus received a comm from Ratchet requesting his presence. The sobs had stopped human hours ago, but it still haunted his processors. Optimus quickly went upstairs to see Jazz leaning against the office door archway while the twins sat on the floor in front of the bathroom door leaning against each other.

Their optics all snapped to him as their frames tensed. They wanted in. He knew that. He knew that just like he knew Thundercracker had been pacing the downstairs hall since he was kicked from the medbay. It wasn't their turn, however, and Optimus could admit to himself that he wanted to be in there as well. He gave them a quick nod, one to Grimlock as well, before slipping into the room.

Ratchet sat on the berth, his back against the wall and the femme in his arms. She was recharging soundly, leaning against Ratchet's chassis, but the area around her optics were swollen and red.

"She cried herself to recharge." Ratchet mumbled. "The berth would be more comfortable than me, but every time I try to set her down she goes into fits."

"Your presence calms her." Optimus offered.

Ratchet vented out a sigh and lifted his optics from her faceplate to his, "I can't fix this, Optimus. I can't rid her of these…nightmares." He scoffed in frustration, "What am I supposed to do?"

"I think this is enough for her, old friend." Optimus replied. He stepped closer and let his shoulders relax, "I didn't know we could feel anything over the bond this strongly. Her anger at seeing the male was nothing compared to this."

"Sunstreaker knew." Ratchet commented. "Back when he was the only one feeling the bond. I commed him earlier. What he felt a little over a joor ago was the same thing he felt before. He was the first one in. He thought she was offlining."

It explained why Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were curled up together like they were. The twins always seemed to revert to that position after long battles and trauma. A spark scare like that could without a doubt be considered a trauma.

Downstairs, the sound of a phone ringing could be heard, but he paid it no further mind. Someone would answer. The ringing quickly stopped and Optimus nodded. He shook his helm, "Do you think she'll remember this nightmare?"

"As much as I want to hear about it, to understand it, I hope she doesn't." Ratchet replied. "She was screaming that she killed them, Optimus. She was screaming that the younglings were…" He couldn't even finish the statement, "I hope it didn't make it to her memory banks."

The sound of a holoform forming in the room made Optimus turn toward the sound in curiosity while Ratchet tensed protectively. Wheeljack's holoform took shape and there was panic drawn on his human like features.

"What the frag are you doing in here, Wheeljack?" Ratchet barked in a whispered tone. He glanced down at Aj, "I said no visitors yet!"

"I'm sorry, Ratchet. I'm sorry." He shook his helm, "We have to wake her now."

Ratchet looked livid, "Are you slagging kidding me? She needs more fragging recharge and this is the first peaceful rest she's gotten since-"

"You don't understand, Ratchet." Wheeljack pleaded. It was only then that Optimus and Ratchet noticed the worry and dread on the mech's features. "I'm the one who answered the phone downstairs. It was-… We need to go now. The call came from the hospital."