TRANSFORMERS

Imperial Wings

A girl is given a second chance at life, in exchange for ending the war of Transformers. It's about as easy as it sounds. And, whilst sorting out her own life, she discovers two younglings without mothers, and the reason why their families fight.

CHAPTER FIVE

Decepticons Crash The Party – Summer Heats Up!

O~O~O~O~O

Carly was a pretty blonde-haired girl with bright green eyes and the most outgoing and friendly personality Emma had ever encountered. She seemed to sense that Emma didn't take to strangers very easily, and gently encouraged her to speak her mind. Emma thought they may become good friends.

On the day of the BBQ, Hound dropped Emma off at Carly's house. Bumblebee and Spike would pick both girls up from there. Hound was worried about leaving Emma's side for too long, but he had no other choice considering what had happened a few days ago…

O~O~O~O~O

Flashback To A Few Days Ago:

Emma, wearing a white tennis outfit supplied by Carly, made a dramatic leap at the light green ball, but missed, to her dismay.

Carly and Spike laughed, but not in a mean way, though Emma's faced still flamed red, as she gulped. How embarrassing!

"It's okay, Emma," Carly said cheerfully, as Hound (in his holoform, now also wearing tennis whites) retrieved the tennis ball. "Not everyone can hit the ball when I serve it…" She paused, and then shrugged. "In fact, no one can – I make up for Spike's chronic tennis-elbow!"

"Hey!" Spike protested, as Hound laughed and Emma, after a moment, allowed herself to smile. "Who was it that broke down on the highway and needed to call her boyfriend to help?"

Carly's hands flew to her hips, but she was smiling. "Oh, but let me remind you that it was that same boyfriend who said that ancient box-on-wheels would be okay until I got home. And was it? No."

Spike laughed, before kissing Carly, who kissed back.

Gulping at the sudden display of affection between a boyfriend and girlfriend, Emma turned away. "I'm gonna use the bathroom, I'll be back in a tick." She didn't look at Hound as she walked away, dropping her tennis racket as she did.

"Okay, hurry back." Hound advised her. He glanced up at the skies, but she didn't see. "Who knows what could be out there…"

"Mmm." She nodded, before increasing her pace. She didn't really need to use the bathroom, she just suddenly wanted a moment to herself. She just hoped she wouldn't get upset. Primus, why was she so emotional?

Platinum flew after her, and wrapped around her neck.

"Yeah, I know," Emma sighed, and stopped on the grass about halfway between the tennis courts and the bathroom. "I could actually use some male company, somehow…" She clenched her fists and then unclenched them. "Anyone…?"

The blue and white Seeker known as Thundercracker literally dropped out of the sky in front of her.

"Except you." Emma groaned, and then she realised what was happening. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she wanted to yell out for Hound, but couldn't, somehow. She was frozen in fear again, but, luckily, Hound seemed to have a sixth sense. In his robot mode he came barrelling towards them, crash-tackling Thundercracker away from his human.

Emma gasped, as Spike and Carly ran up to her, and together the three of them watched the Autobot and the Decepticon disappear from sight.

"Hound!" Emma whispered.

Carly and Spike nodded, and the three of them ran towards the direction the two robots had disappeared.

They were relieved to see Thundercracker fly away as they approached, and Hound coming towards them, looking slightly shaken but not injured.

"Are you alright?" Spike wanted to know.

Hound nodded, and then glanced down at Emma. Something thudded in his spark, as he said something he knew was going to hurt her: "Emma…I…don't think I can be your guardian anymore…"

As he'd predicted, the human's golden eyes widened, and her face paled. "W-what?" She stammered, looking desperately at Carly and Spike who seemed as shocked as she was. "B-but, why, Hound? You only just became my guardian…" She gulped, trying to keep the tears down. "S-so why? !"

Hound couldn't tell her but, later on, he told Optimus, who agreed with him. So, why did it hurt Hound so much?

End Of Flashback…

O~O~O~O~O

Emma got dressed at Carly's, feeling a little bit sad that Hound couldn't be her guardian anymore. Why had he said that? What had made him change his mind? They had been on the way to becoming good friends, and now…

"Emma, are you ready?" Carly came into the room, wearing a white top that tied at the front and blue three-quarter-length denim shorts, but stopped when she saw Emma. "Wow, that dress really suits you, Emma." She commented. "I chose well…"

"Uh…thanks…" Emma said awkwardly. "You look great, too…" She glanced down at her own ensemble. "Umm…I'm not too…plain? It seems like my other dress, somehow…"

"Emma, did you see the movie Dirty Dancing?" Carly wanted to know. "The one that's coming out next month in this world but apparently your world's already past that?" Carly and Spike naturally knew all about Emma's planet-hopping experience.

"Well yeah, who hasn't?" Emma shrugged. "It's like my Mum's favourite movie." She felt a bit awkward mentioning all this.

"Well," Carly stated confidently. "If you don't get called Baby by at least one guy tonight, then I will be very, very surprised."

"Oh no…" Emma muttered. She certainly didn't want to be called that! It was bad enough that Skywarp called her a cutie! "Do I really look like her?" She wailed.

"Stop worrying!" Carly scolded lightly, grabbing Emma's arm and marching with her out of the room. "You'll be with Spike and me, and the Autobots!"

"That's what I was afraid of…" Emma muttered. I'm not cut out for this, Primus… She thought.

Platinum hissed softly. She was looking forward to the party.

O~O~O~O~O

The Autobots who had decided to attend the BBQ in their holoforms were: Jazz (or course), Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Bumblebee and Hound. Aqua had wanted to come, but Optimus had said no, absolutely not. The others accepted this, though Emma thought Optimus was being a bit too protective. She didn't say this, of course.

Jazz was thrilled to be out socializing, of course. Sunstreaker hadn't wanted to come, but Sideswipe had forced him to go. Hound liked that the BBQ was outdoors by the beautiful lake.

Bumblebee, of course, had gotten the job of car-pooling the humans to the lake, something he was looking forward to since he liked their human friends.

Emma, he thought, looked really pretty, and her face turned red when he said this to her. He remembered that humans, especially femmes, could be shy, but he honestly thought that she looked beautiful. The dress really suited her. He also knew that she must be feeling a little sad about Hound not being her guardian anymore. Bumblebee didn't know the reason why Hound had quit – only Optimus did. A new guardian would probably be assigned but, for now, Bumblebee was responsible for her and the other humans.

Emma seemed to cheer up a bit when Bumblebee turned on the radio, and sat quietly in the front seat and listened to Spike and Carly singing (off-key) in the back-seat.

"Sing with us, Emma!" Carly urged her, as Livin' On A Prayer by Bonjovi came on. "I'll bet you have a really great voice, better than Spike's, anyway!"

"Hey!"

Emma just grimaced and shook her head quickly, wondering if she did have a good voice, but feeling way too shy to find out. Maybe later. For now, she was just content to sit back and let herself go partially deaf from her human friends' off-key singing. Even though Platinum was giving her a Look…

"Tell you what," Carly said suddenly. "If someone calls you baby tonight, then you have to sing, got it?"

Emma gaped. What was Carly doing, trying to destroy Emma's comfort zone forever? !

"In fact," Carly mused. "I believe I'll have you singing a Belinda Carlisle song…"

"Hey!" Emma protested. "Don't just decide things for yourself! Besides…" She said, softly now. "Who even thinks I look like her?"

"I do." Bumblebee piped up.

"Quiet, you." Emma said firmly. "And, now telling anyone to call me that, k? Or else I'll know!"

O~O~O~O~O

"What is it human-femmes and mechs as handsome as I am?" Sunstreaker wanted to know, smirking slightly as a group of girls about Emma's age gasped when they saw him, and began chattering excitedly.

"This coming from a mech who didn't even wanna make the scene…" Jazz mused, moving his head slightly in time to the music that was playing from the loud-speakers. Then, he noticed something. "Speakin' of makin' the scene…" He raised an eyebrow slightly, a small smile on his face. "That'd be them now."

Sunny and Sides turned, and saw four figures walking towards them. The twins' gazes somehow bypassed Carly, Bumblebee and Spike, and came to rest on Emma, who stopped walking when she saw the twins looking at her.

Carly turned, and smiled. "Emma's a little bit worried about her dress tonight, fellas."

Sideswipe bit back the remark he was dying to make, and instead said: "Emma, you look great! Hey, do you mind if I call you b-"

Emma's eyes widened and, in a second, she had run up to Sideswipe, and gotten behind him, clamping one hand firmly over his mouth.

Sunstreaker, Carly, Spike, Bumblebee and Jazz just stared at her.

Sideswipe looked completely shocked. He hadn't expected someone that small to move that fast and, yet, here she was, pressed up against him with one had pressed across his mouth, effectively shutting him up.

"Yes, Sideswipe," She hissed, at the same time Platinum did. "Tonight, I do mind if you call me that! Tonight, it's a four-letter word! Understood?"

He could only nod. Sunstreaker was smirking at him. Sideswipe really wished he wouldn't. He could also smell a faint scent of something like nutmeg on Emma. It was beautiful.

Emma sighed, and finally released Sideswipe. That was when she seemed to realise what she'd just done. "Yikes! Sorry, Sides! I got carried away a bit there!" She stepped back from him, her face scarlet.

Carly gave her a Look. "You just couldn't help yourself, could you?"

Emma sighed. "Impulse got the better of me."

Sideswipe grinned at her. "No problem –will you at least dance with me?" The song that was playing was a good one – everyone seemed to like it.

Emma looked startled, and then positively alarmed. "N-no!" She exclaimed. Sideswipe looked crestfallen. "I mean…I don't dance…" She explained hastily, not wanting to offend him. "I never could, never will…" Not after that one incident…she thought. She looked over at Jazz. "Where's Hound? Did he come?"

Jazz nodded, seeming slightly amused by the human's antics. She was an interesting character, to say the very least. The dark-skinned man pointed to the water's edge, where a dark-haired man stood staring out at the water.

"I think I'll go see him." Emma declared, casting an apologetic glance at Sideswipe before hurrying off towards the lake.

On the way, a few people looked at her, but none really seemed to pay her much attention, which suited her just fine. She thought they must be wondering about why there was a pink snake around her neck, certainly Platinum got a few more stares, but nobody really seemed bothered.

Probably because they were used to Autobots and Decepticons destroying half their cities, so why not a girl with a blue disc on her chest and a pink winged-snake around her neck? Must be just a weird fashion accessory…

Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Carly, Spike, Jazz and Bumblebee watched Emma go.

Sideswipe sighed. "Uh…guys…I don't think Emma likes me very much…"

Carly tried to smooth things over. "No, no, Sideswipe, it's not that at all. She's just shy." She explained what had happened in the car.

Sideswipe's blue eyes widened, and he and his brother exchanged a startled glance. "D-do you think she can sing?" Sideswipe asked eagerly.

Spike shrugged. "Who knows what the All-Spark is capable of…I think only Primus or whoever would know."

"I don't think he's gonna tell us." Bumblebee said sensibly.

"I wonder…" Sideswipe said thoughtfully, looking around at all the guys at the BBQ.

Spike guessed what he was thinking. "No way, Sideswipe, if you're thinking of asking a random stranger to call Emma 'baby' then just forget it. She'll know." He glanced towards the lake. Emma had turned around, and was looking at him. He shuddered. "She always knows…"

"Well, what then?" Sideswipe was frustrated.

"The only way would be for someone who's not at the party now to call her 'baby'," Carly stated. "That way, Emma wouldn't suspect that we had anything to do with it."

"What do you propose we do?" Sunstreaker asked. "Just wait for some random Decepticon to fall out of the sky and start complimenting her?"

The others were silent as they realised that Sunstreaker's statement was probably no so farfetched.

Then, Carly raised an eyebrow. "Why do you care?" She wanted to know. "I thought you didn't like her."

"I don't!" Sunstreaker snapped, before storming away to the drinks table with his twin brother at his heels.

Carly, Bumblebee, Spike and Jazz decided to go for a walk to the other side of the lake, where the party had spread to.

This turned out to be a mistake, on their part.

O~O~O~O~O

Emma detoured. She wanted to see her former guardian and ask him what was wrong – he'd even been avoiding her on the base! But, now, he was being chatted up by a girl with a stunning figure, very short shorts and a cowboy hat. Emma made a huge detour instead, going over to some rocks and sitting by the water.

Platinum uncoiled herself from the girl's neck and stretched out on a rock, letting her robot body soak up the…moonlight.

"I wanted to dance with Sideswipe," Emma said sadly. "But, I wanted to see Hound too and find out what's wrong. Why did he stop being my guardian? But, now, he's being chatted up by a girl." She sighed, and leaned back on her hands, looking up at the night sky. She had forgotten about how warm summer could get. It was winter back home, in Australia…on another planet.

Emma sighed.

"Hi there," A voice snapped her out of her reverie, and she turned to see a man a few years older than her, wearing jeans and a t-shirt and smelling slightly of alcohol. There was beer being served at the party, she knew, but how could he smell so strongly of the stuff already?

"H-hi…" She stammered, on guard, standing up quickly.

Platinum hissed softly, and flew up onto Emma's shoulder.

"Whoa," The man's grey eyes widened. "Cool pet…what is it?"

"A Transformer," Emma replied quietly, wishing the man would look somewhere else other than at her. The man reached out to touch Platinum. "Don't!" Emma said quickly. "Sh-she bites."

The man withdrew his hand, and then used it to straighten up a lock of her hair that had fallen across her face.

Emma stiffened. This…this isn't happening! This doesn't happen to me, only to other poor people! She wanted to speak but, quite suddenly, she couldn't. It was as if she was frozen to the spot in fear. Platinum, she thought desperately. DO something! !

As if hearing her thoughts, Platinum slid off from around Emma's shoulders, and flew away towards the BBQ.

Emma's heart began to hammer in her chest. Where was Platinum going? And why? ! She was alone, now!

"All alone now, eh?" The man clarified her fears.

Emma couldn't even speak.

O~O~O~O~O

Platinum flew straight at Hound, getting in between him and the skank in the cowboy hat and too-short-shorts. The little pink snake ignored the startled girl, and clamped her mouth onto Hound's hand in a dry-bite – fangs not included. She tugged urgently at the Autobot's holoform and, as if sensing what was going on, Hound allowed himself to be led and then followed, forgetting instantly about the girl who had been flirting with him.

She watched him go, sullenly.

Hound saw where Platinum was leading him to, and broke into a run, seeing instantly what was going on and cursing inwardly for allowing it to happen. Just because he couldn't be the one to defend her from the Decepticons, didn't mean he didn't need to shield her from other dangers.

Like drunk men, for example.

Hound was willing to like humans – he thought they were amazing creatures, and he found them fascinating. However, to see a human mech treat a human fem this was…well, quite unforgivable. There was something very symbolic and pure about the way Emma had chosen to dress tonight (or, they Carly had chosen to outfit her). To see this strange man putting his hands on Emma's arms…

"Emma!" Hound called to her, swiftly placing himself in between the offender and Emma.

"Hound!" She sounded so relieved that, for a moment, he hardly noticed her voice was shaking – but, it was.

He turned to the man, his blue eyes calm but glaring. "Please leave her alone, sir."

The man glared back at him for a moment, before noticing the red symbol on Hound's cowboy hat. His grey eyes became the size of hubcaps, nearly. "Y-you're an Autobot?" He stammered and, without waiting for an answer, turned and hurried away, back towards the party.

Emma and Hound watched him go, as Platinum fluttered between them.

"He seemed scared." Emma noted.

"That's because he knew he was doing the wrong thing." Hound replied calmly. He felt anything but calm, however. Emma was standing very close to him and, from where he stood, he smelt the nutmeg scent of her body, a strange kind of aroma.

Emma nodded. "That was terrible." She muttered.

"You're fine now," Hound assured her.

"You helped me out," She looked up at him suddenly, her eyes focused on his. "You stood up for me, against a human, so…so…why don't you want to be my guardian anymore? !" She burst out.

Hound looked startled for a moment. A deep pang echoed in his chest, he tried to ignore it as he shifted his gaze and said: "It's not that I don't want to…it's just that…it would be better if I…wasn't…"

"Why?" She said, her voice shaking. "Hound, what happened?" She reached out tentatively and touched his hand gently. The feeling sent sparks up Hound's arm – her skin was so soft! "Did something happen?"

Yes! Hound wanted to scream. I'm only hurting you to protect you, but it's hurting me too! Instead, he just shook his head, and stepped away. "N-no, I just…I have to go…" He turned and hurried off, in the direction of the woods.

A lump formed in Emma's throat, and she willed herself not to cry. Hound wasn't going to be her guardian anymore, Sunstreaker hated her and probably now Sideswipe did too…why? What did she do wrong?

"Why don't they like me, Platinum?" Emma muttered, and then a determination took over her. "Platinum? Go and find Hound!" She pointed to the dark woods.

Platinum gave her a look that clearly said: Why don't you go?

"Because I have to stay here where the others can see me," Emma said patiently: "Prime's orders. Please, Platinum?"

The robot snake seemed to sigh, and then flew off in the direction Hound had taken.

Emma sighed again, and looked down at the disc on her chest. "This night couldn't possibly get any worse…" She exclaimed, her shrill voice carrying across the lake.

"Tempting fate a bit there, Emma." Came a dark voice from above.

O~O~O~O~O

"DECEPTICONS! !" Somebody screamed, as the two Seekers known as Skywarp and Thundercracker transformed just above the lake and landed, showering everyone with water.

"IT'S THE SEEKERS! !" Another person yelled.

"Cool," Skywarp told Thundercracker, grinning wildly. "We're just like those villains you see on TV."

"Yeah, 'cept we're better fliers." Thundercracker's red optics glowed, as he caught sight of Emma standing on the rocks by the lake, soaking wet and looking up at them in horror. "And there's the princess." He said." Let's get her before those Autobots show up."

"Not that that tracker will show up, after what you said to him." Skywarp responded, and Emma's eyes widened.

"Thundercracker!" She cried, her voice ringing. "What did you say to Hound? What did you tell him?" Is this why he couldn't be my guardian anymore? Speaking a little bit more calmly, she said: "That day when you attacked me by the tennis courts…what did you say to Hound?"

Skywarp suddenly had his hand wrapped around her and, for the second time, she found herself being picked up by the purple and black Seeker. She sighed. She was going to get a complex from this, for sure. It didn't bother her as much as the drunken man touching her arms had, though.

Skywarp brought her up to eye-level, and she knew it was only a matter of time before the two of them flew off – with her. So, to stall for time until someone showed up to rescue her, and also to get answers, she twisted around to look at Thundercracker. "What did you say to Hound?" She demanded, her voice shaking, her heart/spark pounding.

"Just that we were pretty sure we'd be able to find you from now on," Thundercracker told her.

She gasped." You knew he was my guardian?"

"No," Thundercracker smirked. "He probably just interpreted it that way."

"And broke my spark!" Emma cried shrilly. "I thought he was like Sunstreaker and hated me!"

"Well, isn't that just too sad?' Thundercracker mocked her. "You'll have plenty of time to get over it when we're aboard the Nemesis." He informed her.

Emma paled. "Wait…what?" She began to struggle, of course it was futile but she tried anyway. "We've been through this before, I'm not going! Where's Starscream, anyway? !" She demanded to know.

"Probably dealing with your former guardian as we speak." Thundercracker responded.

"Hey," Skywarp said suddenly. "You know who she looks like, in that pretty little dress of hers?"

Thundercracker sighed, as Emma froze. "Who, Skywarp?" The other Decepticon asked patiently.

"That girl from that human movie that's coming out," Skywarp mused. "You know the one…"

"The one with Jennifer-somebody and Patrick-what's-his-name in it?" Thundercracker nodded. "Yeah, I know the one, Dirty Dancing…" He smirked.

"That's the one!" Skywarp nodded. "I can't think of what the fem's name is, though…B-something…"

Don't say it, don't say it! Emma begged silently.

A light suddenly appeared in Skywarp's red optics. "Oh, I know! Baby!"

Emma gaped at him. He said it!

"I suppose I should thank you, Decepti-creep!" A familiar voice suddenly shouted.

It was Sideswipe. He and Sunstreaker had transformed to robot mode, and were preparing to attack the Decepticons. Emma had never been so glad to see them before.

"For what, Autobot?" Skywarp wanted to know.

"Not telling," Sideswipe replied. His blue optics flashed dangerously.

"But, we are gonna kick your afts!" Sunstreaker informed them.

"For calling our Emma something like that!" Sideswipe attacked. "Don't you know she's an Autobot fem? !" The red Lambo twin grabbed onto Skywarp's arm with one hand, and his neck with the other. "Now, let her go!"

Skywarp's red optics flashed, and then he threw Emma – not very hard, but directly to the centre of the lake. She shrieked as she fell. "I CAN'T FLY! !"

SPLASH! !

Sunstreaker, who had been busy taking care of Thundercracker, turned to Skywarp, his own optics now flashing with more danger than a Hazchem site. "I already owed you one for running my paintjob, Skywarp! But now I'm gonna pay you back double for that!"

O~O~O~O~O

Hound glared up at Starscream, unable to do anything because Starscream was in robot-mode and had taken a human-Hound by surprise. Now, it was clear who was at whose mercy.

Starscream, however, seemed surprised. "It sounded like your voice, Autobot," The Seeker said carefully, not removing his gaze from Hound. "And it is you, but…you're a human…how…" He suddenly put two and two together, as only Starscream could. "Emma…"

Hound didn't say anything.

"So, she has powers like this, capable of such things?" Starscream's red optics glowed and then, quite suddenly, he was standing almost nose-to-nose with Hound.

The less-aggressive mech took a few steps back, stunned. Starscream's holoform was a little bit taller than Hound's, with paler skin. His black hair hung around his face and carelessly across his amber eyes. He wore a black t-shirt and black jeans and, it suddenly struck Hound how strange it would be to see him standing next to Emma right now, dressed like that.

Starscream smirked, and leaned closer to Hound, a silver necklace with a metal star on it nearly poking him in the eye. "She must have been upset that you refused to be her guardian anymore…I wonder who she'll choose instead of you…or even if she wants to be an Autobot anymore…"

Hound gulped. Starscream's words cut into him like a knife. It was true. He had hurt Emma, and for what? The Decepticons' idle threats? Why, oh why had he been so concerned about Emma's safety, to completely ignore her feelings? ! She probably hated him by now…

"Even now, Thundercracker and Skywarp should have succeeded in capturing the princess," Starscream smirked. "Such power deserves to be controlled by the Decepticons, no?"

Hound gasped. Emma, in the hands of the Decepticons? ! No! From everything he had seen, Emma was far too young and innocent for that! She wouldn't survive such an ordeal!

Hound turned to run, to run back to the lake and rescue his former charge, but Starscream wouldn't let him leave.

In an instant, the human mech had grabbed Hound's arm, swung him back around and punched him in the face.

Hound staggered back, feeling his cowboy hat swing back on its chord. He felt blood on his nose – Starscream had hit his mark – but, nonetheless, Hound fought back, managing to land a couple of good blows on the violent Decepticon. Their strength was incredible for their size – they'd retained all their strength from being giant robots.

"You don't know her, Starscream!" Hound stood back, breathing heavily. Blood dripped from his nose, and his shoulder had been pulled back painfully. "She's not…like you…at all…"

"Can you honestly say that you know her any better than I do, Hound?" Starscream said angrily, blood flowing from a split lip, and a black eye beginning to form on the left. Oh, how he hated Hound right now! "Do you know what she wants?"

Hound flinched.

Starscream smiled cruelly, knowing that he'd hit a weak nerve but, just then, something pink came barrelling at him from the darkness, and he jumped back just in time to avoid being bitten by Platinum.

She circled back, angling her body in a vertical serpentine between Starscream and Hound.

At the same time, the sound of two jets could be heard overhead, and they all three of them saw two black shapes flying through the space in the trees.

Hound's blue eyes widened. "D-did they…?"

Starscream glared at Hound one last time, before disappearing into the dark trees. "Until next time, Autobot…"

Hound let him go, and then looked at Platinum. The snake stared calmly back at him. "Is she alright?" He whispered.

The snake just flicked her tongue out a few times.

"Did they take her?" Hound was getting panicked.

Platinum lazily flapped her wings a few times.

Hound gave her a Look. "This is because I ditched her, isn't it?"

Platinum nodded once, and then flew off through the trees. Hound quickly followed her, retracing the steps he'd taken until he reached the lake.

There, he saw a massive crowd gathered, but didn't see any of his Autobot friends. He could sense that they were in their holoforms, however, by the lake-side, and hurried to find them.

As he walked he heard whispers:

"Yeah, I saw them, the Decepticons they were!"

"Yeah, they were after a girl…how did she get to be so lucky?"

"Cassie, that doesn't make her lucky!"

"Yes it does! Didn't you see? The Lamborghini Twins saved her!"

Hound's spark skipped a beat.

He found Jazz, Carly, Bumblebee and Spike standing on the sand.

"Hound, you're alright!" Spike noticed him, and then did a double-take. "Or…not…what happened to you? !"

"Long story, Spike," Hound looked around. "Where's…?"

"Skywarp and Thundercracker showed up to kidnap Emma," Carly said matter-of-factly. "We were all over there across the lake at the time but, luckily, the twins managed to intervene before things got tricky. They beat those dirtbags, and they beat em' good! Unfortunately, Skywarp threw Emma into the lake."

Hound gasped.

"Right into the centre, too." Bumblebee said sagely.

"She's alright, though," Carly said quickly, seeing Hound's face. "Sideswipe went in to rescue her by himself, because Sunstreaker didn't want to get his shoes wet." Over on the rocks, the blonde-haired twin in question glared across at her. "He's like that." She smiled.

"I see em' now," Jazz said calmly. Hound then noticed that he was holding Sideswipe's red hoodie.

As Sideswipe, now in his holoform, carried Emma out of the lake bridal style, a murmur ran through the crowd. Hound thought he heard Cassie gasp angrily.

Emma was shivering, the night had grown colder and an evening swim had not been ideal for her. Jazz put the jacket across Emma's chest, and she smiled thankfully up at him. "Th-thanks guys, I'm s-sorry…" She stammered.

"As long as you're okay, everything's fine." Jazz was very calm, because he had a feeling that some of the others might not be after this recent turn of events.

Emma sniffled, and somehow managed to snuggle closer to Sideswipe's chest, as he carried her over to the others. They were joined by Sunstreaker, who kept exchanging glances with his brother, and then said to Emma: "So, can't wait to hear you sing – baby."

Everyone else gasped, especially Emma, and Platinum hissed angrily and got right up into Sunstreaker's face, invading his personal space.

The others laughed, except for Hound.

He was looking at Emma in Sideswipe's arms, and noticing the protective way in which the Lambo Twin held her. Hound could smell the nutmeg scent still strongly, even though Emma was soaking wet. So, he knew, without a doubt, that Sideswipe must be able to smell it even stronger. Plus, he was the one who'd protected Emma and saved her.

Was Sideswipe Emma's choice?

I'm such an idiot. Hound thought sadly.

O~O~O~O~O

Nobody noticed the strange bird-like creature that flew overhead…