Fun fact: Castle of Shards was originally a story I created inspired by Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. The name was recycled and used for this

Word count: 3,071

Chapter 14

"Don't Stay"

The little laps of water licking the shore soon calmed. The sun was going down, birds receded to their nests and crickets took their place.

Jazz and Prowl sat on either side of her, left and right respectively. They were both quiet, enjoying watching the water as she was wondering about the two men on either side of her.

The spirit had some connection to Prowl. She didn't know if it was because they've met before, or if Jazz just remembers him from being with her. The spirit looked like he so desperately wanted to speak to Prowl, that he wanted to touch him. The yearning in his blue eyes was painfully obvious.

Know him? Ree eyed him, he was currently staring at the water, but not seeing. He'd glance at Prowl occasionally.

"We go way back," he muttered distractedly, the lake invisible to his eyes. He spoke no more than that sentence.

Ree didn't want to poke into his business any more than she already has. But the curiosity remained. She hoped it didn't bother him, since he could hear what she was currently thinking.

As odd as it was, the girl found herself trusting Jazz. It felt like she's known him since forever, even more than her family. No matter her memory, he was always familiar. Not only was he in her head all the time, but she knew from her audio and written recordings that he's been around since the attack in Mission City that caused her amnesia and other memory loss.

She was tempted to ask Prowl about Jazz, but there would be no reason to.

If Jazz was important to Prowl and vice versa, they would share. But it's otherwise irrelevant. Ree wouldn't pry.

Glancing at Jazz, she saw the look of gratitude at her thoughts in his eyes. But he also appeared to be holding his tongue. He wanted to tell her something. Ree told herself to be patient, he'll tell her when he's ready.

His shoulders seem to relax at that, and Ree turned her attention back to the water. The waves have since calmed, and the sky was darkening to a blue from the set sun, turning everything blue from it as well.

They had to have been sitting there for at least an hour before she realized it was becoming very dark. What time is it?

"Shouldn't I be home now?" the girl asked with a tentative small voice, seeing Prowl glance at her from her peripheral vision.

He sighed, "Yes, but your family knows I'm watching over you," shifting a bit on the grass, he continued, "I thought you might appreciate the fresh air and walk."

"I do," she nodded, "It was very nice."

"That's good," a hint of a smile came up on his face, "I enjoyed it too."

They fell into a comfortable silence, Ree occasionally smiling to herself thinking over her day. It went from absolute shit to very enjoyable. She could see the accomplishment in Prowl's expression.

"Do you want to start heading back now?" He asked.

Ree observed the dark setting, then turned to look at the officer, "Sure."

He stood from the ground with ease - and if she was mistaken, she'd say with grace no male can achieve - and held out his hand for her to take, which she did gratefully. She was pulled up onto her feet.

Prowl didn't stand much taller than her. He's roughly a few inches taller, but quite short compared to most men. He had a lithe build; he was male but had a sort of feminine look to him. It didn't make him any less masculine, just more... graceful.

His body was that of a male, but he had a broader, more protruding chest. His waist was smaller and his hips wider. Being off duty, he was wearing casual clothing that included a tight fitting shirt that complimented his shape.

His face was clean of any facial hair, not one was seen. He had rich blue eyes, looking almost like contacts with the saturation of them. He had a delicate jaw - another possibly feminine quality - and high cheekbones.

They were very subtle differences that made a larger difference. It wasn't something noticeable unless one looked hard enough, but it was definitely there. He was probably one of the most attractive men she's seen.

Blushing, she took a step back from him and let go of his hand.

By the look in his face, he was studying her too. What did he see?

"Somethin' equ'lly beautiful," Jazz stated from behind her. She turned to see him, he was still lounging on the grass. He shifted to a more casual position; one of his legs was stretched out and the other had the knee pulled up. His arms were behind him, propping him up.

He was a lot like Prowl considering his body, though he was bigger around his limbs. They both looked equally fit, just Jazz was a little bulkier.

He too had blue eyes, they were a stark contrast to his dark skin and hair, very unusual for his color. He was of an incredibly dark brown, his dreads almost darker. They were long, just below his shoulder blades, and weren't in the large hairtie around his wrist.

He had a bit of hair on his jawline, not exactly stubble, but not a full on beard. It was very stylized facial hair. Barely any hair was seen above his full lips.

Though having similar cheekbones to Prowl, his jaw was strong and the facial hair complimented it.

They both were highly attractive men, and Ree couldn't help but admire that.

Jazz watched her with content expression, amused by her observations. And maybe she was feeding his ego.

Prowl waited patiently for her to start walking. He stood watching her and the spot she was staring at.

Ree frowned, Jazz was making no move to stand. Was he not going? She repeated the question to him.

He gave her a sad smile, "Sorry, baby girl. I gotta stay here." Nodding to Prowl, he encouraged her forward, "Ya can find me anywhere ya find peace. I can't be 'round ya when ya not content."

Ree didn't like that. She wanted Jazz around, she liked him. He was nice.

"n' good lookin', I know," he sent a cheeky, if not charming, grin.

Playfully rolling her eyes, she turned away and began walking. Prowl walked with her, unjudging. The girl occasionally glanced behind her, sad that Jazz couldn't come with her.

His dark figure grew distant and still unmoving as they rounded the lake.

The officer placed his hand on her back, leading her up the embankment. They took their time down the road towards the town, the lights beautiful in the dark. It wasn't exactly like a city with golden lights, but it was still very pretty and similar, just less busy.

A gentle breeze brushed against her face and through her hair. It was empowering and inspiring.

"Were you talking to one of them back there?" Prowl questioned. It wasn't condescending, just curious. Ree mulled over her answer, watching the road pass under her feet before she looke back up at the slightly distant town.

"Yes," she stated, adding with a smaller voice, "He's the only good one."

"Out of how many?" He inquired.

Ree sighed, "Six."

Nodding, Prowl was silent for a minute, thinking of another question. He sucked in a breath, "What do the rest of them do?"

"Bad things."

It was left at that, not wanting to ruin their nice walk home. The blue sky was becoming closer to black and the town lights were brighter, not as contrasting as when everything was blue though.

Prowl stood close to her in a protective manner, and it definitely made her feel safe, and cared for.

There was a small flutter in her stomach.

Distracted, she leaned too far into her right foot when she took a step, brushing against Prowl's arm on accident. She fixed her balance and sent a sheepish smile up to him.

His mouth quirked up, and she quickly looked back down, blushing.

What was this feeling side of her? Why was she suddenly so shy and flustered? Has she felt this way before? Surely her past selves would tell her if she did.

If this was... If this was love... Ree didn't know what to do, her little internal conflict consuming her thoughts as she walked alongside the person of interest.

She was way too young for him. She was sixteen, he was in his possible mid to late twenties, if not more.

Did it matter if he was ten years older than her? What did the law state? Would it be statutory rape if they dated? Or if they had sexual intercourse. But wasn't she of the age of consent?

Being an officer, he'd surely follow the law. He just seemed like that kind of guy.

The girl let her shoulders slump, she had no chance with him. Besides, who would want to be in a relationship with someone who has memory loss? It was too much work.

Unless she was back on her memory medication, which helped tremendously.

Did he even have an interest in her, or was he just being a good friend?

"Something the matter?" He asked, noticing her slouch.

She shook her head, picking it up to look at the town again, "I just wish I could remember this day."

"Well," He brought out a pen and pad and began scribbling something on it, "Tell your future selves you can call me any time, and we can do this again. Whenever you need to clear your head."

He peeled the paper off the pad and handed it to her. She carefully took it and examined the ten digit number with hyphens splitting it up. Did he... Did he just give her his number?

His handwriting was so damn neat, and had a cursive feel to it. It was in blue pen, and was written very lightly. The paper wasn't even dented from it.

"Thank you," she muttered shyly, slipping the little paper in her pocket.

The crickets were chirping and some bugs flew around, a few moths were around the occasional streetlight. They were just entering the town.

Not many cars were out at this time, but they blew a nice wind onto the two as they walked down the street, heading back the way they came.

The street was dark, the bakeries, cafes, restaurants, flower shops, and the lot were mostly closed. Some were opened and casted a soft glow on the street, along with the streetlights and running cars.

"We should go there sometime," Ree murmured distractedly at an interesting restaurant. It wasn't too big, wasn't too small. The atmosphere was welcoming and the lighting wasn't too dark, the windows were above each booth and there was a patio with a few more tables.

It wasn't too busy of a restaurant, in the sense of a successful kind of mellow business. It wasn't overly crowded.

Ree breathed in the smell, getting a sense of nostalgia from the town.

They walked on the left side of the road, on the sidewalk. Prowl walked right next to the curb, putting her farther away from the road. It was a protective gesture.

If it was possible, it became even darker as time went on.

The two of them entered her neighborhood, most of the lights in the houses were off. It was late at night, the walk had to have taken at least an hour. She enjoyed it.

They approached her house, the ambulance had since left and the police cruiser remained, seeing as it was Prowl's vehicle. When they reached the driveway, they slowed their walk. This is the end of her day, but she wasn't ready to lose it.

No spirits were hanging around outside.

Prowl stopped at the doorway, opening it for Ree and allowing her to step in. Only, he didn't follow. He stood holding the door open but made no move to come inside.

She frowned and told herself he had to leave. The girl stayed in the doorway, turning around to look at the officer. His expression was curious, not knowing what she was doing or why she stopped.

Stepping down, she slowly went to wrap her arms around his waist. Her hands landed on his back, folding over each other and she pressed her cheek to his collar. Her head was just under his chin if she ducked enough. She inhaled, and then exhaled.

Using his shoulder to keep the outside door open, he hugged her back with the same speed she did. He set his chin on her head.

She felt him take a deep breath as she did.

"Thank you for today," she muttered into his shoulder, "I liked it."

"You're welcome. And I liked it too."

They stayed there for a few minutes, taking in each other's warmth and scent. Or maybe that was just her. She had to be feeling something with him. But the question is, did he reciprocate it?

It's his job to be nice, and he's a family friend. Maybe he's been with her for a long time, and they were close. Her journals never stated him before a certain point after school began though.

She couldn't possibly be with him though, the thought came and hit her like a truck. He couldn't be with her.

It didn't stop the butterflies in her stomach; the feeling of having a crush. Was it a gut feeling? Would she continue to experience? Either way, she liked him.

Reluctantly pulling back from him, she smiled, and turned to walk inside. "Good night."

"Night, Ree," he stepped back, but continued to hold the door open until she was inside. She held the front door open for a bit, not sure who should close theirs first. Prowl let go of the door, amused by her hesitance to close hers.

She watched him step away and towards his car, though made no rush to get to it. Sighing, the girl pushed the front door closed and locked it.

It was peacefully quiet, everyone was asleep, including Mojo. Not a single bark or the click of clawes on the hard wood floor.

Ree wasn't ready to go to sleep yet. She didn't want her day to end, even though it was already over.

Sighing, she lightly trudged up the stairs, careful not to make them creak or have her shoes make too much noise. Halfway up the steps, she slipped off her shoes and carried them by the heel in one hand. She padded up the stairs and to her room where she gently opened and closed the door.

It was no surprise that she found the Decepticons spirits loitering around the room. They didn't say anything to her or intruded her thoughts as she began to strip out of her clothes. She had worn multiple layers.

Not one spirit made a comment as she stood mostly bare of clothes. She didn't care, they didn't care.

They observed her though with blank stares or just simply ignored her.

That was fine by her as long as they didn't ruin her bad-turned-good day.

The girl prepared her recordings for tomorrow and settled into bed, lying on her back to stare at the ceilin and think. She didn't want to look at the spirits in her room. She'd probably be seeing them in her dreams anyway.

A sense of dread filled her when she was reminded of what Megatron had threatened should she speak of them. What was he going to do?

He didn't say anything to her since she left earlier in the day. He didn't follow. In fact, she forgot about him while she was having a good time. Her mind was elsewhere.

She hadn't considered the consequences he'd rule out on her, and she honestly didn't want to find out.

The girl frowned at the ceiling. Did she even want to sleep? Did she want to face the Decepticon leader in her dreams?

It was hard to grasp that they were giant robotic beings. Dead ones who were sentient and could disguise themselves as humans.

Ree paused.

Was Jazz one of them?

Her past selves never mentioned that, but did she write about the Decepticons either? She definitely remembers them but has forgotten about Jazz multiple times.

Was there something she's missing?

None of the spirits helped her - not that she was entirely expecting it - so she glanced over. Some offered their attention but nothing more.

Were they just waiting to get into her dreams? To torture her as she slept? Or were they seriously just silently watching her, no antagonizing. Just... observing.

It wasn't that unnerving, she was quite used to them. It was just the fact that they weren't doing anything.

What were they plotting? There's no way they'd just stand there and leave her be. They're up to something. They have to be.

Right? She glanced at each one of them again, Megatron was no longer looking at her as he was before. He didn't look to be in deep thought staring at the wall with his head turned away. It was more like he knew she was looking, and he pretended he didn't notice. Or just purposely ignored her.

Looking back up at the ceiling, she noticed all the little scuffs and scrapes, the bumps of paint. It was when she stared at it too long that it no longer looked like a simple white ceiling.

Ree rolled onto her left side, facing the wall and away from them. She felt herself relax and evened out her breathing.