Chapter 38

"Okay, here's the plan," Gears started, leaning forward in the passenger side. She glanced in the rear view mirror back at the blue Volt, a close, but respectable distance away. She couldn't stop the small smile from spreading on her face when she remembered the day she'd stripped Sunstreaker's left butt cheek. Gears had only seen Demona laugh so hard once or twice before, and from how he had reacted, Jolt had never seen it. And then he'd offered his hand to her and pulled her back to her feet with such honest words. She tapped her fingers on Demona's dash, pulling herself out of the memories to focus on the present, "Us girls will head over to Jo's house. Jolt, take the boys to Rex's place first, and then we'll all meet up at a restaurant in town to get something to eat...and stop back by the junkyard on our way to the docks."

'Do you have time to stop and refuel?' Jolt asked.

Gears shrugged, "We'll cram it in there, right Dem?"

Her eyebrows furrowed when her girl didn't respond right away. This time she pressed her hand to the radio, "Are you okay, sweetie?"

Silence reached her. Behind them, the Volt picked up speed with a rev of his engine like he was going to head her off the road until they got answers. Demona seemed to finally come out of it with a little shake, "I'm sure it can be done."

"You sound tired, sister," Pockets said through the dash from the link, "how late were you up last night?"

"Not late at all," she assured, "I'm fine, brother. I've just got a lot on my processor right now."

Gears winced, Demona's words taking her back to the lecture she'd handed to Prime in the middle of a meeting with the liaison. She'd just been walking past the hangar, Sundance in tow, when she'd heard something that had made her freeze.

Megatron, 'wasting away', in the ocean.

But they had told Demona, no, promised her that the decepticon's body had been destroyed. Hell, her daughter had fought and argued over it. She wanted to make absolute damn sure that there was no possible way to salvage or revive him. Prime and the rest of the autobots seemed to agree with her, and had sided with her. Optimus himself had driven all the way out to tell her that they had won the argument...

Apparently, they had not.

Honestly, she could care less where the big evil bastard was as long as he was dead. What really pissed her off was the fact that they hadn't told Demona about it, who had finally settled down with them, always leaning on the peace they'd give them. A peace that was false. She, despite finding a family and a home here on earth, hadn't calmed down until she looked into big bot's eyes and hear him speak the words himself. She trusted him.

Why would Optimus-freaking-Prime lie? And to Demona? He adopted her, or whatever the human equivalent was to forming a second creator bond. He had saved her life, had stayed at her side through those heart-breaking hours when she had been on death's doorstep. How could he do that to her? Gears didn't have his history written out in front of her to read, but she could tell that he just didn't have much left outside of his soldiers...Megatron was his brother. His brother was dead. Demona was his niece. His niece was alive. Wouldn't he try to keep a decent relationship with her?

Because Gears just knew, without a doubt, that shit was going to hit the fan when Demona found out. Her little girl was going to be beyond pissed. She was being betrayed by the closest thing to a real father she'd ever had. More than anything, she would be hurt. Gears was afraid of what might happen then...Would Demona just take off and leave? Would she suck it up and stay? Would she shut off the bond or what?

The girl thought she was suffering a big head ache now...

She raised a hand to rub her temples, feeling her own head ache starting up, "Dem, has Prime said anything to you lately?"

...because he had looked sad and guilty once she'd broken down on his big sentient ass. At least, before that moronic liaison opened his mouth and said something rather nasty to her...then he became the target of her great and terrible wrath. The bastard. He could show them some respect, they DID come all the way down here only to have their planet's last hope destroyed, and then they chose to stay and protect us...

Demona sounded confused, "No...is he supposed to?"

"Never mind, babe...alright, holoforms up! Traffics increasing!" Gears warned. Immediately, Demona's human form popped up in the seat, a worried expression on her beautiful face. She sent Gears a glance, "May I speak with you?"

Gears blinked at her, "Won't the guys hear?"

"I've closed the link temporarily," Demona explained, "neither Jolt or the boys can hear us."

"Okay, what's wrong?"

"It's about Jolt..."

And the smile was back again. Gears pushed the troubling thoughts to the back of her mind and leaned back into the seat. Her smile grew when she felt the seat change and reshape to her body, warming slightly. She focused all of her attention on Demona, "Did he finally open up to you?"

Her dark red eyes seemed to dim, like she was thinking, "I think he tried in the hangar the other day. Primus, he's so awkward and shy...he might have if he hadn't been for Sideswipe and Sunstreaker."

Gears huffed, "Little shits..."

"...But...I think..." Demona's entire form seemed to lower slightly as she stopped at a red light, a soft huff leaving her, "This is so strange."

"You like that boy, don't you?" She sent her girl a knowing grin.

"He's...'growing' on me," Demona admitted with a slight nod, "...at first I wasn't even sure about him, but...there's something...gentle in him. And he's honest...and respectful, unlike a couple of mechs I could name..."

Jo spoke up from the back, surprising both of them, "You're talking about the one behind us, right?"

"Yeah," Gears filled her in, "He's had a huge crush on her since he first laid eyes on her, he couldn't stop staring at her...he's been kind of looking out after her, and he's good with Sundance."

Jo's expression softened, "He sounds sweet."

"In the hangar," Demona started up again when the light finally turned green, "he was intimidated by the twins. It seems as though they've...'put him in his place' a few times. He wanted to step away, but he didn't...he stayed right beside me."

Gears watched as her eyes softened, "He...He barely knows me. I still don't know how he..."

"Fell for you so hard, so fast?" Gears provided quietly, "he practically adores you."

"So what's wrong?" Jo asked, "you act like you're not...happy or something."

The warmth left her expression quickly, replaced by a sharp pain, "I'm afraid."

"What the hell for?" Gears asked, sending her a strange look. Demona glanced out the window as they parted ways, Jolt heading off towards Rex's house. She didn't say anything until they pulled up in front of Jo's house, parking in front of the truck. She opened a door for Jo but let the girl remove the seat belt herself. Demona waited until she was in the house before facing Gears again.

With a yawn, Sundance finally came out of recharge in her floorboards. She stretched out her little arms and ran her claws gently over her interior.

"What will he think of me once he finds out about my creator?"

Gears blinked. Ouch. Didn't even think of that one.

"What will he think of me when he finds out that I was created for the sole purpose of destroying his friends, his faction? What-"

She cut herself off, eyes landing on Sundance when she crawled up and slid into her lap with a concerned round of clicks and squeaks. Those tiny, glowing red eyes stared up at her. Gears reached over and laid a hand over her's. She said softly, "You're afraid of rejection."

"If I let him in," Demona continued, "If I...love him and he...I honestly don't think my spark could handle being turned away, not after everything else that's happened..."

"I honestly don't think he will, Dem," Gears encouraged, "just talk to him...If he really loves you, he won't care where you come from. He won't care who your parents are. I have faith in him...I don't think he's the type to judge like that. He's too sweet."

Demona bent slightly over her baby, running her fingers over the shining plates of armor on her back. Gears pushed a hand through her soft red hair, "Just give him a chance, babe. Have some faith in him."

They both stopped talking as Pockets' voice came from the dash, "We just left Rex's, heading over to the cafe."

Right on cue, Jo walked out with sad blue eyes, giving a confused and frustrated mother a hug and a kiss before she unloaded her things in the trunk of the Charger. Gears answered him, "Jo's loading her stuff in the trunk, we'll be on the road in a few."

Jo closed the trunk and into the back seat. She stared out the window as Demona put it in reverse and headed out, silent.

O.O Yikes...

Love to the readers. Sorry for a late update.

Demona and her family, Jo and her family, and the story belongs to me. Transformers does not.