The following weeks passed by dreadfully slow. Starscream's optic twitched a bit as he read over the latest report. Terra and her sisters wouldn't be going to the mountain house in another week since it was being renovated. Most of the energon in that cave had been cleared out by the Autobots with his help. He was proud of that but why couldn't they go to the mountains now? Surely there was enough room for Terra's sisters without renovations.
Starscream tapped his claws on his berth, thinking of what was going to happen next? He glanced over at his closed door, wishing Terra would join him. It was another one of those nights where her youngest sister was overcome with grief for her parents. It was sad, but Terra was there for her. She was a wonderful older sister.
He let out a sigh, breathing steam before lying down and trying to get as comfortable as possible. Hopefully he wouldn't have another nightmare tonight. They were bad when they happened and they almost always involved seeing Terra being harmed by Megatron.
"I won't let that happen to you again, Terra," he muttered to himself, letting his optics slowly close. He thought of finally being truly alone with Terra in that cave and smiled before drifting away.
Starscream found himself at the edge of a body of water. He glanced down and saw his feet buried in sand. He grimaced at the unpleasant sensation of the unsturdy material as he took a step away from the water. Why was he here of all places?
He took in his surroundings some more, arching an eyebrow when he noticed the sunset. It was quite beautiful, but it would be much better if he wasn't alone here. Was Terra around here? He would have to investigate.
Starscream walked along the water, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. He looked up to the sky for anything and found nothing. He was safe here, but for how long?
His thoughts were interrupted by a tiny voice singing a made up tune from somewhere. It certainly wasn't Terra. This was a child. He looked around and saw a tiny form sitting by the edge of the water. Starscream was unsure of what to do now. This was obviously a dream, but what did it mean?
"What are you?" He questioned while taking a cautious step toward the strange child. His heels dug into the sand, making him stumble a bit. He got his footing and looked at the child again. It was young and looked to be female. She was around the same size as Alcina as she sat while drawing shapes in the sand.
The girl didn't say anything. She kept humming that tune to herself. It sounded a lot like something Terra would hum to herself while she worked on something. Starscream looked around one more time and found that he was alone with this strange child.
"Where's your mother, little girl?" He asked while taking another step forward.
The girl grew quiet, stopping what she was doing. Her eyes were closed, but when she opened them to look at him, Starscream took a step back. Her eyes were like his own. The girl giggled softly at his reaction, covering her mouth. It was such a sweet little laugh. Clear and full of life.
"She'll be here eventually," she said, gazing up at him with those strange eyes. Starscream glanced around and saw that they were alone still. This was such a strange dream, but it was better than the awful nightmares he was used to.
"So, what's your name, girl?" He asked while walking over and crouching to get a better look at this strange girl. She looked a bit like Terra with her long black hair and in some of her facial features. The dress she was wearing was decorated with many yellow stars that seemed to glow in the growing darkness.
"I don't have a name yet," the girl chimed. That certainly was unfortunate.
"It's a shame your mother didn't name you. Perhaps I should give you a name if you wish," he suggested, smirking as he thought of something that would be fitting for such a strange child. The child began to hum again while drawing little hearts and stars in the sand. He watched her silently for a few moments, pondering the reason why this child was in his dream.
Starscream let out a sigh as he looked up at the sky. He could already see some stars up above. Naming a human was quite difficult since humans named their young quite differently compared to how Cybertronians got their names. He looked up at the stars and then back at the girl who seemed to be surrounded by little stars. It suddenly came to him.
"Stardust. You shall be named Stardust," he declared. The girl stopped to look up at him with those blood red eyes full with a look of familiarity.
"I like that name. Thank you, sir," she said, smiling sweetly. Starscream smiled back at her, glad that she liked the name. It suited her perfectly.
"You love her," Stardust said. Starscream's smile slowly dropped at such an odd statement.
"What did you say?" He asked.
"You love Terra. You must protect her no matter what," Stardust said, her expression turning serious. How did she know about Terra?
He wanted to question her further, but when he turned to look at her, she and the beach they were sitting at was gone. He was sitting in darkness.
"What's going on?" He grumbled, standing up to see if anything was about to happen. He could hear familiar screams somewhere in the distance. Terra's screams. He ran in the direction of the screams, growing more and more terrified at the thought of this turning into another dreadful nightmare.
It wasn't long before he finally saw Terra in the distance. She was chained down by her hands and ankles, forcing her into a kneeling position. She had been trying to free herself feverishly from her restraints. Starscream got closer and saw how her prosthetics had been broken by her struggling.
Terra looked up at him with wide horrified eyes. Starscream didn't have to say another word before he rushed forward. He was immediately stopped by an invisible wall.
"Terra, how'd this happen?" He demanded, pressing his palms against the wall.
"He's coming. I...I don't know what's gonna...happen...but I'm scared, Starscream. Help me," Terra pleaded while struggling against her restraints and ruining her prosthetic hands even more.
Starscream's first instinct was to use his claws against the invisible wall, but each strike against it only sent waves of pain coursing through his arms. He growled, wringing his hands as he tried to think of a way to help Terra. He backed up a bit and aimed at the wall, letting a rocket fly. Terra cried out in surprise as the blast shook the ground around them. Dust clouded the air around him, blinding him briefly before it settled.
Nothing looked any different. Starscream reached out to Terra and felt the wall again. He frowned as he tried to think of something else he could try.
"I don't wanna die, love," Terra said as she continued to struggle. The chains around her legs dug into her skin, drawing blood and making her cry out. Starscream was desperate now. He began scratching at the wall some more until his claws began to chip away. He didn't stop even when energon began leaking down his arms. He had to save her.
An alarm suddenly went off, bathing the dark chamber in a red glow. Starscream looked over at Terra and saw a chain shoot out and wrap around her neck, forcing her to look down as if bowing. The sounds of panels filled the air, followed by the flow of water. Starscream's optics widened in horror when he saw the cage slowly being filled with water. Terra noticed as well and began to scream as the dark water began to rise.
"Starscream, do something!" She shrieked.
"I'm trying, Terra!" Starscream shrieked back. He stepped back a moment, watching the water rise even higher. Terra's cries filled him dread. He looked down at his claws and saw that they were broken and cracked beyond repair. He felt beyond helpless. Sure this was an awful nightmare, but he still didn't want anything bad to happen to Terra.
"He's coming!" Terra cried out as the ground began to shake around him. Starscream's wings dropped as he dared to look over his shoulder at whoever was approaching. He let out a gasp when he saw Megatron towering over him. He was much larger now. Much, much larger.
Megatron growled, glaring down at him and bathing Starscream in a purple light. Starscream took a step back until he felt the invisible wall behind him. No amount of begging would get him out of this.
"Starscream, help," Terra whimpered softly.
"You can't save her and you will watch that wretch die," Megatron grumbled while reaching down to grab Starscream. Starscream immediately fired another rocket at Megatron's approaching servo, but it did nothing. He could easily fly away, but that would mean leaving Terra alone with this monster.
His former master grabbed ahold of him and brought him up as Terra's scream got louder. Starscream dared to look behind at Terra and saw that the water was now at her chest. She tried to hold her head up as best she could, but the chains kept her head down. The water was just inches away from her face now.
"Leave her be, Lord Megatron! It's me you want," Starscream begged. He let out a pained cry as Megatron dug his claws into his frame, crushing his wings in the process.
"I want you both. Maybe if you beg some more, I'll make this somewhat quicker for the both of you," Megatron said, smiling cruelly as he tightened his grip on him some more.
"Starscream," Terra whimpered. He tried to look back at her, but Megatron prevented him from doing so. He didn't deserve these awful nightmares. He shouldn't have to go through this most nights. It was torture. Even if Terra was by his side while he rested, the nightmares still came.
"Go on. Beg for mercy like you used to, Starscream," Megatron chuckled darkly as he turned Starscream around to look at Terra whose head was nearly submerged. She was choking and he could see the terror in her eyes. He closed his optics, hoping he would wake up from this soon. He wouldn't let this happen again. He would do everything in his power to keep Terra and her family safe.
"Such a disappointment. You can't even protect a human like those wretched Autobots. You never made a good Decepticon and there's no way you'd make a decent Autobot. You're nothing," Megatron said. That wasn't true. He was trying his best to work with the Autobots despite Arcee still not fully trusting him. He could get better. He just needed more time.
"Get fragged, Megatron," he muttered, spitting energon at him. He heard a scream from Terra, but he didn't dare look this time. He had to be in control now.
"I will kill you someday, Starscream. Mark my words. I will find you and I will kill you both," Megatron said before disappearing into a cloud of dark fog, letting Starscream drop to the ground.
Starscream let out a grunt as he tried to get back onto his feet. He turned around and saw that Terra was no longer submerged in water. The chains were gone and she laid on the ground, choking up some water. She was safe. He flexed his wings a bit and felt no pain. He let out a sigh of relief and reached out to Terra. There was no invisible wall separating them this time. Starscream rushed forward and gently scooped up Terra in his servos. She looked weak and exhausted, but she was alive as she smiled up at him tiredly.
"We're...gonna be alright now, Terra. I won't let anything bad happen to us," he promised while holding her close to his chest. She was trembling and felt ice cold. Another example of why humans were so fragile.
"Keep her safe for us," a small voice whispered.
Starscream opened his optics, groaning as he slowly sat up. He rubbed at his neck, quickly taking in his surroundings to make sure he was safe. He didn't have to look long before he saw Terra standing by the berth, looking up at him with a worried look in her ever-so-lovely eyes.
"I...I heard you crying in your sleep, love. Are you okay?" She asked while pulling a small ladder over to crawl onto the berth with him.
"I'm better now that you're here, Terra," Starscream replied, smiling at her as she crawled onto his chest.
"That's good. Is there anything you need right now?" She asked, getting into a sitting position. Starscream couldn't help but gaze at her lovingly while she sat on him. Those horrible images from that dream were slowly going away as he reached forward to gently pull her closer.
"I just need you, love. Stay with me," he said, feeling more at ease with having her close by.
"Sounds good to me," Terra replied while resting her head under his chin. He covered her body with a single servo, sighing in content.
"We're safe," he whispered, gazing up at the dark ceiling. There was so much troubling him. He just wanted to leave the past behind and focus on his new life with Terra.
"We are," Terra whispered back. He wanted to believe these words were true, but Megatron was out there somewhere, planning his next assault. He would have to be extra cautious in order to protect Terra and her sisters.
"You know, I just heard that the cabin is finally gonna be finished by tomorrow. We'll be able to move in once we get confirmation from the team. Fowler said it would be safe enough for us to go to the little town outside the range. You could use your holoform and come along with us," Terra said, looking up at him with a sweet smile. He smiled back, chuckling softly as he thought of being able to be with her in public without making others suspicious.
"That's wonderful. All this waiting nearly drove me to madness. I simply can't wait to go back. I can also keep an eye on you when I come along. Make sure you don't get into any trouble," he crowed, pulling her closer into a tender kiss. Things were finally coming together. Terra giggled as she kissed him back, holding both sides of his head.
"I don't get into that much trouble. You don't have to worry about other people. If anything happens, you'll be there to help," she said after pulling away from the kiss.
"Of course. Any person that looks at you the wrong way shall feel my wrath," Starscream said while flexing his free servo and creating sparks.
"Let's tone it down now, love. Save your wrath for the Decepticons if they dare try something," Terra said before planting another kiss on his cheek. Starscream nodded in response, relaxing some more as Terra laid on his chest. He purred softly, knowing it would feel nice to Terra.
Tomorrow, they would finally find some time alone once they got to the cabin. He looked forward to it and he was sure Terra was just as excited as he was. It was going to be wonderful.