I do not own Transformers, Nor do I own any other brands, shows, or patented materials that I may mention in this story now and in the future chapters.

Big Thank You to; hypersreak, lizziecats, FirstStrike1177, dragonqueen909, newmanlillian4, raven-saber, snowdrop56, free0123, Shanter, SigmaConvoy and xIliadx for Following this story!

Big Thank You to; lizziecats, newmanlillian4, raven-saber, free0123, Autobot-Bre-Lightblast, PorNgub, Shanter, SigmaConvoy and IIxTigerLillyxII for adding this story to their list of Favorites!

Major thanks to; 1337banna, Ikniaa and jgoss for Following me! I appreciate it!

Major thanks to; 1337banna, Ikniaa and jgoss for adding me to their list of Favorite authors! I appreciate it!

IIxTigerLillyxII: Sorry this is late! And yes she will eventually wind up with the twins, I love Sideswipe too! I hope that you like this chapter!

Hearts Tempo: I'm glad that you liked the last chapter! I really hope you like this chapter!

Autobot-Bre-Lightblast: I see. Well, This iteration of Sideswipe is a bit of a mix between his G1 origin and his Movie appearance. He does have his immature goofy moments, but you'll see his more serious side coming through in the next chapters, promise! I hope that you like this chapter!

lizziecats: Thank you for your understanding! And your review is right, I want these chapters to be good, but sometimes they take longer than expected. Also, yes what you described as what you see happening, may or may not happen. You'll just have to read on and find out! I hope you like this chapter and I thank you for your compliments on my character and the story overall!


Sideswipe drove as fast as he could. He wanted to put as much distance between himself and the enforcers as possible. The female he had acquired was leaking, and she had been for a while. Concerned about his guide, he quickly drove into an abandoned yard. It had grown dark, but in the intrest of keeping a low profile, he kept his head lights off as he stoped and nudged her out of his seat. She crawled out and sat pitifully on the ground, making strange noises. Leaning down over her, he scanned her to see if she was damaged. She yelped loudly as she scrambled back and away from him, fear running wild in her eyes. "Whoa! Easy! I'm not gonna hurt you…I never learned your designation…What is going on? You're leaking!" He yelled vaguely panicked. She looked up at him, wiping her nose on her sleeve as her body shook violently. "I…I'm s-s-sorry. I…hate it when I cry." She sobbed. Sideswipe raised an optic ridge in curiosity. Apperantly humans expressed fear through leaking a saline lubricant from their optics. Gross. "What happened back there? Why were all those enforcers after you?" He asked, determined to learn more about this femme. She sniffled heavily as she shook violently, making Sideswipe focus on her more, she seemed to be vibrating. Projecting his holoform he slowly sat next to her, and gently put a hand on her back. She flinched at first before she slowly began to calm down. "I…I…(cough) they want me."

"Ooohhh. Found myself a trouble maker did I? What did you do? Glue another youngling to the ceiling? Paint your weapons instructor neon pink? C'mon you can tell me!"

Lilac looked at him like he had grown a second head and raised an eyebrow when she saw that he was serious. "Na no…I…I ran away from home. Well, it wasn't really my home…they hated me."

She said dejectedly. Now it was time for Sideswipe to raise his eyebrows. "Hated you? I mean I don't really know you, but I don't see how someone can hate you."

"Hatred is blind and irrational. That's why it still exists."

"I still don't see how your opi and danni could hate their creation. Are they glitched?"

"What?" She asked as her face morphed into a look of pure confusion. "I don't understand how a person's parents could hate their kid."

"They weren't my biological parents."

"What?"

"They didn't create me. They were my 'surrogate family' or foster family, and they abused me!"

She wept. Sideswipe's demeanor changed. Who the frag abused younglings her size?! No youngling deserved to be abused. "What about your original creators?"

"My mom died…and my dad…didn't…want…me." She stammered. "Those…cops…they want to take me back. They want to "help" me, put me back in foster care or worse, send me back to those people, but that doesn't help! It never ever helps!" Sideswipe's frown deepened seeing how much pain the girl was in. It seemed like she knew what she was talking about, but he knew that she wasn't sharing everything.

"I know I don't know you, but…I'm sorry. I won't let them take you back. If they can't take care of one youngling, and she can escape them like you did, then they don't deserve to have you, they aren't smart enough." He said to her as he stopped rubbing her back. She looked up at him, the smallest glimmers of hope in her eyes. "Really? You…you mean it?"

"Well duh! How many times did I tell you that you are taking me to Nevada? You…still with me? Are taking me to Nevada!" He said with a determined smile. Lilac weighed her options. She could get up, and run screaming at the top of her lungs, she could tell him no and hitch hike to the nearest town and start over, she could say yes and then leave him when they get there and become a city hobo… "Honest obliging, be polite, observative" she thought to herself as she remembered what her friends had taught her. She knew it made very little sense to go with him, a part of her knew that it was going to be dangerous, a part of her wanted to say no. But she couldn't. "S…Sideswipe?"

"Yeah?"

"Did your leader say anything about working with the human government?"

"Yeah, he said that we would be working with a bunch of you squishies. I think it's your military…something called N.E.S.T.?"

Lilac mentally groaned. Secret military divisions usually meant responsible people, which usually meant that she would be put back into foster care, but at the same time, she felt bad for Sideswipe. He was lucky, he has family out there missing him. She couldn't tell him no, not when she could try to help him. She wanted to help him because nobody had done such a thing for her, she wanted to be better than those who were meant to help her who only hurt her. After all…city hobos were nice people too right?

"Well…I've always wanted to travel…and I've heard that Nevada is quite beautiful this time of year."

"So that means you'll help?"

"Yes. I don't know where we are, but I'll try to help you get to Nevada."

"We are someplace called "Welcome to Illinois" is that close to Nevada?"

"No…Was that…on a sign?"

"Yeah, it read just like that. Where is Welcome to Illinois?"

Lilac almost laughed. "He has a lot to learn about if he is going to live on this planet." She thought to herself. Smiling she looked up at him and said, "It's not like that. Illinois is a state in the United States of America. One of fifty and was established as a state in 1818. Did Cybertron have states?"

"We have city states. This would be so much easier if I had my gps."

"You have a gps? I guess you would have a global positioning system of some sorts."

"Actually, mine is a galaxy positioning system and it- HOLY SLAG! WHERE THE PIT ARE WE?!" He yelped as he stopped leaning on a rusted out Chevy truck and accidentally stumbled into another pile of rust ridden cars. Unbeknownst to Sideswipe, he had driven into what most Cybertronians would consider a grave yard. Lilac stood up, prepared to run at his sudden reaction to being in a scrap yard, but after a few more seconds she realized (to an extent) why he was freaking out. With all the courage she could muster she shouted; "SIDESWIPE! ITS OKAY! WE'RE IN A SCRAP YARD, PLEASE CALM DOWN!"

The mech fell to his aft and hastily scooted away from the pile of cars he'd drug himself out of only seconds ago, venting heavily. Before Lilac could say anything more, he looked down at his armor and a strangled noise sounded throughout the establishment. "RUST! RUST! I'M GONNA FRAGGING RUST! PIT I DON'T WANNA RUST!" He wailed. Lilac stood still trying to find a way to placate him. "SOLVANT! I NEED SOLVANT! SQUSHY PLEASE TELL ME THERE'S SOME KIND OF SOLVANT HERE TO CURE YOUR VEHICLES OF RUST!"

"I…um- "

"PLEASE!"

He begged, sounding suspiciously close to crying…if giant mechanical beings can cry. Lilac rushed forward and put a gentle hand on his leg, giving him a consoling look. "Hey. It's okay, I promise you won't rust, just calm down. Look, we need to get to a town, a…a truck stop would be best. There we can figure out where we need to go, and hopefully, they will have a car wash for you to use to get rid of the rust."

"A…a what? You humans have places you take your vehicles for them to bathe?"

"Mm, kinda? From what I've read they're good for keeping a car in good working order for a long time. I've never had a car before…and I've never thought of bathing one…so yes?" She said with a shrug. Sideswipe vented heavily as he looked around, but was gently reassured that everything was alright by the presence of the small femme's servo on his thigh. He gently scooted away from her and transformed, opening the passenger side door he allowed her in, finally taking in her appearance. He wasn't the only one that needed a wash. Aside from the rust dust on her, she had several layers of dirt, dust and dead skin cells, and the fur on her helm looked worse for wear. While driving to the scrap yard, he saw a few other organics in their own vehicles, and she certainly didn't look as…sanitary as they did.

"Are you some kind of feral human or something?"

Lilac looked up with a soft squeak, startled by hearing his voice come through the stereo system. "Wh..wh…wh…what?" She stammered as she looked around, slowly calming down. "Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." He said sheepishly. Lilac thought for a second, replaying what he had said in her head before she burst into a small fit of giggles. "I suppose in a rather strange way I am a feral human." She said as they drove onto the road. Something about his comment made her feel comfortable even as they pushed 90 miles per hours on the freeway. "One that needs a bath. Unless you humans aren't supposed to wash?"

"Actually, we do wash. I'm sorry, I must really smell. Humans usually bathe at least once every 24 hours, but I don't have a place to do that, so I have to skip days some times."

"Actually, you don't smell too bad. I once landed on a planet that smelled at least ten times worse than you do."

"Really? I'd love to hear about it, oh look. Take the next exit and we should find a pit stop." She said as Sideswipe got over a few lanes. "You know I never got your designation." He said as he came to a more law abiding speed. "Oh, sorry. My mother named me after the Syringa vulgaris the grew all over my home town." Sideswipe's holoform raised an eyebrow at her and she smiled back. "But in English, my name is Lilac." She said sweetly as he pulled into the TA rest stop. Looking at her money, Lilac saw that she might have just enough to afford the fare to have Sideswipe cleaned and sighed as her stomach gave out a low growl of protest. "Uh…are you okay? You are…making strange noises again." He said concerned as he pulled into a parking space. "I…I'll be okay. Just hungry is all." She said wistfully remembering the pizza she had been forced to leave behind the day before. "Do humans refuel often?" He asked innocently. "Usually, a person eats three meals a day, sometimes with snacks in between. But I don't have a lot of money. I'll be okay though. I have some canned goods in my bag- "

"ACK! RUST!" Sideswipe cut her off as she held up the canned ravioli. Lilac looked at the can with slight horror. She didn't notice the small rust spots on her cans when she had bought them, and to make matters worse, they were far past their expiration date. With a resigned sigh she put the can back in her bag. It wouldn't be the first time she'd go hungry. "So, you only have enough credits to get the rust off of me?"

"I think so yes."

"Well, can't you just get more?"

"It's not that easy. I'd have to get a job, and that could take a while on its own. Plus, I'm too young by law to have one so we're still up the creek without a paddle."

"I don't see how we are up a creek without a paddle. You humans say some strange things."

"I guess we do."

"What does A.T.M. stand for? That other squishy just got credits like yours from it."

"It stands for Automated Teller Machine. People can take money from their bank accounts using them."

"Okay…do you have a bank account?"

"No…this is all the money I have." She said as fingered the seven dollars again. Sideswipe frowned before his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Uh…" she stammered as he held up a hand. "I'm hacking the machine. You fleshies aren't very technologically advanced. I already have the whole place's cameras knocked out, and this machine has a bunch of credits in it."

"Sideswipe no! That's stealing, and it's wrong to break the law!"

"Relax, I'm not using anyone's bank account. I'm just telling the machine to give me all of its credits." He said casually as they watched the machine begin to spit out 20 dollar bills. Using his holoform, Sideswipe got out and mentally stopped hacking the machine. Collecting the thick stack of twenties, he walked back to his alt and got inside. "Will this be enough?" He said with a cocky grin as Lilac counted the money with wide eyes. He had handed her 800 dollars. With a nod, Lilac placed 80 in her front pocket and the rest in her backpack as she got out of the marvel that was a sentient robotic car.

Walking into the Lobby, Sideswipe watched and tried to mimic Lilac. Since she was a native, she would know how to best interact with the few other humans around. Most of which seemed to be male in make, and much larger than his guide. Walking up to the counter where an older femme with a vaguely sad smile stood, Lilac tried to smile back. "She's nervous." He said to himself as the little femme asked for a wash for himself and one for her. The femme obliged and gave her a ticket with a number in exchange for one of the credit notes that Lilac held. With a soft quiet "thank you" Lilac walked away. Sideswipe was momentarily distracted by one area of the establishment, where all sorts of strange things were stored. It also appeared that humans could buy a spare change in armor should they need it. Looking at his guide, he decided for her, and gently pulled her in the direction of the armor.

Sideswipe made sure that she had a spare set of armor, a map of the country, and a strange keepsake; for every state one would enter, they were to color it in. It was slightly magnetized, but not nearly close enough to damage his systems. Once she had paid for it, she led him back to his alt, so that he could get cleaned up. He wasn't fond of the idea at first sight of the machine. But after a quick pep talk from his guide he went in and loved it. Warm water blasted away grime, soon after the water was replaced by soft soap and bubbles that ate away at the last of the contaminants before large brushes massaged the suds into his armor. After a full chassis rinse including his undercarriage, a light coat of wax was applied leaving him spotless.

"That was incredible! If this is how you humans treat your vehicles, then your wash racks must be something spectacular!"

He said as he re-parked allowing his guide to walk back into the lobby seeing that her shower was ready. Smiling gratefully, she took the key and walked down a long hallway lined with doors. Sideswipe was curious of the human's wash racks, but the leering glares he got from the other male organics stopped him cold. Deciding to sit somewhere, he looked at the many postcards and brochures that were available. This planet was a total mud ball, but Sideswipe couldn't deny that there were some pretty parts of it. After what seemed like forever to the frontliner, his guide returned from the wash, bright pink. Her fur was still a little wet and she had changed armor. The biggest difference that Sideswipe noticed was that she smelt good. She ducked her head shyly before looking back up at him with a miniscule smile. "Amazing what some hot water and soap can do huh?" she said as her stomach groaned. Looking over to the restaurant Lilac's smile grew. Not too many people were at the stop.

Slowly the two made their way into a booth and sat down. A waitress in her mid-thirties greeted them and took their order for drinks, both opting for a water. Everybody at the truck stop was talking about the two. It wasn't often that they had a young girl and a boy, who looked to be anywhere between fifteen and twenty come in. Everyone was fearing for her safety, suspecting the man to have abducted her, especially since there was a police report circling around that described her perfectly. Once the waitress returned with their drinks they were ready to order. The boy wanted to try a burger and fries, and the girl wanted a grilled cheese and fries. She needed the burger more than the boy did, she looked like a starved dog. Putting in the order she and all the other workers and truckers listened closely to their conversation. Once the boy started rambling about getting to Nevada soon, they collectively decided to step in. She approached the two prepared for anything when she asked a loaded question.

"Are ya'll in some sort o' trouble? Now be straight with me cause there aint a person in here that aint prepared to fix it." She said firmly to Lilac eyes darting to Sideswipe. Lilac sank in her chair a little bit noticing the menacing looks on all of the truck driver's faces. "I…I can't say. We're- "

"Trying to get to Nevada. We're not sure how though."

"And just what's in Nevada? Why are ya'll in such a hurry to get there?" A trucker asked.

"My brother. I'm trying to get to him, and get away from our abusers."

Lilac's eyebrows shot up quickly before Sideswipe gave her a lightning fast wink. The waitress looked back to her, silently asking if it were true. "Y…yeah. I…I…I…" she stammered before a soft tear traced down her cheek. The waitress looked at Sideswipe accusingly before Lilac was able to pull herself together. "He…his father was hitting him. He was coming from West Virginia when we met up. I…I've been running from my foster family for two years. They kept me locked in a closet, only feeding me table scraps for a year. The people in CYFD put me in two abusive homes before that. Please, please don't make us go back." She sobbed. Sideswipe grabbed her hand and rubbed small circles in it, hoping that he wouldn't have to take drastic measures. The people in the restaurant went silent looking at the two, until one trucker spoke up. "Ya'll don't know this, but the police put out an apb for you in this county and all of Kentucky. Now normally I aint the type to say defy authority, but in your case we never saw ya."

"My old man used to hit on me too. How'd ya get away?"

"My brother, my twin actually escaped first. We have this friend in the military out in Nevada and we combined our savings so that he could get a bus ticket to go there. Only made dad madder. It was only a couple months ago that I got a postcard from him saying that they couldn't get a lawyer, so he suggested I run. Had enough money to buy the car out front from an old neighbor and made my getaway later that day."

The people nodded their heads in sympathy at Sideswipe's false tale and changed their minds about reporting the two. Instead they brought them to the counter and sat them down on the stools with the map in front of them. "Now, ya'll are gonna want to take this route here. It's the fastest." One trucker said. "Mmm, actually they're doin' work out there. I'd know, just came from that-a-way. Take this route instead. Bout an hour or two slower, but the sights are nicer, and ya don't have to pay tolls." Another said before he noisily slurped his coffee. Setting down their orders the chef pointed to the map again. "As a matter of fact, avoid Kansas all together." "Why?" asked Sideswipe as he munched on a fry. "Cause the only thing in Kansas is cornfields and Jesus." This had Lilac laughing so hard, water nearly shot out of her nose. The people in the restaurant smiled back at her as a trucker shrugged. "The man's right. Helluva borin' drive, spooky too if ya'll were to do it at night." He said.

The people at the TA truck stop happily sent the two teenagers on their way, with extra food for when the money got low, and many cautionary tales about cornfields and mountain passes. At seven the next morning, when the police and the sheriff pulled up asking about them, everyone at the truck stop conveniently gave a different story and direction in which they were headed, most saying that they were going to Tennessee, while the others feigned ignorance of their destination. The two had left a little after one that morning after catching a quick nap in their car, and truthfully nobody knew where they were now, or that they had just come in contact with a highly advanced alien life form.


A/N: Hello! *Dodges many sharp projectiles* I'm sorry for not posting a pre-written chapter early, but this story is second in line for posting. But I'm working on the fourth chapter so yay! Plus I just got a new job so yeah I have been busy.

I'd like to point out that this iteration of Sideswipe is in fact a mix of G1 AND Movie Sideswipe. All the silliness of G1 and all the bad assery (new word!) of his Movie self all rolled into one fic. I know that might seem strange, but at the same time, 90 percent of all Sideswipe's iterations have him as the silly prankster that knows when to get serious, and that's what we have here. He is also depicted at being about 16 or 17 ish in maturity, so about a year or two above Bee in most fics.

I hope that this helps clear up some confusion, and I hope that you like this chapter, please be kind, though I haven't gotten a nasty review yet, my Author senses are tingling.

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CLYL!