Disclaimer: Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Michael Bay. Evelyne is still mine to keep.

Rated T: For coarse language (English and Cybertonian), mild violence and some sexually suggestive scenes. If I feel the need to increase the rating, I will give plenty of warning.

Chapter 3: Awaken

When Evelyne woke for the second time, she was disorientated but found her mind in a calmer state. For a brief blissful moment, she thought that everything up to this moment had been a very bad nightmare. That she hadn't been attacked and left for dead and somehow ended up in a hospital. Unfortunately that little fantasy was not meant to last as she stared up at the grid-line ceilings and white washed walls of the hospital room. The light in the room were dimmed and she had no idea what time or even what day it was.

Even though she had just woken, Evelyne still felt tired and could barely summon the strength to move her arm. She cringed at the sight of the IV site that was inserted into her arm. The dressing holding the IV in place looked fresh, indicating that it must have been placed there not too long ago.

'I must have pulled out the first one during my little crazy panic attack' her mind had supplied and she shuddered at the memory of how she had acted. It was terrifying in how she had just lost control like that. The image of the people surrounding her, holding her down while she fought like some wild animal as if her life depended on it. She could still feel the phantom hands grabbing and pulling her and she bit herself hard to stop a small whimper from emerging past her lips. God, she hated hospitals!

So absorbed in her thoughts that she was startled by the sound of light snoring and realized that she was not as alone in the hospital room as she had initially thought.

A man, Evelyne quickly recognized as her uncle Will, was asleep in a chair by her bedside. His arms crossed across his chest with his chin tucked in and legs outstretched. His posture was terrible and the chair seemed to be too small for his large frame. Evelyne let out a breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding when it did not seemed that he was going to wake.

'What is he doing here?' she was having trouble grasping at the sight of him being there. Her memory was a bit distorted and she recalled bits and pieces of him in it, but thought that it was some sort of illusion conjured by her confused mind.

Despite the dimness of the room, Evelyne could see the tiredness in her uncle's demeanor. He seemed to have aged vastly through the five years since she had last seen him. A complexity of emotions of confusion, embarrassment, guilt, and sorrow threatened to overwhelm her as she watched him sleep there by her bedside unassumingly, as if he had all the right in the world. As if he cared.

She could not understand how he could still care for her after all these years. Not after how she had treated and disappointed him. How he had disappointed her as well.

She had made the decision to cut the only family she had left from her life when she had said goodbye five years ago. She'd wanted to cut all ties from her past and start a new life. And for the past three years, she'd accomplished that feat somewhat but something had pulled her back this rural place. She'd only meant to be passing by, to complete some unfinished business before moving on.

She never would have guessed that she would cross path with them again.

She knew that they never took too kindly to deserters, but even Evelyne was blindsided by the violence they committed against her. They left her for dead and by some miraculous reason, she survived. She was not going to repeat the same mistake again. If they were still looking for her even after five years, then it only showed that they hadn't forgotten about her as she'd naively hoped.

A slight groan alerted Evelyne that her uncle was starting to wake. Unprepared to face her uncle, Evelyne closed her eyes and turned her faced away from him slightly, feigning sleep. She listened carefully as she heard her uncle yawned and stretched. A few bones cracked followed by a groan of relief as her uncle shook himself out of his fatigue.

There was a moment of silence and Evelyne had the feeling that he was looking at her. "Evie?" he inquired softly as if to check if she was awake.

She didn't respond and kept her eyes closed.

Another sigh.

It became quiet again and Evelyne wondered if her uncle was going to continue to stay by her or if he will eventually give up and leave.

A set of heavy footsteps approached and she tensed at the sound of another person entering her room before stopping by her bedside. She could barely resist the urge to open her eyes to see who it was, but reasoned that if this new person meant her harm, her only advantage was the element of surprise. 'Just what do you think you can do? Hit them with a pillow? You're completely weak right now!' her mind sneered at her idea. She mentally told her self-doubt to go to hell.

"How is she doing? Had she woken yet?" a gruff voice asked. It was a deep rumbling voice and it completely aliened to her.

Her uncle didn't sound alarmed by newcomer and addressed him as if he were a friend. "Still out of it. The doc said that given how long they had put her under, it might take her longer to wake from her induced coma," he replied.

There was a pause before the deep voice spoke again. "It's late. You should head home, Will. You have been in and out of here by her side for 5 days now."

Evelyne's mind blanched. 'Five days?!' She had been placed in a coma for 5 days?!

"I shouldn't leave her side." Her uncle protested but Evelyne heard the stress in his voice and remembered how truly tired he looked sleeping in that uncomfortable chair. The guilt gnawed at her stomach.

A frustrated grunt followed. "You look like you have gone three rounds with the 'Cons and lost. You are no good to her at the state that you are. You need recharge."

"What if she wakes and I'm not here?" Will argued. Evelyne wondered if her uncle was worried that she would wake up in a panic again and he wasn't present. 'Just go home!' she silently told her uncle.

As if hearing her mental urging, the gruff voice spoke for her. "Sarah and Annabelle will be worried. Let me take you back home to them and you can come back here in the morning."

It seemed like the right words to say and her uncle was quiet again. Evelyne suspected it was largely related to these people named Sarah and Annabelle. Who were these two people in his life that would make her stubborn uncle hesitate? Girlfriend? Wife?

"If you are still wary of leaving her alone. Prowl can stay to watch her and have him inform us if she wakes."

"Prowl? I thought he was busy right now." The hesitation in her uncle's voice instantly caused Evelyne to become wary of this "Prowl" individual.

His uncle' friend chuckled. It was a sound that seemed like it was rarely used. "Prowl may have a stick up his aft but he won't mind keeping watch on your niece for the night. He just returned from investigating some leads so it's not like he's going to be recharging anytime soon."

She felt her uncle contemplated before finally relenting to his friend's advice. "Ok, you win, Ironhide. Just let me speak to one of the nurses to inform them of Prowl staying and we can go."

She heard her uncle getting up and the sound of the chair scraping back. It was quiet and she wondered why they weren't moving. Then she felt something brushed her hand. It was a soft touch and it nearly startled her into revealing herself, but managed to remain still when she realized it was just her uncle holding her hand. He squeezed her hand comfortingly.

"I will see you later, Evie," He whispered and left the room followed by the heavy footsteps of his friend.

She waited a few minutes, not daring to reveal herself in case they decided to come back. When she determined that they weren't returning, she opened her eyes to observe the now empty hospital room.

A plethora of feelings consumed her and she had to fight the irrational urge of to jump out of her hospital bed and flee. While she didn't want her uncle sitting by her side throughout the night, she liked the idea of a stranger named Prowl watching over her even less. Just what kind of name was Prowl anyway? Was it a nickname? The name made her think of a stalker. She may not have had the best relationship with her uncle but he wouldn't leave her at the hands of a stalker, would he?

A little more awake and given that she wasn't going to be anywhere else, she took stock of her condition starting with the most obvious.

Left arm in a cast. Broken.

Feeling troubled, her right hand reached up and felt the bandage on her forehead, feeling the tenderness. Head injury.

There was a distinct pain on her torso but it wasn't overwhelming and she suspected that it had something to do with the pain meds they were pumping into her veins at regular intervals. She wasn't sure the extent of her injuries in that area.

With some concentration and a small sense of relief, she felt her legs, feet and toes moved at her command. It gave her a small sense of comfort that she had some control over her body despite how little it was. She wasn't sure how well she would be able to weight-bear on her feet, but hopefully if the situation called for it, she would be able to stand and run or at least, walk away.

Movement was heard outside her doorway and she instantly feigned sleep again, hoping it was just a passerby and not another unwanted visitor. She tensed when she heard footsteps entered her room. The approaching footsteps were different doctor or a nurse coming in to check on her.

The idea was quickly eradicated when the footsteps stopped by her bedside, but remained there quietly unlike a nurse who would have checked her vitals and fussed with the multiple equipment in her room. Nor did it seemed like the stranger was a doctor who would check her charts and scribble down a few things before leaving her in peace for the rest of the night. Her visitor didn't do anything as he or she stood there and assessed her silently making her increasingly nervous as the seconds ticked by.

It took all of her self-control to stay silent and to keep her breathing even as she continued with her guise. She hoped that her patience would eventually cause the person to lose interest and leave her alone. Then a thought crept through her mind and fear seeped into her veins. What if the person was from them? With the hatred that they had shown towards her, would it be so far-fetched that they realized she was still alive and now came to finish the job?

Then something unpredictable happened.

"You can stop pretending. I can tell that you are awake." A deep male voice spoke to her.

She didn't dare to move even though she felt her heart leapt to her throat. 'How?'

"Your heart rate monitor had spiked 25% the minute I entered the room. I know you are aware that I am standing here." The voice continued calmly as if reading her thoughts.

Dismayed and wary of having her deception so easily thwarted, she slowly opened her eyes to face the owner of that deep voice.

She wasn't sure who she was expecting but she failed to recognize the man standing there. From the deep voice, she had thought that the man would to be older but he seemed no older than in his early thirties at most. He had a strong squared jaw, short cropped dark brown hair and impossible blue eyes that seemed to glow in the dim lighting that even Evelyne was hard-pressed to admit that he was handsome. But her wariness only grew as she noted his lips pressed together in a frown and she hated the feeling of vulnerability that came over her when his tall figure loomed over her prone form.

He didn't say anything as they stared at one another and Evelyne realized he was waiting for her reaction and analyzing. His dark eyebrows sloped down in a serious expression and she wondered if he was expecting her to scream or cry in alarm. Not willing to give him any further advantage over her, she kept her expression neutral but mentally weighed her options. How fast would any medical staff get here if she were to press that call bell just located inches away from her hand? If she were to risk the climb out of her bed, how far would she be able to get away or would she just end up injuring herself further?

Hating how limited her options were, she opened her mouth to finally speak. 'Who the hell are you?' would have been the first thing she demanded from this man or even a sharp retort like 'You know it's creepy to watch people when they try to sleep.' Unfortunately that was not meant to be. The only words that came from her dry mouth was a "W..Who…" before her voice croaked pathetically.

To the man's credit, there was no amusement in his expression over her sad attempt to answer. In fact, her one word seemed enough to evoke him out of his silence. "You were seriously injured and were brought here to this medical facility to be treated. Your next of kin, Major William Lennox was contacted and has been staying by your side for the last 5 days. I was informed there was a chance that you would wake within the next few hours. And your uncle requested that I stay here to monitor your condition while he goes home to recharge."

Evelyne frowned at the odd method in how he spoke to her. He delivered the words as if he was delivering a report. Shrugging off the quirky behavior for now, she decided there were more pressing questions. "Pr… Prowl?" Evelyne inquired quietly, wondering if the one word would be enough to convey her unspoken question.

The man's bright blue eyes seemed to widen slightly in surprise as if being caught off guard before he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "I take it that since you know my name, then it is sufficed to say that you were already awake when Major Lennox was still here."

Being caught, Evelyne did not like the almost accusatory words that were coming out of this guy's mouth. He spoke to her for less than 10 minutes and he was already getting on her nerves. If only looks could kill…

"Now your heart rate has spiked up to 27%," Prowl pointed out matter-of-factly. "I would suggest that you try to calm down, Ms. Lennox. Why you chose to deceive the Major is not my main concern but I am not here to harm you. I am here tonight strictly to monitor. When you are in better health, then we will talk."

Evelyne felt warning bells sounding off in her head. 'Did he think that was supposed to make me feel better?' While the fact that he was not here to kill her made her feel slightly calmer. The idea of him wanting to ask more questions later placed her on edge.

She turned her head away as a sign that she was done talking to him even though she wasn't able to say much at all. Her throat was starting to hurt already. Prowl or whatever his real name was, received her silent dismissal and finally gave indication of leaving.

"I will inform the nurses that you are awake." She heard his footsteps starting to leave before pausing again. "I will remain close by and will update your uncle in the morning when he returns." Then he was gone.

Evelyne turned and stared at the empty doorway. When she was certain the strange man was not going to return anytime soon, she let out a steady breath to relieve some of the stress. It did not work very well.

After a few more deep breaths and Evelyne felt more in control, she went through her options again. However, no matter how she looked at her situation, it would seem a confrontation with her uncle was unavoidable. Not in her current condition where it would be lucky if she could walk. Then there were those people who wanted her dead. How long before she ran into them again? Then there was Prowl, her assigned babysitter. Just what was his deal?

'We will talk' his words echoed in her head and she remembered how intense his blue eyes were when he looked at her. They were utterly focused, analyzing her every move as if it would give him the answers when she refused to speak. A slight chill went through her. She was going to have to be careful with that guy.

Her uncle may trust him, but that didn't mean she would.

'Do you think you can just leave?' a sadistic voice hissed before Evelyne felt a kick into her stomach. She flinched and tried to avoid another kick. She heard a cry and realized it was her own.

Evelyne woke once again without even realizing that she had fallen asleep in the first place. After the nurse and on-call doctor had checked on her and left her alone, she'd spent a majority of the night worrying about what her next step was going to be. She was too thankful that Prowl didn't make a second visit.

The brightness in the room and the busy hassle coming outside of the hallway indicated that it was day time but with no clock in the room, it was hard to judge what time of the day it was.

"Hey, you're awake." It was softly spoken and Evelyne stilled when she recognized that voice and turned slowly to face the owner.

Her uncle sat by her bedside much like the previous night, except this time much more awake and was looking at her with a relieved expression and small smile.

When she didn't answer immediately and just continued to look at him, her uncle's smile faded and his hand rubbed the back of his neck in awkwardness. "I umm… I was informed by the nurse that you woke up some time last night. I'm sorry that I wasn't here then." He said when he realized she wasn't going to respond.

Evelyne continued to say nothing. The same mixed feelings overran her tired body like last night. She was able to avoid speaking to him before but it seemed inevitable now.

"Feel free to talk anytime or else I might just keep going until you do say something," Will spoke in a weak attempt of a joke.

"Why?" Evelyne finally blurted out in a whisper.

She watched as her uncle's brows furrowed in confusion. "Why what?"

"Why are you here?" She spoke louder, secretly relieved that her voice did not tremble.

Her uncle blinked before a hurt expression overcame him. "Just what kind of question is that?!"

"I thought it was a very clear question."

Will took a deep calming breath. "You were badly hurt. Hospital called me and I came as soon as I knew," he explained slowly as if emphasizing each point.

"Why did they call you?"

"Who else would they have called? Your mother?"

Evelyne eyes narrowed. "I don't want to talk about her."

"You've just proven my point."

"In case it has escaped your notice, I'm not some stupid teen anymore. There was no need for you to come, I was fine."

"Fine? Fine?" Will could only sputtered disbelievingly at the face of her stubbornness. "You called this?" He gestured to her prone form on the hospital bed. "Fine?!"

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" she refused to meet his eyes when she said this. When her uncle didn't retort as she expected, she looked at him and was ready to deliver another comeback only for the words to die on her lips at the sight of his face.

Her uncle looked at her with such a tired expression, which reminded her of the fact that he'd been by her side almost relentlessly for the past few days. When he opened his mouth to speak again, no words came out. Evelyne knew he wanted to tell her something before changing his mind.

"What?" She pressed, wanting to know what her uncle was holding back. If he was hiding something important related to her then she had the right to know.

"It's nothing," his abrupt reply only made her more suspicious and she couldn't help but called his bluff.

"That's bullshit."

"Watch your language," Will rebuked, his tone warning.

Evelyne looked at him disbelievingly. "Are you kidding me?" she scoffed. "Don't you work in the army? You probably heard worse than what you will get out of me."

Her uncle gave her a funny look before it cleared and Evelyne wasn't sure what to make of it. "That may be true, but I am still your uncle. Besides, I don't think Sarah will appreciate you using that language around Anabelle so much while you are living with us so_"

"What?" Evelyne interrupted sharply. Her eyes narrowed at the man sitting by her.

"Oh that's right." Will said with a smile, misinterpreting her expression for confusion. "I'm married now. Sarah is my wife and Annabelle is our daughter, she is 3 year old now and absolutely perf_"

"Not that!" She growled in frustration despite the strain in her voice. "What the hell do you mean 'living with you'?"

"I thought that would be obvious."

"It's not."

"Well as you will need a place to stay where you can have time to recover, what better place than at the farm with me and my family?"

"No."

"No?" Will blinked at her short and abrupt refusal, smile gone from his face.

"No!" she repeated angrily. "What even gives you the right to make that decision for me?"

"We are family, I only want to help you."

"I don't need your help!"

"Yes, you do." Will disagreed, his tone firm. The man was clearly trying to suppress his agitation at the face of his stubborn niece.

When he got his emotions more under control, he spoke in a calmer tone. "Be reasonable, Evelyne. Even when you are discharged from here, you will need time to heal. There is no place safer than home."

Evelyne glared at him. "That is not my home." 'It hasn't been since she took me away from there,' she thought sourly.

"Just because you say that it doesn't stop it from being so."

"Just what the hell do you want from me?" Evelyne demanded.

"I want you to stop being so bullheaded and stubborn!" Will snapped, his tentative hold of calm broke as fatigue, worry and stress over the past week finally caught up to him. "For once in your life, just let your family help you. All I am offering you is a safe place to stay while you heal."

Evelyne remained quiet at her uncle's outburst. She studied him as she tried to find any fault in his reasoning or if there were any hidden agenda.

Like a balloon deflating, Will's agitation faded as sadness took over. It was his worse fear that their relationship was so damaged to the point that his niece would become suspicious of his motive when all he wanted to do was to protect her.

"Look," Will tried again. "At least think about it. Once you are better than you can do whatever the hell you want."

"Is that a promise?" she finally asked.

"Is what a promise?"

"That you won't try to stop me when I want to leave after I am better," she clarified.

"You make it sound like I'm offering you a prison-sentence," he muttered. Evelyne said nothing and just looked at him expectantly.

"Yes, if you are well and truly recovered and want to leave, I won't complain," Will relented. "It's not like I could ever stop you before," he added grumpily.

Evelyne bit her lip in contemplation. Her uncle offered her a chance to decide, but really what choice did she really have? Based on what the doctor had told her briefly last night, her injuries were extensive. As suspected, she'd sustained a dislocated left shoulder, with a broken left humerus. Her worst fear was confirmed when she was told that she had four broken ribs, a concussion and internal bleeding that had required surgery to mend. And while the doctor attempted to be positive and insisted that she would make a full recovery in time, the message was clear. She was in no condition to go off on her own after she left the hospital. She had no place to go other than the dingy motel that she'd been staying in.

She didn't have much money to begin with either and what she did have was probably lost now. Losing the money was a small thing, but she did have a few precious belongings that were irreplaceable. The thought of losing them was enough to make her heart clench.

Actually this whole situation was enough to make her want to scream in helpless frustration, and she had to clench her jaw to stem the urge from doing that. Instead, she bit out a short "I'm tired now."

She could see that he wanted to argue again, but luckily decided to let her have her peace for now. "I will come back later then."

Evelyne said nothing as he sighed before he got up. The chair, he was sitting on, scraped loudly against the floor. But as she watched her dejected uncle turned his back on her to leave the room, she wasn't sure why she said what she said afterward.

"I will think about it," she regretted the words the moment they left her mouth and she refused to look up to see how he would respond.

When he didn't answered her at first, she'd hoped that maybe her uncle had not heard her quiet admission.

"Ok." His response was quick and softly spoken as if not quite believing she was really willing to consider his offer. And although she continued to stare adamantly at the ugly green blanket covering her form, she could still imagine the soft smile appearing on his weary face.

Then she was alone.

Two minutes and twenty seven seconds

That was how long the doctor said his niece's heart had stopped.

Two damn minutes and twenty seven agonizing seconds before they were able to resuscitate her and Will couldn't keep the facts from haunting him even as he walked out of her hospital room.

He was having trouble reconciling with the fact that he'd been so close to losing her before even given the chance to amend things between them.

When Evelyne had so brazenly stated that at least she was still alive, he'd come close to blurting out that she did, in all matter and fact, died for all of two minutes and twenty seven seconds before being revived. He wanted her to see what he saw; that she wasn't immune to death as she seemed to think. She really needed to take her situation more seriously. It was only by his need to protect her fragile mentality that he swallowed the words before they spilled from his lips.

With his thoughts occupied, he entered the visitor's waiting room where he knew Ironhide would be waiting. As expected, he found his guardian doing just that. His holoform was sitting in one of the soft couches that occupied the area. His large form almost taking up the whole couch meant for two. A magazine was thrown aside haphazardly on the table with a pile with other discarded reading materials that the Autobot had been flipping through out of sheer boredom.

Out of curiosity, Will couldn't help but peeked at what his guardian was reading and had to hold back a chuckle. It looked suspiciously like one of those home décor magazine that Sarah often liked to browse through. That was the last thing he expected the weapon specialist to be looking at.

To his surprise, Prowl was also there waiting with his comrade although the SIC did not acknowledge his presence. Oddly enough, the SIC's attention seemed to be diverted to a man, standing in the corner of the room before a large vending machine. The visitor paid them no attention and seemed be very agitated and venting his frustration on the unassuming food dispenser. He banged on the glass loudly a few times while muttering 'stupid machine ate my money!' After deciding his aggression was going nowhere, he sighed dejectedly before leaving the room, most likely to complain to management about the faulty machinery.

"I had some doubts before, but that femme is definitely part of the same unit as you. That same stubborn streak."

Will scowled as he turned his attention back at Ironhide. "What did I say about listening in on conversations without express permission?" he said sternly, his arm crossed in annoyance.

It was by accident about a year ago when he discovered that while Cybertronian's senses were not quite as heightened as they were in their real form, they were still quite enhanced in holoform compared to humans along with their strength, endurance and agility. It had been really embarrassing trying to explain to his guardian why Sarah was not in immediate risk of dying when he had overheard her complaints about cramps and bleeding. She was in their bedroom talking to Will at the time while Ironhide had been downstairs with Annabelle in the kitchen. Sarah found the situation funny when Will complained to her about it afterwards, but later she did warn Ironhide quite sternly against listening in on other people's conversation. Will could still picture the amusing scene of his five foot seven inches wife standing up to the tall Autobot and lecturing him on social etiquette.

"That they are private?" Ironhide asked, managing to feign a look of innocence.

"Exactly!" Will exclaimed, throwing both hands up in exasperation.

The weapon specialist looked indignant. "Hey, I was not the one listening in on your argument." He tilted his head towards the other Autobot, who finally turned his attention to Will. "He did and then he informed me about it."

Will turned his attention accusingly at Prowl, who returned his look with a neutral expression. From what he could see, the Autobot Commander did not look the least bit ashamed or annoyed at having been ratted out by his comrade.

This only served to make Will more annoyed. While he could somewhat forgive the situation if it had been Ironhide eavesdropping, the fact that it had been Prowl listening only made him more wary. While Ironhide would never do anything to jeopardize the lives of his family, he wasn't sure on the other Autobot's objective. It was true that they were all fighting the on same side and Ironhide would never have allowed Prowl to join them if there was no trust between them. Nevertheless, Will would feel better knowing where he and his family stood in the eyes of the calculating strategist.

"Do I even need to ask why you were eavesdropping on us?" Will watched the bot's facial expression carefully for clues to hint as to what was going on in that processor of his.

"It was simply to monitor if Ms. Lennox would be more cooperative in bringing more clarity to her situation when she was talking to you. It is unfortunate that she seemed only more reclusive when speaking with her only kin."

Will ignored the jab to his poor relationship with his niece. "I could have told you that," he pointed out. "There was no need to listen in. You might not know this yet but humans don't like their private conversations being listened to by a third party without consent."

"It was not my intention to offend and I will take that in future consideration." Prowl dipped his head slightly as his way of apology before he started to walk away. "I will go speak with her directly then."

"What? No!" Will stepped in front of the Autobot Commander, effectively blocking his way.

Prowl looked at him with a mild sign of impatience marring his otherwise expressionless face. "I do not understand. It will be only logical to seek answers from the source of this incident now that she is awake and coherent."

"No!" Will repeated firmly. "She just woke up and you want to go in there and interrogate her like some sort of felon? She did nothing wrong!"

"We do not have sufficient information to draw that conclusion."

"She was the one that got hurt!"

"You are letting your emotional attachment to her cloud your judgement."

"I'm thinking like any man who would do anything to protect his family." Will gritted his teeth to keep his temper in check. He had never felt the urge to punch a Cybertronian in their holoform face before. They never gave him a reason to and he refused to be the first to let the emphatically-lacking Commander break his good relationship with their allies. Not to mention it would probably hurt his hand like a bitch.

It seemed like everyone was trying to test his patience today one way or another.

Will took a deep breath and tried another tactic. "Look, I want to know the truth to what happened to my niece more than anyone. I want to know who those bastards were that put her in that hospital bed so that I can return the favor." Will spoke honestly, never looking away from the Autobot standing before him.

"But right now, my niece's health is more important to me than my need for revenge. She may act stubborn and tough but what has happened to her affected her more deeply than she is willing to admit."

Prowl considered his words "Explain."

"I don't know if Cybertronians have anything similar but I've seen soldiers suffered from it after a particularly hard battle. Their physical wounds may have healed over time but it was the mental ones that lingered and are the ones that are difficult to treat."

"You are talking about post-traumatic syndrome," Surprised, Will looked at Ironhide, who made the conclusion.

"What?" Ironhide shot back defensively. "I have seen my fair share of it in my lifetime to know what you are referring to. You believe the femme suffers from it?"

Will thought back to Evelyne and the look of terror on her face when the medical staff had tried to subdue her. The restless sleep she had while he watched helplessly over her by her bedside. The puzzles fitted. He'd learnt long ago to recognize the early signs of mental trauma.

"I know she does to a certain degree," Will said firmly. "And if you push her too much and too soon, there is no telling what she may do. She might withdraw even further into herself and I will be damned if I let that happen."

The man stood to tall, giving no indication of backing down from the two Cybertronians. "You want information then we do it my way and that is giving her some space and time to heal first. Give her time to trust you first."

"You are assuming that Ms. Lennox will be cooperative in time and will not attempt to run at the first available opportunity." Prowl stated, his azure gaze challenging.

"I have faith in Evelyne," was his simple and honest reply.

"Indeed," Prowl was reserved. He turned to Ironhide. "What are your assessments of Ms. Lennox?"

"I think the whole thing is suspicious," Ironhide grumbled. He paused before he crossed in arms as if coming to a decision. "But I also trust in the Major's instinct so I am willing to give it more time before passing judgement on this femme."

Will flashed him a grateful smile.

Prowl was silent for a moment as he considered their options before finally nodding slowly. "I still maintain my reservations, but I do see your logic and will respect your restrictions. We will strictly monitor Ms. Lennox for now."

Good." Will said in relief before flashing the Autobot Commander a smirk. "Cause I really don't want to resort to kicking your aft," he added half-seriously.

Whether Prowl understood his attempt at a joke or not was unclear as he blinked. "Duly noted, Major."

*~To Be Continued~*

Author's Note:

Dear readers,

I would like to start out by giving a very heartfelt apology in taking so long to update. I guess part of the reason was that I had to rewrite chapter 3 when I didn't like the direction it was going and had to change it. But overall, it was still not an excuse. I will try my very best to update again soon and thank you for coming back and not giving up on this story.

On another note, I know it seemed like Evelyne is being really stubborn and borderline cruel to her poor uncle. I think from her perspective, it really isn't easy to get back in touch with a relative whom she have lost touch with for 5 years and before that, was almost a stranger during her teen years. However no worries, Will can be just as stubborn as Evie and she will crack soon enough.

So what do you guys think of the meeting between Prowl and Evelyne? There will definitely be more interaction between the two in the next chapter. Please review and let me know! And thank you for those who had reviewed chapter 3, your support give me life!

A special thank you goes to sweet Swanna who gives me everlasting support! She is also a fellow writer who specializes in writing these incredible paranormal romances. Go check out her stories when you have the chance!