Author's Note
I know, I'm a horrible person for making you wait so long. And it's only going to get worse.
Next month is NaNoWriMo, which is National Novel Writing Month for those of you who don't know. Every year, nanowrimo dot com hosts a contest: write an original work at least 50,000 words in length during the month of November for the chance to win some really cool prizes. I tried to do it last year but school got in the way. This year, I'm going to try again but have a better chance of actually doing it. However, that means some bad news for you guys.
Starting now, I'm not going to be writing anymore fanfiction. I'll be picking it back up in December, but for right now, I'm focusing on NaNoWriMo.
That's why it took me so long to get this chapter out. Not only was I trying to plan out my original story, but I wanted to get my Jurassic World fic finished so that I could have at least something to post while I'm on hiatus. I know it's not Move Along, but I hope it can tide you guys over until I'm back to this fic. I've already started posting, as some of you have already discovered. It's 24 chapters long, including the prologue and epilogue, and I'm posting every Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday, which means the last chapter will be going up at the beginning of December. It's called Life Versus Living and I hope you guys check it out!
And I just realized I missed the anniversary of Move Along! :'( I can't believe it slipped by without me noticing. It's been over two years now since I started this fic and I just want to give a big shout out to everyone who's been with me since the beginning! Thanks for sticking with me and my characters and I hope you'll stick with me through the end, whether it'll be in another couple of months or not for another year.
Okay, now for some reviews!
ZabuzasGirl: Thanks!
grapejuice101: Thank you!
Lunessa Mysteria: Thanks!
Moonlightdeer: Yes, I do love to torture. And this chapter, I'm evil again!
Bee4ever: Thanks!
saiyan angel blue: Sorry, not that kind of dessert, but you're not the only one thinking it as you'll see. There is fluff, though. Lots of fluff.
Yami-The Lord of Darkness: Yeah...soon...I'm bad with that word.
Autobotlover56: Lol, all good questions, but you'll just have to wait and see. ;)
kitusmi katon: Good plot twists are signs of a successful story. I'm glad you think it's that good.
AutobotGuy710: I know, I'm an awful person. So mean to my characters. But the plot bunnies, they insist.
Alice Gone Madd: Yeah, but it doesn't stop here, not yet and not for a while. I've got plans, my friend, extensive plans for a bumpy ride.
Angelwings5952: Thanks!
redsparrow1060: Yeah, I don't like mustard either lol.
Gracie: Yeah, it took me a while to get the balance of fear and courage I needed in Ari but I like what I ended up with too. And the undercover cooks thing, I don't know where that came from, my fingers just did it and I liked it.
Guest: Aww, you...you're making me cry. That means a lot to me, thank you.
CoolCat0720: Lol, sorry this wasn't a fast update but thanks.
Sparks2468: Thanks!
Guest: Thank you!
mchurch1992: Thank you!
Berylium: Thanks!
cmfanreidsgirl: Laserbeak will probably show up eventually. Exactly when, I'm not sure, but it might be for this.
Transformers Gal: Thanks!
Alrighty, go onward and enjoy!
Light in the Darkness
Either she was watching them the entire time or Clint texted her without Ari noticing, but as soon as Ari and Clint are done preparing all the food for the dinner date, including cleaning up their mess, Natasha appears to commandeer Ari once again. Clint promises he'll cook the waffles so they're nice and fresh for the date and then Ari allows herself to get dragged off by Natasha in order to "get ready".
Again, is she going to regret this?
Natasha leads her to her room where they find two people waiting for them: Elita-One, greeting them with a soft smile, and at her feet stands Will.
"Dad!" Ari calls out, breaking into a run. He holds his arms out to her and she propels herself into his hug, both of them holding on tightly. Her face buried in his chest, she can smell the sweat, grime, and gunpowder clinging to his days-old uniform. He's fresh from a mission, not even bothering to stop at his room to wash and change before coming to see her.
She's eternally grateful. She's needed her dad. Her real dad.
"How you holding up, kiddo?" Will asks quietly, not letting go.
"Not that great but not really bad either," she says truthfully. "I'm better now that you're back."
His hold tightens. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when it happened."
Will, Rob, Optimus, Mirage, the triplets, Jolt, and a dozen other soldiers had been away on mission when everything happened. Decepticon activity has been high lately, one or two Cons popping up at a time all over the world. It's been frustrating. Every time N.E.S.T. arrives on scene they catch just a glimpse, just a blip on the energon scanners, and then nothing. It's like a giant, wild goose chase, but it's not like they can just not go. The one time they don't will end up being the time the Decepticons decide to stick around to wreak havoc.
It's worrisome that they're doing this. Either they're planning something bigger that they just can't figure out or there are just that many Cons arriving on Earth, fleeing before the Autobots catch them. Ari can't decide which scenario is better.
"It's okay, Dad," she says, arms squeezing reassuringly around his middle. "It's not your fault. What matters is that you're here now."
He kisses the top of her head and then pulls back. "So, Elita tells me you're going on a date tonight?"
She blushes slightly but nods. "Yeah. Sides and I are just staying in. Clint helped me cook dinner and…well, I don't really know what all Nat has planned."
"A lot," Natasha says, eyes turning up to Elita. "Were you able to get what I asked for?"
"Yes, it's right here," Elita says, patting her thigh where her trunk space must be. "And I must say, they are all excellent choices. I have not been on Earth long, but I can tell everything is in very fine taste."
Natasha smirks slyly. "Thank you."
"What are you talking about?" Ari asks cautiously. Just when did Natasha and Elita become friends? And they're conspiring about something. That can't be a good thing, and Ari is pretty sure she's in the middle of it.
Natasha's smile only grows. "You will see. Now come on. We have work to do."
Natasha grabs Ari's shoulders from behind and starts pushing her into the room, Elita following them inside. Ari looks back at Will a little helplessly and he's just grinning and waving at her. "Good luck," he says, and then Elita is shutting the door on him.
"So," Ari says, feeling increasingly nervous, especially when Natasha pushes her into the bathroom and makes her sit down on the closed toilet seat. "What did you have Elita get you?"
Elita's holoform blinks into the room next to them so suddenly, Liv would have yelped if she wasn't so used to it already. "You'll see"
This is the first time Ari's seen Elita's holoform and she has the type of beauty that's ageless. She was the girl who turned heads when she was younger, but can still just as easily do so now and will continue to do so years down the line. She's all gracefully long limbs with an athletic build hidden underneath her softness and her golden hair perfectly falls down her back with a couple of stripes of hot pink.
She's a good match for Optimus, because even though she's beautiful, she still holds herself with a lot of power.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Elita asks, looking over the contents Natasha is taking out of a small black bag Ari didn't notice she was carrying and lining the counter with.
Natasha holds up a tube of eyeliner. "How good are you with makeup?"
Elita's eyes dim as she looks something up and that gets Ari worried. "I think I can handle it."
"Elita, please don't believe everything you see on the internet," Ari pleads, trying to hide her worry. "Just because someone decides to try something, that doesn't mean everyone is going to like it."
Elita smiles confidently. "Don't worry, Ari. You will like this."
Please don't let her do anything too outrageous. Please.
Ari has no choice but to sit still and endure the treatments of Elita and Natasha, Elita in front of her applying makeup to her face and Natasha behind her wrangling her hair. Neither of them will let her look into the mirror until they're finished.
And when they are, the person in the mirror takes her breath away.
It almost doesn't look like her, though not to an extent that makes her uncomfortable. Ari has always looked a bit younger than she really is, but Elita has somehow managed to make her actually look her age for once. Her eyes are smoky, her lips full and plump with a dark shade of red, and Ari can almost believe that she'll be turning heads when she's sixty as well. Natasha has manipulated her soft waves to actually do something very nice for once. Normally Ari has to struggle to get her hair to do what she wants but she's never managed anything like this. Her hair is piled high on her head with strands falling elegantly around her face to barely brush her shoulders.
Never in a million years did she ever think she could look so beautiful.
"Thank you," she whispers softly, unable to take her eyes away.
"It is our pleasure, Ari," Elita says sincerely. "And it is little compared to all I have to repay you for."
Ari meets Elita's eyes in the mirror, brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Ari, you saved my sparkmate's life." Elita's eyes go vacant, haunted, as she sees and feels something Ari can't even possibly imagine. "I was still very far away from this planet, but I could feel it when Optimus offlined. It felt like I was being torn to pieces. Wheeljack had to put me in emergency stasis lock in order to save my life, but even that should not have been enough. Still, though, I continued to live, despite half my spark being ripped away to rejoin the Well of Sparks. Something kept me going, as if a part of me knew he would not be lost forever. And it is because of you that he was able to come back online."
A lump forms in Ari's throat and she quickly turns, wrapping her arms around Elita. "Oh, Elita, you don't have to thank me for that. Never. We were all lost without him, including me. He's family, and all I could think about after we lost him was trying to find a way to bring him back." She pulls back, squeezing Elita's shoulders gently. "I'd do the same for you, too. Any of you. You're all my family and I will do whatever it takes to protect you."
Elita smiles softly. "Thank you. It is nice to be a part of a family again after everything we have lost."
Ari makes a note to herself, one that will pulse throughout her doors for as long as it takes: when this war is over and the time comes, when the Primes finally say she can use the AllSpark to create new sparklings, Elita is going first. She would make an awesome parental unit, Optimus as well.
"Come on, ladies," Natasha says, pushing them out the door. "We still have a lot of work to do."
Ari digs in her heels, looking back at her over her shoulder. "You're part of my family, too, you know."
Natasha pauses, her mask portraying only blankness but the pause is telling enough. "You sure you want someone like me in your family?"
"I am."
She stares at Ari, searching for something, and Ari stares right back, determined not to back down from the eyes of a woman who's capable of staring down murderous psychopaths and aliens who consider themselves gods. Whatever she's looking for, she must find it. She doesn't say anything, just gives a curt nod, but Ari smiles all the same and allows herself to be pushed forward again.
Ari and Natasha climb up to the side table, Elita simply blinking out her holoform and blinking it back on up there to join them. Laid out on the bed are the things Natasha must have had Elita get and Ari hesitantly steps closer to get a better look. There are several dresses, pairs of shoes, and….
"Natasha, why is there lingerie?" Ari asks, mouth suddenly as dry as the desert outside. There is no fragging way she is wearing…any of that.
"Every successful outfit starts from the inside out," Natasha says, cocking her hip and crossing her arms like she's explaining how to perform a take-down move. "In order to determine how you want the date to start, you have to decide how you want the date to end and the best way in order to achieve that end result. So, Ari, how do you want the night to end?"
Ari shakes her head, backing a few steps away. "N-Not like anything you're thinking." Natasha arches a brow, silently urging her to clarify. "Sideswipe and I have had this conversation before. I…After everything that happened…I don't think I can ever be that intimate with anyone."
"Are you sure about that?" Natasha asks, sounding almost challenging. "Is that what you really want? Or are you allowing your fear to force you into a corner?"
Ari opens her mouth to bite something out but the words get caught on her tongue. Because she doesn't know. The amount of panic that would lead to, it seems so insurmountable to her, but so did being able to hug someone. But she can do that now. She's overcome a lot, so would it really be impossible to overcome this?
"What do you really want, Ari?" Natasha asks gently. "Don't think of everything you've been through and everything he's done to you. Think only of what you want; of what you wanted before it happened."
That seems like such a long time ago now. Still, even back then, before she ever met Sideswipe, getting away from her father seemed like such an impossible thing.
But she did have hopes and dreams.
"I think," she licks her lips nervously, not really looking at any of them but at a younger version of herself. "I wanted to save myself for marriage and be a one-time-down-the-aisle kind of girl. Something like that…I only wanted to give it to the person I knew I would be spending the rest of my life with."
"And you can't still do that?"
"I don't know," she says honestly. "It's not like Sideswipe and I can get married but I can't imagine being with anyone else. I don't want anyone else. Even us being together now, it doesn't feel like we just started after the Battle of Egypt but that we've always been this and admitting our feelings was a natural progression that didn't actually change anything because it was always there. But all of that aside…I'm not sure I could do it without the panic consuming me, even if I wanted to."
"Don't tap out just yet," Natasha says, green eyes swirling with understanding and no trace of the pity Ari would have expected to see there. "If I've learned anything about you, it's that you have a knack of overcoming unbeatable odds. If you want it to happen, you'll figure it out."
"In the meantime," Elita says, gathering up the undergarments and packing them away in one of Ari's dresser drawers, "we set these aside for now and you think about it. Just don't dismiss it simply because you are scared, alright?"
Ari nods stiffly, glad she doesn't have to decide right away, tonight, but certainly having a lot to think about now.
Natasha has Ari try on several dresses after that, working with the goal in mind that Ari doesn't want this going anywhere beyond a bit of kissing. Okay, maybe a lot of kissing, but even that isn't very far compared to all the things the spy has probably done. But Natasha seems to know what she's looking for and by the time she finds it Ari is wondering just what it is that's going through Natasha's head.
But when Natasha's lips pull up into a satisfied smirk and she pulls her into the bathroom to get a look at herself in the mirror, Ari can help but let out a little "Oh" of understanding.
It's an old style swing dress with a full, flowing skirt, cap sleeves, and a sweetheart neckline. It's a deep burgundy color that matches the shade on her lips with black accents and the whole thing sets off reddish highlights in her hair. It's the conservative style of the forties while still being alluring and Ari absolutely loves it.
Okay, regretting this a little less now.
Natasha sifts through the shoes until she comes up with a pair of black kitten heels, just enough heel to give the shoe elegance but not enough to where Ari trips over herself, at least not right away, so she just goes with it. Besides, they complement the dress beautifully. She can put up with wearing heels for a little while.
"Oh, yeah," Natasha says in satisfaction as she double checks Ari's hair and makeup. "I'd take a picture so Steve could see you but Sideswipe would probably run me over if I did that."
"Who's Steve?" Ari asks as she spins in a circle at Elita's urging, the full skirt flowing out around her.
"Steve Rogers. If he saw you it would be a blast from the past."
Ari abruptly stops mid-spin at the name. Captain America, one of the Avengers. He basically grew up in the time period this style of dress originates from. And Natasha knows him, well enough to call him Steve. "I forget that you're an Avenger sometimes."
Natasha's mouth quirks up playfully. "I suppose that's a good thing. I am a spy, after all. But if you want, if you're ever in New York, I can introduce you."
She could meet Captain America, a national icon, a part of history, one of the heroes from the Battle of New York. It just sounds so surreal to meet someone so famous, though, technically, Ari is also famous now, as are the Autobots. "That would be neat. Then I'd be halfway to knowing all the Avengers."
"I'd offer to introduce you to Stark but he can be, what do you say? He can be a bit of an aft."
Ari snorts. "Phil says the same thing. That's okay. I'd be happy with just Captain Rogers. I wrote a paper on him in one of my classes recently."
"I'm sure he'd like that," Natasha says with a chuckle, pinning a loose curl back in place and then stepping back. "There. Done. You ready for this?"
Ari runs a hand over her skirt, feeling a bit nervous all of a sudden. "Yeah, I think so. Where are we doing this?"
Natasha pulls a length of cloth from out of nowhere. A blindfold. "Trust me?"
"Of course," Ari answers immediately, which earns her a small, sincere smile. Natasha steps behind her, securing the blindfold around her eyes so that everything is plunged into darkness. Her body instinctively tenses at losing her most heavily relied upon sense, but when she feels Natasha's hands on her shoulders she eases. Natasha will take care of her. There's nothing to be afraid of with the Black Widow beside her.
"Alright, Ari," Elita says, her voice sounding farther away meaning she probably transformed back into her bipedal mode. "I'm going to pick you up now."
Ari nods and feels metal servos carefully wrap around her, lifting her up to sit on a palm. She brings her legs up and tucks them in against her, mindful of the dress and making sure she doesn't lose her shoes. Then there's the gentle rocking of Elita walking from the room and down the hall. Ari tries to keep track of where they are, is pretty sure they move through the main hanger and then outside, but after that she's unsure. They keep walking for a while but it doesn't sound like they move into another building. She can hear shouted orders and stomping boots of soldiers working outside on the tarmac, but they gradually begin to fade.
Where are they going?
A few minutes later, Elita finally stops, setting her down on the ground again. She's unsteady on her legs but quickly finds her balance, turning her head left and right to try and pick up a scent or a sound. A presence moves in behind her and she flinches before realizing it's a presence she recognizes. A hand touches her face, fingers trailing down from her brow to her jaw, and she grins.
"Sideswipe?" she asks, though she knows it's him. Instead of answering, his hands move to her blindfold and undo the knot at the back of her head so the cloth falls away.
She blinks her eyes open and gasps.
It's dark out by now, the last few rays of sunlight slipping below the horizon in the distance. The base lights are coming on, one by one, but they're far from the base now, out in the desert. The sky above them is slightly cloudy, obscuring the stars, but she doesn't need their light in order to see. There are candles along the ground, forming a circle around a small table and two chairs with another, single candle sitting atop it next to a vase with a rose and a plate stacked high with waffles topped with strawberries and chocolate syrup.
"I don't know what I was expecting when I heard Clint and Natasha were doing this," Sideswipe says, coming to stand next to her. "But it certainly wasn't this."
Ari gets her first good look at Sideswipe's holoform and she has to suppress another gasp. His dark hair is wavy and free, just like it always is, but instead of his usual jeans and a t-shirt he's wearing a pair of black slacks, white dress shirt with the top few buttons open, and a formfitting dinner jacket buttoned in the middle.
She loves the real him but she has to admit, his holoform looks good.
"You look good," she says a little breathlessly.
The way his eyes sweep over her, long and lingering, makes her lungs empty entirely.
"You look…beautiful," he says, almost worshipful, and it brings a blush to her cheeks. She's often wondered what he sees in her when he says things like that. She's an entirely different species, after all, made of skin instead of metal.
But still he calls her beautiful.
She steps close to him and lifts her lips to his, a bit easier to do with the heels but she still has to lift herself up on her toes a little. Sideswipe's arms snake around her waist as they sink into the kiss, holding her close as if he's trying to hold her there forever, but after a moment he pulls back.
"Come on," he says, taking her hand and leading her to a break in the circle of candles. He holds a chair out for her and she sits, Sideswipe pushing her in before moving to take his own seat. "So, I heard you made our dinner?"
Ari picks up one of the forks on the plate, Sideswipe picking up the other one, but she doesn't start eating yet. "Well, Clint did most of the work. I just helped, so if it tastes horrible you can blame him."
Sideswipe chuckles and cuts into the waffle with the side of his fork, dipping the piece in the strawberry and chocolate sauce before putting the big bite in his mouth and chewing slowly.
"So?" Ari asks, watching his face for signs of whether or not he likes it.
"Mmmm," he hums happily. "Tastes just as good as I remember."
"You remember that?"
"Course I do. It was our first date."
She groans, hanging her head. She remembers Sideswipe taking her out to breakfast and a movie on her first actual birthday. They got waffles and their waitress told them to have fun on their date. Ari was so embarrassed, made even worse when Sideswipe agreed it was a date. "You do know that it wasn't a real date, right?"
"Yeah it was," he insists with a grin.
She shakes her head, fighting a smile and failing as she recalls what he said. "Right. We were two friends who liked each other hanging out, and that constitutes as a date."
"Well, yeah." He reaches across the table and takes her hand, looking her in the eye, completely serious now. "But I meant it in the real way, too."
Ari goes still, her chest squeezing tightly. "Even then?"
He smiles, soft and sincere, and lifts her hand up to place a kiss on her knuckles. "Yeah, even then."
She squeezes his hand tight, smiling brightly, and neither of them let go as they eat their waffles.
Yeah, she thought so too, even then. That's why she chose waffles for this date.
The waffles really are delicious, Ari and Clint did good, and they talk about little things as they gradually clear the plate. It feels like they're hanging out like normal, like it really isn't all that different from that first date, or even from that first night when he introduced himself through the car radio and they stayed up all night, her sitting in his alt mode, just talking. There's always been love between them, saying they're dating is just a label.
She can feel the clouds closing in on them and the scent of rain sits heavy in the air. But neither of them care. As soon as they set their forks down Sideswipe asks, "Care for a dance?"
"But there's no music," she says with a laugh but takes his outstretched hand anyway, allowing him to pull her to her feet and into his arms, his hands settling at her waist and hers on his shoulders. There's a soft click behind her and she looks over her shoulder to see Sideswipe's alt mode, his doors opening and soft music begins to spill out of the speakers. She laughs again, stepping closer to him and surrendering herself to his lead, more swaying than actual dancing, but it doesn't really matter because they're together, have always been together even when they didn't know it, and that's all either of them have ever needed. It sounds crazy and impossible and too good to be true, but she hasn't woken from this dream yet and doesn't see it happening anytime soon.
"Hey, Sideswipe?" she says as one song drifts into another.
"Yeah, Ari?"
"Do you…do you really mean what you said before?"
He pulls back a little to look at her properly. "What, that I loved you even back then?"
She nods mutely, hoping he can't see her blush in the candlelight.
"Yeah, I think I have. I may not have known it, but I think I've always loved you, since the moment I met you."
"Because your spark calls out to me?" she asks. He's said before that he thinks they could be sparkmates, that all the signs are there and that Primus may just have a few tricks up his sleeve and a couple of twists to their destinies. She's always thought it a nice thought but isn't sure if she believes it. It's just…impossible.
But, then again, practically everything about her is impossible.
"Not just that," Sideswipe says, lifting a hand to curl a strand of her hair around his finger. "Before Sunny and I came to Earth, there was only the war. Sure, we had each other, but every day was only about survival, about watching each other's backs and fighting to keep the other alive. That's why we're pranksters. It's just a bit of…light in all of the darkness, to remind everyone, but especially ourselves, what it is we're fighting for." His hand moves from her hair to her face, cupping her cheek. "But then I met you and you are so much more than a bit of light. You're a star, a super nova, lighting up everything around you until none of the darkness is left. You were almost swallowed up in your own darkness but you kept fighting and fighting, always getting back up when you were pushed down, until you won and it made me think…it gives me hope that we'll win one day too. And for the first time, I started to think about what I want to do with my life once the war is over."
She tilts her head curiously, leaning into his touch. "And what do you want to do?"
"I want you," he says with a soft smile. "I've always wanted you. You are my hope and my light and I wanted as much of you as you were willing to give me for as long as possible, never even imagining we'd end up where we are now. You give me a new reason to live, a new reason to fight. I love you, Ari, and there isn't anyone or anything else I could ever possibly want so long as I have you."
Ari's lips lift up in a wobbly smile and tears sting at her eyes, but she manages to get the words out she needs to say, "I love you too. I couldn't have done…anything if I didn't have you. You're the reason I was able to go against Ron, the reason I made it through Mission City and Egypt and Judy and the reason why I can still keep on going. Without you, I would have been so lost, the darkness would have swallowed me whole. You're as much my light as I am yours. It was hard to imagine a future for myself back then but now the only one I can see is one with you by my side."
They stopped dancing a while ago so Ari doesn't hesitate to reach up and pull his head down for a long, slow kiss. Sideswipe eagerly gathers her closer in his arms and this, right here, is what they've always been moving towards since the very beginning. Maybe it was Primus or Fate or whatever, but this was always it for them, each other, sparkmates or not.
The first drop of water to fall on Ari's head goes completely ignored, it doesn't even really register, but it's the only warning they have before there's a low rumble in the distance and the sky opens up to rain buckets down on them, a rare desert storm. The water is icy cold and drenches them in seconds but Ari can't help but let out screeching laughter. The candles are snuffed out too so Sideswipe turns on his headlights to illuminate the sudden darkness.
They think about going inside for one second but then decide to say frag it, neither of them can get sick from this anyway, and continue to dance in the rain.
Natasha has a very stern look on her face by the time they finally make it back into the main hanger, Clint standing next to her with a smug smile and hands stuffed casually in his pockets. The rain is still coming down hard outside and Ari slips out of Sideswipe's alt mode. He transforms behind her and kneels down, the two of them exchanging looks before flashing Natasha matching unapologetic grins.
Natasha mumbles something in Russian Ari doesn't quite catch, shaking her head. "Go get changed and then give me back the dress. If it does not dry properly the material could shrink and then you'd never be able to wear it again."
Ari frowns down at her dress, the dark material dripping water on the concrete. "I do love this dress. That would be awful if it got ruined." Then Natasha's words register and Ari's head snaps up. "Wait, I get to keep it?"
"Of course you do. What am I going to do with it? It wouldn't fit me properly and it definitely looks a lot better on you."
"That it does," Sideswipe agrees with a grin and both girls roll their eyes at him.
Sideswipe and Ari head back to their room, Natasha following behind them to make sure she gets that dress back as soon as possible and Clint following behind her just along for the ride. It's late and there are few people milling about around base so the trip is short and silent.
But when they reach the room the door is cracked open.
Ari stills on Sideswipe's shoulder and she can feel him tense as well. This door shouldn't be open. Glancing down, she can see Natasha and Clint going on alert too, both of them pulling out their sidearms. Sideswipe nudges the door open, hands clenched in fists, ready to pull out his blades if necessary.
Ari hopes that maybe Sunstreaker is inside and just didn't close the door all the way but that hope dies as soon as they step inside.
Someone, the traitor, has spray painted the Anti-Alien logo on the floor, big, bold, and gleaming red. There's a piece of paper laying atop it and Natasha approaches it cautiously as Clint scouts out the room, making sure the intruder isn't still here. He comes back out of the bathroom, nodding his head that everything looks clear, just as Natasha picks up the paper and her eyes scan over it.
Ari sees her jaw clench even from where she sits and her stomach drops.
"It's a photo of the two of you together," Natasha informs them, voice stoic but with a dangerous, furious edge to it, "taken today, during your date." She flips the picture over, her jaw clenching even harder. "They left a note."
"What's it say?" Ari asks numbly, almost too afraid to ask but needing to know why, why all of this?
"'How can you betray your own kind?'" Natasha reads. "'How can you love something that isn't even human? Then again, you're not even human yourself anymore, are you.'"
Statement, not a question. Ari can hear it in the words and it confirms her worst fear.
Anti-Alien knows she's the AllSpark. It's one of the reasons they're so focused on her. And they plan on using it against her.
Author's Note
Yeah, I'm a really bad person for leaving you with a cliffy like that but I couldn't help it! It was all part of the plan!
Next chapter, things get even more intense with Anti-Alien. I hope you all wait for my return! I will miss you all, and this fic, but I will return! I promise!
Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW, and see you all next time!
