Just incase you guys thought I disappeared again lol. I'm still here for you guys. Actually, I'm just prepping for Homecoming, PSATS, the first quarter ending, all that good stuff; school is fun (note the extreme use of sarcasm). Thank you as always, for being my amazing, loyal readers; jgoss, xXTheLegendXx, Alice Gone Madd, SolusPrimusLightblast, NovaShifter15, CastielLunaWinchester, mostly a reader fangirl99, BlushLouise, KayleeChiara, 99luftballonsx.o.x, SolusPrime2004, Astrochrist, and SeaKissed140! I like how I actually can type most of your guys' names because I'm so used to seeing them, I see it as a personal accomplishment :)

Oh, and btw, I messed up in the AN last chapter. It's actually "KTA" for Keep Transformers Alive, she just made a typo lol. And for, SolusPrime2004, yes I give you permission to use Quickshift. Could you tell me in the reviews or PM me what story he'd be in? I'd love to read it. Okay I think I covered everything, now onto the chapter-

OH, NO WAIT. We're legit 3 reviews away from 700 holy shucks! Tbh, I didn't even think this story would reach that many when I started it all those years ago (only like, 2 years ago) so thank you for how far you've brought me now! Y'all are my inspirations!

*deeps breath* Okay, now onto the story.


Chapter Forty-Two: Meet The Family

"What?" Sideswipe's pale blue eyes widened in absolute shock, before a deep, boisterous laugh escaped his throat as he leaned forward, clutching his abdomen from the sheer amount of laughter.

"Shut the frag up, you glitchhead." Sunstreaker snapped, standing right beside him in his usual broody stance; leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. His darker shade of blue was glaring holes into the back of Sideswipe's head as he promptly lost it.

"I...I can't, I can't help it Sunny!" He said between a mixture of pants and chuckles, "What kind of name is Santiago? The least you could do is come up with something better when you met her family."

I was with the twins, just outside of the Main Hangar, who had a few minutes to spare before they had to go on patrol, and I decided now was a better time than ever to tell Sunstreaker about my mom wanting to see him. It's only been a week since they've been here, and they still needed time to settle down into this new life, but she was persistent to see Sunstreaker again. Or really, 'Santiago'.

Sunstreaker rolled his eyes, "I wasn't expecting to meet her family."

"Yeah," I agreed, "They kind of just popped up out of nowhere, we didn't have much time to prepare a proper cover story."

Sideswipe seemed to take that into consideration, but he still had that obnoxious smirk on his face, "When do I get to meet your family, Charlie?"

Although my family was adjusting to life on base, I still didn't want to press them. They've accepted that the Autobots were not wicked, evil beings but they still weren't quite ready to be around them. Especially Colton. And honestly, I was still a little nervous about introducing them to my family. I was still afraid that they wouldn't like each other, but I also knew that Sideswipe would make a conscious effort to be convivial and amiable towards them.

"Whenever you want, I guess," I answered, "But be prepared, they're going to ask you a thousand questions."

He nodded, excitement visible on his features as they brightened, "Well, it's a good thing I love to talk about myself."

Cue both Sunstreaker's and my eye-roll.

"And I'll definitely come up with a better human name. Hmm, what do you think I look like?" He asked me, stroking his chin, "A Mark? A Kevin? Maybe a Joe..."

I crinkled my nose and shook my head, "Definitely not a Joe," I took a long look at him, studying his ethereal features. And then I suggested, "Maybe, Stephan."

The silver twin raised an eyebrow, before his features shifted as he mulled over the name. And then he nodded, "Stephan...sounds cool. I like it."

Sunstreaker straightened up from against the wall, "Our shift starts soon, and so does your appointment." Ugh, don't remind me. I understood that they were all just trying to do whatever was best for me, but getting a blood screening every Monday and Friday of the week wasn't as glamorous as it sounded. "Where's that infernal red glitch?"

Sideswipe snorted, and I shot them both a glare. "His name is Quickshift, and he'll be here soon. He just got off of duty." I don't know why the twins were so pressed about making sure I had someone escorting me to the Med Bay. I've been there countless times, I know how to get there, and it wasn't like if they didn't see me off I would skip it. Ratchet would literally hunt me down and drag me to the appointment himself if he had to, and I know, because he told me he would.

I stood up from the crate I was sitting on, hopping down and dusting my worn-out jeans as Sideswipe sat up too. His silver Corvette glistening in the sun's rays, and the golden Lamborghini shimmered elegantly next to him. Sometimes, it was still hard to believe that they were those luxurious automobiles, and it was kind of crazy that I got to ride inside them. Ever since I was young, when my father took me to my first car show, I wanted to drive a car like that. Never in my life did I think I'd be able to drive them in the form of two, twin aliens. But fate was funny like that.

A small pang of sadness hit me at the thought of my father, and I squeezed the cross that hung around my neck softly. It still hurt, seeing my family and knowing that it wasn't complete, knowing that the last time I saw him was the that night in the garage, when I sat and sketched the Autobot symbol. Knowing that I never really got to say goodbye to him, and that the only remnants I had of him were his cross, and the letter he wrote that I saved when I first got to base. But as much as it made my heart ache and my chest swell up every time I thought about it, I had to be strong. Not only just for myself, but for my family, because I knew they were looking to me to keep us all together.

"Charlie?" Someone called my name.

I looked up, glancing at both of them, "Huh-yeah?"

There it was again, the worried look in their eyes. Sunstreaker's was much more reserved, but I could start to read his emotions now, and Sideswipe was an open book. And they were looking at me as if I was about to pass out or something, I even noticed how their body's changed, positioning themselves at my angle so they were ready to catch me if something happened. And I really hated that look, I hated feeling like a walking time-bomb, but there was really nothing any of us could do about it. The dark energy inside me was changing me for sure, and my time was beginning to run out. But they didn't know that.

"Are you okay?" Sideswipe asked.

I nodded, "I'm fine, guys."

"You sure?" Sunstreaker added.

I playfully rolled my eyes, "I'm not gonna collapse if that's what you're worried about."

"We're just making sure." Sideswipe mumbled as we crossed over to where their alte modes waited, engines humming lowly.

The guilt was gnawing at me inside, and I knew I was going to have to tell them soon, but there was so much going on. There was always so much going on, it was hard to tell when the timing was right. But I knew I would have to tell them, there was no way I could keep the fact that I was dying slowly from them. I played loosely with the strings on my sweater as I leaned against the Corvette, waiting.

"You guys are gonna be late." I told them. "If you keep waiting here."

"We know," Sideswipe said with a shrug.

"And we don't care." Sunstreaker finished, eyeing me. "You come first to us Charlie, you always will."

I couldn't hide the blush that spread across my cheeks and crept up my neck. My heart momentarily jumped into my throat, and I broke eye-contact just so I could breathe again. I don't know why, but my mom's words came wandering back into my mind. Do you really like him Charlie?

"Like who?" Sideswipe spoke up, looking at me and I froze.

Did I...did I just comm them? Crap.

Slag.

Frag.

"N-Nothing, I was just thinking about something." I muttered quickly, resisting the urge to face-palm myself right then and there. Oh good job Charlie. Sunstreaker gave me a quizzically raised eyebrow, but didn't say anything else. God, why am I this way?

"Charlie!" A familiar, accented voice shouted, and never had I been glad in my life to see Quickshift as much as I did right now.

"Over here!" I shouted, pushing myself off the Corvette.

"Oh, there y'all are." The red mini bot said as he appeared from behind the vehicles, "Well, ya ready to go meet Dr. Grumpy?"

I snorted softly, "As ready as I'll ever be." I turned back to the twins, "Bye guys, see you later on."

"Bye Charlie." They said at the same time, which seemed to make my heart flip in my chest again. But I pushed the thought away, as I turned and followed the mini-bot back to the base.


"Nice of you to show up." Ratchet greeted me as I sat down on the berth.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." I muttered, and I'm sure both of us caught my sarcasm. I rolled the sleeve of my right arm up, exposing my smooth, pale skin as Ratchet came around with the needle. I really hate these kinds of things. The dusky yellow mech stuck the needle in as gently as possible, and I watched the pouch that the needle was connected to slowly fill with blood. At least it looked more like blood this time.

"How have the pills been working for you?" He asked, writing things down as the pouch filled up.

"They're actually really good," I answered honestly, "I've been feeling much better since I collapsed. And my eyes aren't altering or bloodshot anymore, so that's great."

Ratchet grimaced at my dry attempt at humor. "Well, you're blood looks more normal and healthy. And your visual appearance seemed to have improved. Hopefully, after I run some more tests, the concentration of dark energy in your bloodstream has diluted."

"All we can do is hope." I said softly, watching as he retracted the needle and replacing it with a bandage before hauling the pouch off somewhere. I fought the urge to rub at my arm and pulled my sleeve down carefully, before standing up from the berth, "Well, it's been fun. Catch you next Monday, doc."

"Not exactly, you're going to need to report to me for refill on those pills," He answered, "But other than that; farewell. And don't call me doc."

I chuckled at his grumpy demeanor, waving him goodbye before exiting the Med Bay, ignoring the urge to scratch again. Seriously, why am I always feeling itchy after Ratchet takes blood? The sensation welled up inside me again, this was the strongest urge I had yet, and rolled up my sleeve again. Slowly, I peeled off the bandage, and was only marginally surprised that the skin was perfectly intact. Sometimes I forgot that super healing came with my freaky abilities, it was as if Ratchet never punctured me.

Well, at least the itching sensation was gone.

I rolled my sleeve back down, and continued my way down the halls, making my way out towards the human medical bay.


Later on, I was with my family, like I always was at the end of the day. They were still clearing out another dorm space for them to live in, so they had to stay here for the week, but Lennox told me that it should be ready tomorrow, which I was relieved for. I sat on Colton's bed, dealing out the cards while my mother and brother sat diagonal from me on either side, watching me. Once the cards had been dealt, I started the train of flipping the cards. We were playing 'spoons,' with some plastic ones I brought back from the Food Hall. Colton snatched a spoon quickly, and my mother followed suit.

I glared at them both, "Okay, there is no way both of you completed your set when we just started."

Smugly, Colton revealed his cards, brandishing all Jacks, while my mother had all Aces. "Think again, Char."

"Seriously?" I groaned, throwing my cards down on the bed.

Colton smirked, "Well, that gives you the N in spoon. I guess you should take that L too, because you lost."

I rolled my eyes, and shoved my brother, causing him to fall off the edge of the bed. I sure didn't miss his competitive, and quite honestly annoying, spirit. My mother scolded me softly as Colton climbed himself back on the bed, only to launch himself at me. I screamed and tried to get away, but he had me in a head-lock before I could get far, ruffling my hair because he knows I hated it when he did that.

"C-Colton!" I protested, trying to rip out of his grip.

"Just admit you're a sore loser, and I'll let go." He offered simply.

"Okay you two." My mother laughed, but we heard the warning in her voice well enough. Colton rolled his eyes, but let me go, and I dramatically took long, deep breaths. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it." I said, climbing off his bed to open the door, only to have my eyes widened as both Sideswipe and Sunstreaker's holoforms stood at the door. Sunstreaker, with his arms crossed and an indifferent expression on his face, and Sideswipe; holding a pickle jar.

"We're here!" The platinum-haired twin cheered happily.

"You are." I agreed, still letting the shock flow out of my system, "Um, wow, I didn't think you meant today when you said you wanted to meet them."

"Of course I did." He said, before holding up the pickle jar, "I even brought a gift. Apparently, it's customary for you humans to bring a 'housewarming' gift or whatever when you meet someone new."

"Yeah, but a pickle jar?" I chuckled teasingly.

"I told him not to do it." Sunstreaker murmured.

"You think they're not gonna like it? Do they not like these...sour version of cucumbers?" Sideswipe asked, seeming genuinely worried.

"No, it's cute. They'll like it." I promised, before letting the twins in. My mother and Colton looked up upon their entrance, and Colton's gaze narrowed while my mother smiled. "Well, here he is. Mom, Colton, this is Santiago's twin brother; Stephan."

"Hello," He said politely, "Nice to meet you both."

"Nice to meet you too." My mother answered respectfully, while Colton just eyed him warily.

"You mean to tell me he's got a lost-twin brother we never heard about until now?"

I rolled my eyes, "No, I already knew he had a twin. He just wasn't with us when we were in Washington. He was here on base."

Sideswipe nodded, before shaking my mother's hand, "You're very beautiful Mrs. Garrison, I can see where Charlie gets her looks from." My mother seemed to blush and laugh softly. Oh boy, don't inflate his ego too much.

Sunstreaker, to my surprise, actually went to greet them both as well. They settled in pretty well, much more better than I expected them to, which I was relieved about. After about ten minutes of grilling Sideswipe, Colton seemed to click with him instantly. Maybe the jar of pickles was a good call. They were already battling each other on an old video game put in on the TV that hung on the wall. Sunstreaker seemed to be having a conversation with my mother, and I couldn't help but smile at how relaxed he look, sitting down in the chair across from her. He was calm, and seemed genuinely interested by the way his eyes alighted and I wondered what they were talking about.

"Bam," Sideswipe said, letting go of the controller and leaning back with his arms behind his head.

His silver vehicle zoomed across the digital finish line, while Colton's spun out of the race and hitting the railing. Colton cursed profusely, while Sideswipe's lips curled into a smug little smirk. They proceeded to have a little argument, Colton claiming Sideswipe cheated, and I couldn't help but smile at the irony since Colton cheated at spoons, but they settled for doing a rematch. There was another knock on the door, and I got up again to go answer it.

It was Jenna.

"Hey Charlie." She smiled.

"Jenna, hey," I said, widening the door for her, "You just got off your shift?"

"Yes, thank God." She said, with a playful roll of her eyes as she stepped in. Colton instantly perked up at the sight of Jenna, and called her over while my mother simply gave her a wave. I introduced them to Jenna the second day they were on base, she'd stopped by after her shift. Just like Sideswipe, she seemed to click with my family instantly, especially Colton, or maybe that was just because he might have a little crush on her.

Jenna settled next to Colton, watching them race, and I sat on the other side next to Sideswipe. She cheered for Colton while I cheered for him, and we all watched as Sideswipe's car, once again, zoomed past the finish line first.

"Well," I said, "At least you didn't hit the railing this time."

Jenna laughed, and Colton scratched the back of his head, ducking low to hide the blush creeping up his cheeks. Oh god, he has a crush on her.

"They don't call me the silver speed devil for nothin'." Sideswipe boasted.

I chuckled, nudging him in the shoulder playfully, "Calm down, hotshot."

He rolled his bright sapphire eyes in amusement, putting down the controller to crack his knuckles. A very obnoxious human move. I shook my head at his antics, before pausing as I felt a strange sensation roll through my stomach and buzz in my chest. That itching sensation was back, and ran across my skin like goosebumps. Involuntarily, a shiver ran down my spine, and the platinum-haired holoform caught it quicker than I could hide it.

"You cold?" He asked, his gaze turning solicitous.

"A little." I admitted, thankful that the itchy sensation faded away.

He nodded, reaching over to grab one of the blankets off the bed, and wrapping it around me. I chuckled softly as he tucked it into my sides, as if he was tucking a child into a bed. I leaned onto his shoulder, embracing his faint aroma of leather and copper. "Thanks, Sides."

"You're welcome Sweetspark." He murmured.

"You guys wanna watch a flix?" Colton asked, and we both nodded as he changed the HDMI on the TV. Sunstreaker sat on the other side of me, and my mother sat at the end near Jenna as my brother put on the movie. I couldn't help but smile at how content and peaceful everything was. And yeah, it was totally selfish of me to keep this looming secret of my death from them, but I couldn't help myself. I needed moments like these, moments of peace, where I could sit back and enjoy the fact that I could be with the people that I loved. I wanted to savor moments like these, because I knew that they wouldn't last long.

"Why are you smiling so hard?" Sunstreaker wondered quietly, and Sideswipe turned to look at me.

Slightly embarrassed, and I brought the blanket to my face to cover my mouth. Sideswipe pealed the covers away from my flushing face. "I'm just...really happy right now." I answered, looking at the covers in my lap.

"So are we." Sideswipe admitted, and I nodded, leaning my head back on his shoulder as I turned to pay attention to the movie that was running across the screen. And I stayed that way, until I felt myself drift off to sleep.


(Jenna's POV)

Is it just me, or was there something going on with the twins?

It seemed like there had been a change in dynamics between them and Charlie, ever since they came back to the base. First, was obviously Sunstreaker's tolerance, and then Sideswipe's affectionate nicknames. There was also the fact that they spent almost everyday with her, when they weren't on their patrol rounds. There were those lost and longing gazes they did whenever she was preoccupied and didn't notice. They were both clearly protective of her, and nearly put that Mirage in the Med Bay for making a snide comment about her the other day. The twins were definitely close to Charlie, and vice versa, but could their devotion and affection of her go beyond friendship? Could it be more?

As soon as the movie ended, the twins lifted Charlie and carried her to Colton's bed, taking great care into making sure she was tucked in all nicely, before we gave our goodbyes to the Garrison's. I decided to test my theory as we left the hospital and headed towards the parking lot where both of their alte modes were parked.

"You need a ride back to your dorm, Jenna?" Sideswipe offered.

"Yeah, thanks," I agreed with a nod of my head, "But...can I ask you guys something?"

They both stopped and their tracks, turning around with tentative stares. The platinum-haired twin raised an eyebrow, "Uh, sure. What is it?"

"What's going on between you three?"

Sunstreaker's eyes narrowed, while Sideswipe seemed to be taken aback. He scratched the back of his head, "Uh, not really sure what you mean."

"You two," I said, pointing in between them with an accusing finger, "And Charlie. Do you guys like her?"

Sideswipe nodded, "Of course we do, we care about Charlie."

"I mean, like like her." I elaborated, "You know, more than friends-"

"Sssh!" Sideswipe said frantically, covering my mouth.

My eyes widened as I was startled by his sudden action, before I rolled my eyes and pushed his hand away, "We're outside the building. She can't hear us."

"You don't know that for sure, she's got Cybertronian hearing now." He countered.

"She's asleep, dummy."

"Oh." He mumbled, "Well, yeah, I guess that makes sense now..."

I shook my head in excitement, "No way, you guys...you guys have a crush on Charlie, don't you?"

Slowly, the twins looked at each other, and I saw the resigned look settle on the features, before Sunstreaker nodded. "We do."

"Ohmygosh!" I gasped. I had my suspicions, but it still was mind-blowing to hear them admit it out loud.

"Could you say it a little louder so the whole base can hear?" Sunstreaker grumbled, but I ignored his animosity.

"When did this start happening? How did this happen? And when are you gonna tell her?"

"Uh, it's kind of a long story," Sideswipe chuckled nervously, "I cared about her a lot, but I didn't even register how strong my feelings were for her until she came back. And you know how Sunny came to like her."

"Don't call me that." He said.

But Sideswipe continued on, "We both fell for her under different circumstances, but the end result was still the same. All we wanna do is be with her and make her as happy as we can. We...we love her, Jenna."

Wow.

Was not expecting that one.

"Wow," I said, putting my hands up to my mouth in utter disbelief, "This is a lot to take in."

"Yeah," He murmured an agreement. "We realized that when she collapsed, and Ratchet discovered the dark energon in her systems. Seeing her laying there so close to death, scared the frag out of us, because we were helpless to do anything about it. And because we realized how much we couldn't afford to lose her," Sideswipe admitted, sitting down on the curve of the pavement, "I didn't think I could ever care for anyone except Sunstreaker, but...when I'm around her, all I think about it how to keep her smiling because it is the most beautiful fraggin' thing in the world watching her smile. She's done so much for us, she brought Sunny and I back together, she risked her life several times for ours, she even got past Sunny's human-hating exterior. She understands us, and cares about us, probably more than anyone in this universe has ever bothered to. When I thought Sunny died, she was the only thing that kept me from completely losing myself..." He trailed off as he looked at me. Both of the twins' eerie blue gaze were in me, and it was even more enhanced by the moonlight, "We can't live without her Jenna, we love her."

I nodding, taking in his words, "So, when are you going to tell her?"

Sideswipe frowned at that, and Sunstreaker stared at the ground.

I raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Uh, you guys are planning on telling her all of this, aren't you?"

Sideswipe sighed, "It's complicated."

"Complicated how?" I asked.

"We both love her."

I was still confused, "Um, okay? Where's the complication?"

"Well, it's different here on Earth. Aren't humans supposed to have one mate?" He asked.

Oh.

"That's the thing about us; we're split sparks and we do everything together. Including sharing the same mate." Sideswipe explained.

Oh.

"And we realize that it isn't a social norm on this planet to have more than one mate at the same time, at least, not like this. It was like that on Cybertron too, most bots couldn't understand our dynamics because well, they weren't us. We share the same spark, and our spark is attracted to her."

I nodded slowly, understanding them now, "So you think Charlie wouldn't want to be with you guys because it be too weird to be with both of you?"

Sideswipe visibly winced, "Well...yeah."

"She'll chose." Sunstreaker simply said, speaking up for the first time.

I blinked, "Pardon?"

"She'll chose which one she'll be with," He explained, "Whoever she loves more."

"And how is that fair to you guys?" I shook my head, "You both should know Charlie well enough to know that she would never chose one of you over the other. She cares about you too, especially the bond you guys have together, and she wouldn't do anything to get in the way of that."

The silver twin let out a humorless chuckle, "She's right. I guess this means it's a lost cause then, right?"

"No!" I said, "Ugh, are you guys idiots or what? All you have to do is explain the situation to her. Tell her how you feel." I sighed, running my hands through my hair, "Look, life is short, and very unpredictable, especially for people like us. Are you guys gonna wait for her to have another near-death experience before you tell her how you really feel?"

Sideswipe grimaced, glancing at his twin. "She has a point, Sunny."

"We'll tell her." Sunstreaker said, a minute later, his words bringing a sigh of relief to me.

"Good." I agreed, smiling softly.

"But until we do," The golden twin continued, "You don't say anything, got it?"

I shot him an annoyed look, "Sure."

"Please Jenna," Sideswipe said softly.

I nodded, "Don't worry, my lips are sealed. It's not my place to tell her anyway."

"Thank you." Sideswipe said gratefully, and I nodded as we got into his silver alte mode and left the hospital.


Thank you, as always for reading, and make sure to leave a review. It didn't take long for Jenna to figured it out, and talked some sense into those twins. Good for her. Now, for Charlie's reaction...

How do you think she will react? What do you think is causing this itching sensation? Will Colton and Jenna be a thing? So many questions lol. Please excuse any of my spelling/grammar mistakes I didn't catch. Until next time, my dudes :)