Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. Just the plot and OCs.

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Chapter 27

Hunkering down over Havoc's back, Bumblebee tuned out the grumbling of the griffin twins fluttering this way and that around the massive dragon. To say he didn't have much of an idea what it was the three of them were talking about was quite a bit of an understatement, but well, the little mech didn't think too much of it.

After all, what was he going to do about it this high up in the air with a leaking hound in his lap?

They made it off the ship.

They got the big mechs out.

Peaking over his shoulder, Bee watched the ships following at a bit of a distance. The Aerialbots still looping about as well.

He could feel Chromia and Ironhide poking and prodding down the bond to him. Besides the soft 'I'm okay' he let the link be. Focusing instead on trying to stop some of the leaking from Havoc's torn up plating.

It didn't help much. There was very little he could do for Havoc like this. Apart from try and slow some of the leaking. That and comfort him.

The rather annoyed glare cutting up at him from those sharp red optics said how much the albino hound didn't care about that though.

"Sorry," He bent closer to the hound's tall audio in an effort to be heard over the wind and the beat of Predaking's wings. "I know you hurt. Ratchet will fix you when we . . . get wherever it is we are going."

Havoc huffed, but some of the tension bled out of his shoulders. This was in no way easy for the hound. Bumblebee was not fool enough to think he enjoyed it. He was trusting Bee to protect him, and the little yellow mech would be damned if he messed that up, but that didn't mean the hound was happy about all this.

Below him, he felt a rumble echo through Predaking's sharp plating. The sound drawing bright blue optics forward once more to where a golden one peaked back at him.

"Relax, Little Breath." The dragon mech said. "Your hound will be fine. He has survived worse on that ship."

"Doesn't mean I want him to hurt longer then he has too." Bee shot right back. "Can't we just stop long enough to let me give him to Ratchet?"

"Do you really think your family is going to hand you right back to me?"

Bumblebee paused at that. Antennas flicking atop his head, he glanced back over his shoulder once more. "Why would it matter if they didn't want too?"

"Cube won't wake up for just any of us." Darksteel hissed from the side. "And I'm not going to get my feathers chewed on by a sand shark for nothing."

"We can find it, Little Breath." Skylynx added on quickly. "But we can't get it out. We'll need The Old General for that. And you, of course."

Petting nervously at Havoc's sharp plating, Bumblebee muttered. "But you are going to give me back . . . right?"

Predaking let out a bark of a laugh at that, smoke suddenly billowing out from his parted jaws. "Little Breath, if I had wanted to hurt you, I'd have done it already. Don't you think? Besides, you feel more then the average bot, we both know you do. You know we mean you know harm."

"That doesn't mean you don't mean them harm." Bumblebee countered.

Darksteel squawked a laugh, twisting through a flip that brought him nearly optic level with Bumblebee for a moment. Beak curling into a grin that showed impossibly sharp fangs hidden away. "That's right."

He flapped back out of reach as quickly as he had come. Though that had little to do with Bumblebee and everything to do with Predaking suddenly twisting to snap his own much larger—much sharper—fangs into the spot he had just been.

"Enough! You over-grown bit-chicken."

"I was just being honest." The dark blue griffin shot back. "What do we care about a pack of idiots that are still fighting over a world they are killing? They are not better than the other side. Get rid of them and be done with it. Things will heal faster that way."

"Hey! You touch them and I'll—"

Sharp golden optics cut to him as the griffin flew. "You'll what, Little Breath? What will you do? You don't even know what's really going on here. Do you? The Old General hasn't told you. Why don't you stop pretending you know what's going on and start listening? You'll live longer that way. You are no fool, little eggling. You know this world is dying."

"Darksteel," Skylynx muttered the name. Disappointment and pain so heavy in the way his name rolled between them the darker of the twins went quiet. Turning his attention back to the miles and miles of open—empty—desert around them.

A heavy sigh rattled through the lighter colored brother's before he drifted back on the wind. Letting his long feathered wings sprawl out to catch the current. Allowing it pull him back to hover there just to the side of where Bumblebee was hunkered down along the sharp ridges of Predaking's plating.

"Don't pay him too much mind, Little Breath." Paler gold optics caught Bee's bright ones. "He is angry. And he his hurt. He has been for a very long time. We will not harm your family. Not unless they harm us. But The Old General knows us. He will keep a buffer. It will be alright."

Finger's playing absently with Havoc's plating, Bumblebee turned away from the griffin mech. Letting his gaze turn outward. Taking in the sprawling miles of sand that stretched every which way around them. Miles, and miles, and miles of . . . empty.

It felt . . . wrong.

His spark ached with it.

There should be something out there. Shouldn't there?

There should be something alive besides them somewhere in that endless red.

But there wasn't.

Bumblebee knew that.

He had known that for a lot longer than Ironhide or Optimus probably knew. He'd known their world was dying long before he'd understood what that meant. After all, when one was the only youngling to be found, one did tend to pay attention to that. Hide and Optimus had done their best to keep him locked away safely on a ship for a very long time. It hadn't work out all that well in the end, but still they had tried.

But the fact that Cybertron was dying wasn't something any of them ever really . . . discussed.

Not with him at least.

He knew none of them thought he was dumb enough to not notice. However, he did think they thought they could shelter him from it.

Ironhide found him in a destroyed city.

They were never going to be able to shelter Bee from that.

He'd known.

Baby blue optics flicking back and forth along the endless sands, he whispered into the air between the lot of them. "It really is . . . all gone . . . isn't it?"

Skylynx's pale golden optics dimmed and looked away. Darksteel sneered out at the empty air around them. Predaking pulled a deep breath before letting it out in a puff of smoke.

"Yes, Little Breath. It is all gone."

Leaning down to rest his cheek against Havoc's shoulder, Bumblebee blinked against the sudden pain in his chest. "Is it gone forever?"

The two griffins glanced at him before looking away again.

Predaking twisted his neck back enough to catch welling blue optics. "Not quite."

Somewhere along the way, Bumblebee fell into recharge. The last several orns catching up with him all at once. Snuggled against Havoc's shoulder and secure between the grooves of Predaking's plating he drifted off for a while.

The breems and miles passing by under the beat of Predaking's powerful wings. The little mech drifting off was for the best anyway. It left the three ancient mechs the time to ponder.

Well, that and Skylynx a moment to loop around and smack his brother upside the head. It led to an impromptu air duel. The likes of which they hadn't had in an eon or two. Darksteel's less then stellar mood could be greatly linked to that point as well. Which was why Predaking didn't bother with scolding him anymore.

Was the darker griffin being needlessly mean to the little mech? Well, yes. But it wasn't like he didn't have his reason.

This wasn't some playful flap through the park after all.

His family wasn't going to be welcoming when they got back on the ground. Much less was Wardrums.

Not that Predaking cared.

He had bested The Old General more than once all the time they had been alive. One more time would be of little consequence. If the old shuttle was smart, he wouldn't pick a fight. Though the dragon mech knew that would be asking too much.

The shuttle mech was not going to be pleased that they had snatched up what so clearly was linked to him and hadn't given him back for over an orn now. The only real question was, was the mech going to be smart about it. Or was he going to make the King have to set him on fire?

Either way, the dragon mech did not care.

He would burn them all if they got in his way. Or if they tried to put him back in a cage. He cared very little about it one way or the other. Which was Darksteel's point, after all.

However, he hadn't really needed to spell it out to the tiny yellow blip they had currently kind-of-sorta youngling-napped.

Oh well.

What's done is done.

And so, Predaking flew on.

Through the freezing night in which he had to let a low-grade flame burn through his chest to keep the shivering youngling in recharge on his back, alive. Then on into the next morning and the sun climbing high across the sands.

Once or twice through the night and morning one of those Autobot fliers tried to get closer. However, all it took was Darksteel circling back and a short burst of fire for them to drop back once more. That probably had something to do with Wardrums, but for now Predaking did not care to bother with it.

If anything more of his attention was focused on the little youngling and the hound on his back. The albino hound had long since stopped actively leaking, which was a good sign, but the small predator was in no way happy about where he was at.

The dragon mech did not blame him. That didn't mean he wasn't amused by the prospect though. After all, if there was ever any doubt on just what they were dealing with here in the form of a little yellow mechling, all one had to do was look at the fact that he got a static-hound on a dragon's back.

Really, what other proof did you need that they were dealing with Life Returned?

He needed no more.

He was a little concerned with the youngling's health for the moment though. He had been out of it for quite a while.

Skylynx was not concerned. Along the clan link he pointed out the little thing had been running for his life for quite a while. And there was that long slash down his neck to think about as well. He had obviously had to fight at least a little bit to make his way down to the belly of the ship they had been in.

Darksteel offered to scare him awake.

Skylynx glared at him for a good dozen miles before he finally huffed out a quiet sorry for that.

Predaking let them bicker.

They had been lucky enough to be locked up together in those cages—they'd have died if they weren't, and at least Lockdown wanted to keep them alive enough to let them merge over the vorns—but that didn't mean they were perfectly alright. The pair were far from it to be honest, but the dragon mech knew they could make it a while longer.

They would do what was needed and then they would all be done with this planet. They would find somewhere else to go and the dragon would leave them alone for a while to sort out themselves once again.

For now though, he simply rumbled at the mechling until he finally came back awake.

Blinking blurry blue optics into the light of the mid-orn sun, Bumblebee scrunched up his face against the brightness. Taking a few moments to get his senses about him, he muttered with a rub to his optics.

"How long have we been flying?"

"Over an orn." Skylynx told him brightly, floating back to flap alongside the slowly waking little mech. The words woke him rather quickly after that. Those bright, baby blue optics blinking several times as he looked this way and that.

"Wow, I've never seen this part of the desert. Where are we?"

"The name we knew it as would mean nothing to you. And nothing since then has bothered to name it. We're at almost the geographical center of the Sea of Rust."

"Oh," Bee breathed. "But what did you call it?"

The griffins shared a glance.

Predaking huffed. "World's End."

Deep in his chest, Bumblebee's spark pulsed hard. "Why?"

"Because that is the only reason we would ever come back."

A sudden rumble like an earthquake yanked Bee's attention away from the dragon, back down to the shifting red sand dunes. Below them the featureless sand started . . . rolling?

Leaning forward over Havoc's back—he hardly heard the hound start growling as his audios pinned back—Bumblebee stared down in wonder as that endless red below them started changing. Rolling inward as the ground rumbled it all at once behaved more like water then it did land. It was like nothing Bumblebee had ever seen before.

Fascinated, he couldn't take his optics off it. He didn't notice Darksteel and Skylynx break from where they had been flying beside the dragon. He didn't notice them drift lower and start circling. He could only focus on how Predaking suddenly banked hard to the left. Bringing them around in a slowly forming circle. A circle just like the one slowly starting to open in the sand below them.

Then, all at once, that earthquake like rumble boomed into an audio shattering roar.

Bee jerked back upright, Havoc bared his teeth in a snarl, the griffin twins dove with an echoing shriek, and a sand shark erupted teeth first from the sudden hole in the sand.

"Hold on tight, Little Breath." Was the only warning Predaking gave before he too folded his wings and plummeted from the sky.

A short bark of fright left Havoc as Bumblebee dropped all his weight down to pin the two of them between the grooves of the dragon's plating. Fingers grasping and legs squeezing, as the air left his vents with the sudden drop, Bumblebee couldn't help but stare as the ground rushed toward them.

The sand shark bellowed as it surged up from the safety of its burrow. How in all of Cybertron it had known they were there when they were in the sky, Bee would never know. That didn't seem to matter to Skylynx or Darksteel though. They went right into attacking.

Sudden bursts of fire shot from both of them—Bee's optics widened, because holy pit they could breathe fire too—to flash across the sharp, ever shifting plating. The worm like beast shaking this way and that with the smaller arm like things that branched off around its gapping mouth. Darksteel dodged to the side as one flashed after him. His claws raking hard against its ever shifting plating, but he couldn't get a grip against the sharp edges.

Then, Predaking was on them.

With a roar that made Bee pin his antennas deep in their grooves, the dragon let fire explode from his open maw. Flames so hot they burned blue crashed into the spinning mouth of the shark. A cry of agony following the hit, and shark jerked back from where Predaking swooped over him. The momentum of the fall carrying him back up into an arch as he threw out his wings with a powerful flap.

The shark twisted, enraged and in pain, lunging for the dragon's exposed back, but Skylynx was there in a flash. Screeching with talons bared, the lighter blue griffin twin slammed into the side of the shark. Latching hold with digging claws and snapping beak, the griffin managed to wrap himself around one of those failing tentacle limbs. Claws digging in, the griffin jerked backward into a fall. The drag pulling the shark up short.

Roaring, the spiraling beast twisted to the side to catch Skylynx in its jaws. The motion did him little good though. For as soon as the shark twisted Darksteel attacked the open side. Another burst of fire and the darker griffin latched hold of another spinning limb.

Predaking's wings flapped hard in a looping turn that brought them back around facing the beast once again. Another roar echoing through his parted jaws spilling smoke. He ended up level with the shark's gaping mouth.

It was only then as they ended up level with the struggling creature that Bumblebee realized what they were doing. To the right, Skylynx had the creature pulled tight by the limb he had a hold of. To the left, Darksteel did the same. The struggling shark not able to get too far to either side without pain from one griffin. Somehow, Bee knew it wouldn't last. The shark would dive in a matter of moments. Retreating to the safety of the sand and out of reach of the griffins that had managed to get a hold of it.

That is, that would have happened.

Had Predaking not been quicker.

Swooping in with an echoing roar, the dragon mech let out another explosion of blue flame. The jet of fire a direct hit to that gapping mouth before them.

The shark screamed in pain, lashing about like a landed fish. The twists and yanks so harsh it ripped its own tentacle limbs out from both sides where the griffins held them. Predaking flapped hard, sailing just over the rim of the shark's mouth. His tail striking out behind them to slash with barbed spikes.

Then they were climbing again.

Soaring back up with powerful wings beating around him, Bee chanced a look back. He was sure he would find the shark retreating. Only, that was not the case. Instead, he found the creature twisting about—energon pouring from its sides and smoking mouth—but it did not dive. Letting loose a scream of anger and pain, the shark surged further upward out of its den. Trying to catch hold of Predaking from behind. Bee was about to shout a warning when a burning plasma blast streaked by to his left and nailed the shark in the side of the mouth.

Turning back around with a twist, wide baby blue optics took in the massive black streak of Wardrums flying toward them. Arm lifted out in front of him as he flew, he let loose another plasma blast.

Predaking banked right with a hard twist of his wing. The yank of motion making Bee grasp tighter to Havoc and the plating around them. He didn't dare take his optics off War though. Not when those blazing red optics were locked on him. Not the shark he's cannon fire had gotten off their tail.

Suddenly, everything in Bumblebee just wanted him.

Him.

The mech that he was pretty sure hated him.

The mech that was really kind of mean to him.

The mech who was his actual uncle.

The mech who had already nearly died to save him more than once.

In his spark, Bee felt more then heard that deep voice that pounded so much like his namesake rumble. "Hello, mechling."

A grin broke across his cheeks even if he was plastered down across Havoc's back. "Hi."

Behind him, Bee could see Swoop in his beast form diving down. Air Raid, Silverbolt, Fireflight, and Skydive diving down after him. He wanted to warn them not to get too close, but his voice would have been lost to the wind, and he didn't have the focus to reach for their links. Instead, he tightened his grip on Predaking's back when he swooped to the side once more.

A dizzying twist and the dragon let out another streak of fire. The air was burning hot, hard to breath with the heat, and Bee panted to try and keep from overheating. His optics glued on the sand shark lashing about under the onslaught that was now coming at it from all sides. Plasma cannons, blasters, and Swoop's claws added into the attack Skylynx and Darksteel mounted. Neither the griffin twins nor the dragon seemed too worried about the Autobots and Wardrums suddenly joining the fight, but something told Bee it had more to do with the shark and less to do with them liking them.

Another fold of his wings, and Predaking dove once more. Heading for the shark's open mouth he let another burst of fire surge out from his mouth. The shark screamed as it hit. Attempting to twist away from the attack Bee was sure it was about to have the dragon's claws digging into the side of its neck when the sand exploded to their left.

Bee hardly had time to look up before it felt like they got sucker punched by a mountain.

Predaking's roar of both fury and pain was lost somewhere in the ringing that had taken up residence in Bumblebee's audios. Everything was static and ache and claws digging into his chest.

Wait.

Why were there claws digging into his chest?

Blinking again the spots around his vision, Bee found Havoc latched onto his chest. Those fire red optics wide and terrified.

Wait.

Wasn't the hound supposed to be on his lap?

Why wasn't—?

Oh.

They were falling.

A yelp of terror and Bee was suddenly wind milling limbs against the open air all around them. The hound latched to his chest was at least an upside. He hadn't lost his hound, but holy frag they were falling!

They fell off the damn dragon!

Twisting about like leaf in the wind Bee latched hold of Havoc simply to keep a hold of him. Failing fast as a a rock toward the ground he sucked in a breath to shout when suddenly he hit plating. The shout came out as a yelp when he found himself cupped in long black claws and pulled into a strong chest.

"Wardrums," He breathed the name against the rushing wind while he found them shooting back up. Clutched tight in War's massive palm, he plastered himself to his chest. One arm looped tightly around Havoc he pulled the hound to him as well. Only after he was sure they weren't falling anymore, he dared to glance up.

Catching those dark red optics staring back at him, he could feel that the huge shuttle mech had leveled them out. Hoovering somewhere mid-air by his powerful thrusters, the big mech pulled him tightly to his chest. Claws mindful of their hold while those deep red orbs swept him up one side and down the other.

"Are you alright, mechling?"

It was only then that Bumblebee realized he was shaking.

Huh.

Well, he did just fall off a dragon.

He figured he could get a little bit of freak out with that. Against his chest, Havoc let out a low pitch growl. The hound hurting and unsure of the hands they suddenly found themselves in. Bee reached out blindly to pet at his soft audios.

"Yeah." He whispered, still caught in Wardrums' optics. "What happened?"

At that, the shuttle turned his attention to the left. Bee lifted his own gaze to follow. Peaking out through the long fingers wrapped around him he took in the battle going on several hundred yards to the left of them.

Oh.

Well.

A second sand shark.

Yeah, he figured that would do it.

"Predaking is so going to eat that one for hitting him." He muttered over the sound of the raging battle below them. For the dragon seemed to be doing just that. While the Autobot fliers blasted away at the injured shark, the griffins and dragon ripped into the second one. Already energon was flying. Catching light with all the fire getting blasted around and exploding to go along with the roars.

"He does not eat sand sharks. Not enough good energon in them." Wardrums huffed, the amusement in the voice drawing Bumblebee's optics back to him.

"You know him?" Bee questioned.

Those dark red optics returned to him. "Do you think I'd have left you on the back of a dragon I did not know for over an orn?"

Bee blinked.

Well.

He . . . wasn't too sure to be perfectly honest.

He didn't really think War liked him.

But . . . that didn't mean he thought War would let him be hurt either.

It was a rather complicated emotion.

"I . . . don't know." He admitted after a moment. Watching as the mech's dark faceplate as he stared down at him before the shuttle let out a huff and looked back to the fight going on below them.

"I would not."

Maybe. Bee thought to himself. Unsure and shaky, but unable to deny the safety that seeped in against the mech's warm plating.

Baby blue optics focused down on the fighting still going on. The first sand shark was obviously in a bad way. Swoop had left the sky in favor of latching hold of the back of its neck. Ripping at it with his wing claws and sharp beak. The sharp, cutting plating that made up the outside of the shark had stopped spinning now. And without that outward layer of defense, it was rapidly weakening under all the blaster fire.

"Why doesn't it dive? Go back down into the sand?"

"It no longer can." Wardrums answered, arm lifting to the side he suddenly fired five quick plasma shots into the weaker shark's side. It screamed in agony and collapsed against the surface of the desert. The other shark screamed in fury and lashed out harder against its attackers. But it didn't flee. The fliers and Swoop turned their attention to it alongside the mess the dragon and griffins were making of it.

"Why doesn't the other one?"

"They can not leave. They have nowhere else to go. They were created to guard this place. They will die to defend their maker."

Confused, Bee tilted his head back to stare up at the underside of War's jaw. "Their maker?"

Those deep red optics flickered back to him. "Yes."

"And that is?"

"The All Spark." The shuttle mech answered. "It created them as a security system. When it was left here to fend for itself, it created life to protect it. Those sand sharks are the same ones that attacked us before. The All Spark knows Dust and me. It knew what we were after in those tunnels. So it sent them to keep us away. Just as it knew Predaking and those bird brain twins. It is trying to keep us away from its hiding place. But it is too late now. We have no other choice. We must dig it up before that spoiled princeling does."

Blinking against the onslaught of information, Bee turned his attention back down below them. He could do nothing else but watch as Predaking dived at the last shark. Fire raging from him he slammed fangs first into the back of the creature. Plating flying this way and that under the attack of his fangs and claws.

From the sides, Darksteel and Skylynx attacked as well. Slashing and ripping and burning the three of them alongside the flier's blasters brought the last shark to the ground. The massive creature slamming into the sand with the force of a mountain crumbling.

Energon gushing and plating rattling it jerked there, once, twice, and then it fell still.

Deep in his chest, Bee's spark ached. He didn't know why.

Getting his feet back on solid ground shouldn't be so amazing.

But it was.

Wardrums brought them to the ground several hundred yards from where the sand sharks fell dead. The ships that had followed them landing around the open area of sand. Bumblebee knew he should probably be paying attention to it. He could feel his family down their bonds poking at him, but he paid them no mind for now.

Instead, he focused on Havoc. The albino hound was sprawled over the sand. Hurting and still slightly leaking energon, he panted while he watched the movement around him warily. Bumblebee crouched to his side. Petting at his energon sticky plating and glancing up now and against at the massive shuttle that had taken up sentry over him.

It was not hard to miss the way Wardrums refused to budge from his spot standing over them. His arms crossed over his thick chest; he watched the predacons through narrowed optics.

"So much for they won't eat them, huh?" Bee muttered at him, bright blue optics flicking over Darksteel and Skylynx as they perched atop one of the fallen sharks. Still in their beast forms they tore at the shark's plating and pulling out strips of energon covered protoform and lines.

Bee swallowed back the gag that wanted to rise in his throat. Shifting his gaze to find Predaking sitting on his hunches a bit away from them in the sand. The massive dragon didn't look any smaller even sitting next to a huge sand shark corpse. If anything, his size was even more on display.

Long limbs, massive wings, sharp tail, and truly impressive curling horns. Those shimmering golden optics did not watch his fellows stuffing their faces on still warm sand shark.

Instead, they watched Bumblebee.

Or, more accurately, they watched Wardrums.

And Wardrums watched him right back.

Bumblebee didn't need a spark as sensitive as his to know the animosity that boiled in the air between the two mechs. He could practically taste it. However, the two made no move to get near each other.

And Bee, well, he was still a little confused about all this mess in the first place. And to be perfectly honest he just really wanted his carrier right now. So, he was perfectly content to keep his little aft sat right here at Wardrums' toes until said carrier came and got him.

Well, that and he didn't want to leave Havoc.

The hound really needed somebot to look at him.

Turning his attention away from Havoc once more, Bumblebee glanced over to where the ships were settling. Darting his gaze between the massive cruiser and the little scout ships, he couldn't help the grin that took over his cheeks when the loading ramps started lowering.

Chromia was out and across the sand before the ramp even touched the ground. With a chirp that belonged to a much younger mechling, Bumblebee scrambled to his feet and flung himself forward. Crashing into the lean blue femme's arms he warped himself around her as far as he could manage. Burrowing his face down into the soft cabling of her neck, he couldn't stop the sudden hiccupping sniffles that started up in his chest.

Optics squeezing shut he clung to her for all he was worth. Low clicks getting lodged in his throat as she wrapped him up tightly against her chest and then kept squeezing. On some level he was aware she spun him once. Picking him up as if he wasn't nearly as tall as she was now. The strength to be found in the lean blue femme perfectly on display before she went still and crushed him to her front.

He didn't fight it for an inch.

Instead, hiding his face away in his neck he fought the sudden urge to start balling that took up residence in his throat. He simply dug his fingers into the grooves of her back plating and breathed in the scent of home. In the feeling of her crashing through their bond as she sought out reassurance that he was alright.

It was only after several deep breaths of that warm scent of home did Bee let her hand cup around his cheek and pull him from her neck. For a moment he simply blinked at her with coolant filled optics. Smiling so hard his cheeks hurt even if she stared back at him with relieved but worried dark blue orbs. She cupped his cheeks in almost a frantic motion. Brushing over his jaw and down his antennas repeatedly in a gesture that made him want to hide again.

He let her though.

Watching her optics dart all over his face before dropping to take in the sticky cut on his neck. Those dark blue optics widened before narrowing into thin slits. One of her hands dropping to test the edges of it carefully.

He couldn't help but hiss at the sting and jerk away ever so slightly. The sound making her pull away, but then those dark blue optics pinned him and all that relief melted into a far from pleased expression.

"Do you have any idea how much you fraggin' scared me?" She didn't yell it. It almost would have been better if she had. Instead, she whispered the words in the space between them.

Bumblebee could do nothing but duck his head and give a small nod. "Sorry, Mia."

Her hands tightened where they had fallen around his upper arms. Her optics darting around his face for a moment before she let out a heavy sigh. "Don't ever do that to me again, mechling."

"Yes, Mia." He nodded quickly before burrowing himself back into her neck.

She wrapped her arms back around him in a squeeze.

He felt more then heard Ironhide reach them.

The steady pulse of his sire down their bond he had flung wide open, reassuring in a way little else could be. It was easy to get lost in the warmth and steady presence of the big black mech as he reached them. A deep rumble in his chest that Bumblebee felt Mia lift her head at. The little yellow mech squeezed once more at his carrier before bouncing back on his heels to look up at the much larger form of his adopted sire. Standing just a breath away from the pair of them Ironhide stared down at the them for a moment. Then, those dark blue optics set on Bumblebee.

With a grin, the little yellow mech flung himself up into Ironhide's arms.

The huge mech letting out a deep chuckle as he wrapped his arms around him and held him tight. He held him there for a moment before giving one more squeeze and letting him down.

Jazz yanked him into a hold next.

From there he gave a watery laugh and found himself getting passed around. Elita held him tight. Optimus yanked him up and squeezed him. Prowl stared hard at him for a few moments while Bee wilted a bit and gave a playful grin before the mech sighed and yanked him close. Sides and Sunny caught him between them and refused to let go until he had trouble breathing. Arcee held him, checked him, and then shoved him at Ratchet where the bigger yellow and red mech caught him and reached for his neck.

He held still under the quick look the medic took at his throat. Letting him take hold of his chin and tilt it back to see the extent of the damage Lockdown had done to his throat.

"It's not that bad." He said after a few moments of Ratchet poking at the sore places.

The medic growled at him. "I will decide if it is bad or not."

"No really, Ratchet." He wiggled until the medic let him go with a warning growl. Only to let it trail off when Bee took a step back and shook his head. "Seriously, I'm fine. But can you please look at Havoc. He needs help."

At that, the little mech turned to hurry back to the hound's side. Still laying there panting at Wardrums' toes, Bee looked back over his shoulder. He was not shocked to see the surprise in Ratchet's optics at the sight.

Not only had Bee managed to find another static-hound. He found an albino one.

Seriously, what were the odds of that?

Getting over the shock though, it didn't take but a moment for the medic to realize just how bad off the panting hound was. Between one breath and the next, Ratchet straightened. Arcee stiffening up at his side.

Tilting his helm back toward the ship they called home, Ratchet nodded. "Back on the ship. I'll look at him there."

Bee's grin beamed but as he went to scoop up the hound that was much too big for him to pick up on his own, a deep voice he had only heard in his chest before rumbled.

"Not so fast there. We are not finished yet."

Bee yanked his gaze back up to find himself staring across the sand at what was no longer a dragon.

Where a truly massive beast had once sat, now stood an equally large mech.

Wardrums was the biggest mech, Bee had ever seen. Up until now.

The massive shuttle would only come up to this mech's lower chest. Towering there among the shifting red sand the massive mech colored in a red so deep in was almost black, highlighted here and there with yellow and orange, his steel gray faceplate and golden optics blazing. He let his gaze rake up one side of them and down the other before it landed on Bumblebee there knelt beside his hound.

"We are far from finished, Little Breath."

The gangs all back together again. This should be fun!

I hope you guys liked it. I can't wait to see what you thought.

Thank you for reading! I adore you all.

See you next chapter.

-Jaycee