A/N: Sorry for the wait. I just moved into my new apartment, classes start TOMORROW, and I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Yay!

Thank you ikldmrogers for editing for me.

I don't own Transformers.

Twin Times the Fun
The Twins

It had been nearly forty-eight hours since Hannah had left the base. Agent Johnson had been most kind in escorting her to the airport where she boarded the next flight to New Jersey. She had apparently called Ken with the news and he had graciously offered to put her up while she arranged the funeral.

Hannah hadn't said goodbye to anyone. She just packed what meager belongings she had and climbed into the back of an AEAC issue black Escalade without any explanations. Mikaela had been visibly upset, both hurt and angry, over her hasty departure and Optimus had been quite frank with the possibility that Hannah may not come back.

Everything that had happened was out in the open, minus the fact that Sunstreaker was actually in love with Hannah, not so much he was siphoning Sideswipe's feelings. Sunny confessed, in his vulnerable position, what kind of influence the bond between Sides and Hannah had and explained that that was what caused his behavior. It was very difficult to get the answers the Autobots needed out of him. Only Ratchet knew what Sunny truly felt and that was because the damn medic had a sixth sense when it came to his own kind. It was very difficult to hide things from Ratchet.

According to the medic, Sideswipe was virtually catatonic. The happy-go-lucky mech was gone, leaving only a shell behind. No amount of prodding was going to snap him out of it. At first Sunstreaker found it hard to believe, just because the bond wasn't complete, Hannah couldn't do that, so Sides shouldn't have been affected so much.

But Ratchet had sighed. "That doesn't matter. In Sideswipe's eyes the one-way connection was complete."

"So what are you saying?" Sunny had scoffed. "That Sides loved enough for the both of them?"

Ratchet had looked up at him, his optics dark. "Yes. Hannah couldn't have said anything worse then what she did. Denying him as a guardian? Sides seems to have lost his purpose."

Ratchet always had been the most knowledgeable of the situation with the twins and even what he knew as very limited. He had become more suspicious of it when he noticed how Sunstreaker behaved, one, when Hannah was near, and two, when his brother was not. Sunny purposely would distance himself from the both of them. Sideswipe noticed only briefly and it was because he was distracted by Hannah.

Ratchet had consulted Bumblebee, the only other Autobot to have bonded on a level, with a human. Bumblebee was able to shed some insight. Being that Cybertronians bonded with their sparks, it was difficult to have, in a sense, a one sided bond with a human, who would be incapable of such a thing. Bumblebee's bond was much different than Sideswipes'. Bumblebee's bond had stemmed from an order from Optimus Prime and friendship, rather then a romance, which Sideswipe hadn't tried very hard to hide. One could assume that Bumblebee was also Mikaela's guardian as well, given the way he behaved. It wasn't common to have multiple wards, but it was known to happen.

So besides that one-sided bond with Hannah, Sideswipe was also bound to his brother, but not like a guardian. They were twins. The spark that had started the creation of one mech had been split in two under unknown circumstances. Despite their own personalities they were copies of each other. Through his bond, Sunstreaker had developed a connection with Hannah, which he had resisted for the duration of the road trip, during which he turned to anger rather then acknowledgement, and even went as far as to get rid of Hannah to solve the problem.

It was something out of a sci-fi soap opera. A love triangle. It wasn't the most original page in the book, but nonetheless, it was a good description for the issue.

Hannah still didn't understand the intensity in which Sides and even Sunny felt for her. She might not ever know since she's human. She didn't understand that, naturally, Sideswipe would feel competitive and protective when other Cybertronians were considered. He felt the need to defend her against everything and everyone, including Sunstreaker and Sunny was starting to behave in that manner as well, but he was much more controlled given who bonded with Hannah first.

Hannah didn't want to split them up, and by leaving she probably thought she was doing them good. Yes, everyone knew why Hannah truly left and even though planning her mother's funeral was part of it, they all knew the big reason. What Hannah didn't know was that her staying or leaving didn't matter. From Ratchet's perspective, the twins' bond couldn't be severed. Period.

In the case that Hannah would have to choose, everyone knew who it would be. Sideswipe was the first to ever, truly want her around. He nearly died to save her. Sideswipe's world revolved around her now. Sides and Hannah were meant to stay together in any kind of relationship, friendship, love, whatever it may be, and with Hannah being gone, as corny as it might sound, Sideswipe's world was starting to crumble.

"No medical expertise I have will help him," Ratchet had told Sunny. "There is nothing I can do."

The twins were still separated. It wasn't like they had any energy to fight each other, but Optimus was not taking any chances. He was still rather put off with his leniency after the fight that resulted in Hannah leaving. Ratchet had stuck to monitoring Sideswipe, since the red mech was in a much more fragile state. The injuries he sustained in his scrap with Sunstreaker weren't superficial, but they were not to be taken lightly. Not refueling or recharging was taking its toll and Ratchet was having more and more of a difficult time trying to get Sideswipe stable.

So, sitting alone on a secluded side of the base, opposite of Sideswipe, was Sunstreaker, staring at the wall since he had nothing else to stare at. Ratchet wasn't telling him everything about his brother and when Sides tried to subconsciously separate from him, Sunny couldn't help but feel he had succeeded if only slightly. Sunny felt that Sideswipe was fine. He didn't feel any physical pain, just a throbbing that was associated with Hannah leaving. Was that it? Ratchet said that Sides was fading away in the way that would be an utter disgrace to a warrior, but given that he had just lost his ward, it was all very tragic.

It looked like Sides wasn't going to be keeping his promise after all.

Not that Sunny had anyone else to blame but himself. He should've known the repercussions of his actions. He should've left Sides alone for a while. But the need to explain himself dominated all other reason. If he had waited until Sides was ready talk, ready to listen, they wouldn't have gotten into that fight and if the others hadn't shown up, Sunny would have surely lost. And yes, while he was almost trying to kill him, Sunny knew that his brother would've regretted it for the rest of his existence. As a guardian, Sides had much more to protect.

Had been a guardian.

Sunstreaker was very aware of Hannah's departure though he didn't see her leave. He didn't need to. The pain that Sideswipe felt was immediately transferred to him and he knew what had happened. He blamed himself for it. Sideswipe was probably blaming him too. Maybe everyone was. He had intruded on something scared and though he tried not to he had failed epically.

Sunstreaker allowed his optics to fall shut. He wondered what Hannah was doing now. She was probably still trying to make arrangements for that horrid woman who birthed her. She was probably trying to get through it all with a smile if not to let herself slip into depression. Sunny couldn't understand why Hannah cared so much about her mother, but it wasn't his place to question it. Perhaps that no matter what, some family bonds could never be severed.

He thought of all the smiles that Hannah had. There were the ones where she was timid or shy or when she had a bit of confidence. There was even this one for when she felt awkward or unsure. He thought of her laugh and the sound of her voice. It was light and airy, like chimes. Her singing wasn't bad, from what he remembered on the road. It wasn't a trained voice like the celebrities, but it was soft and soothing. Then he thought of her eyes. They were large, milk-chocolate brown. She had always tried to hide within herself, but if you looked into her eyes long enough you could almost see exactly what she was thinking.

These were the thoughts he should not be having. He already had done enough damage.

Was there anyway to fix it? Hannah was a forgiving person. She forgave Sunstreaker for attempting to kill her for Primus's sake! She couldn't let everything go because she was upset with Sideswipe's possessiveness. Though the incident couldn't have come at a worse time, given that she had just been told that her mother had killed herself, though it hadn't been determined if it had been intentional or unintentional. It really didn't matter. Hannah was already on that overwhelming emotional rollercoaster and the twins made it worse.

But Sunny knew she hadn't meant it. She would forgive Sides. It was obvious to him, but not to the others. They didn't understand the kind of person Hannah was. They just knew about her hardships and associated her with a battered child.

It was Sides who gave up before he even tried. He just let her go. Sunny could only be angry at his brother for being so stupid. For someone who claimed to know Hannah the best, he clearly missed something.

Sunny knew Hannah was afraid of coming between them. It was a little late for that, but it hadn't been intentional. In all reality, Hannah did nothing but be herself. Sunny and Sides had allowed the rift to form. She had been innocent through it all.

He couldn't let it end like this. He couldn't let his brother stay like this and he couldn't let Hannah live the rest of her life alone. No matter what it did to him, he had to make sure that she came back and not just for his brother's sake. He would deal with it. His feelings for Hannah were intensified by Sideswipe's. Maybe he would be able to move on.

Ha! Right…

Sunstreaker's thought process was interrupted when Ratchet entered the small steel room Sunny had been isolated in by choice and by direct orders from Prime. Ratchet's face looked grim, oddly aged and utterly frustrated. Ratchet had done his best to help the twins throughout this whole ordeal, but neither Sunstreaker nor Sideswipe seemed to be very grateful, not that Ratchet was surprised, of course. He didn't say anything. He just stood at the door and stared at Sunstreaker with the usual calculative expression.

Sunny was annoyed. "What?"

"Your brother is not improving."

Sunstreaker grimaced. "Is that so?"

"Don't you care?"

"Of course I do."

Ratchet was silent for a moment, expecting a 'but' that never came. He sighed and paced slowly in front of the door. "There is nothing more I can do for him. Physically, he is moderate. The injuries he sustained are easily treatable, but other than that I can only diagnose his condition as critical."

Sunny's hand tightened into a tense fist. He lifted his optics from the ground and they glowed in the dimly lit room. "What do you want me to do about it? I can't fix him this time."

"Maybe not," Ratchet admitted. "But there is something you can do."

"What? Go bring Hannah back?"

"While that is a possibility and I don't doubt that she would return the moment she learned of Sideswipe's condition, he won't last that long."

Sunstreaker's optics were now very much alarmed. Was Sides worse then he thought? He thought he knew everything about his twin, but clearly Sides had actually proven Ratchet wrong about their bond.

"What do you mean?"

"Just as it sounds," Ratchet replied. "He's dying."

Sunny leapt to his feet in anger. "What is this? Some sick, romantic tragedy? What's killing him?"

Ratchet crossed his arms, addressing the younger mech with annoyance. "There had been a lot of damage sustained to his spark. His close call with death three months ago didn't help. Sparks take a long time to heal, you know this." Ratchet stepped closer to him, his voice in a deadly whisper. "There is more damage now that I cannot account for and it cannot be explained by Hannah's departure, though I have a feeling that it doesn't help that she left him the way she did."

Sunstreaker's shoulders tightened. "What kind of damage?"

"Exhaustion, strain, tearing," the medic said. "Sideswipe tried to separate himself from you, didn't he?"

Sunny hesitantly nodded.

"What did it feel like?"

"Like someone was trying to rip my spark right out of my chest."

Ratchet nodded. "Given that you could hardly stand afterward I am not surprised."

"Is that's what's wrong with him?" Sunny asked.

"More or less. You two are connected on a level that can never be fully understood, not even by the two of you. Sideswipe trying to separate from you was like trying to separate from himself. I highly doubt he knew what he was doing. I suspect that while you might have had felt the damage, Sideswipe was the one to sustain it."

"So Hannah…"

"Hannah's departure is icing on the cake, so to speak. She's human, therefore there is no physical bond to be reciprocated. Had there been one, Sides would surely be dead already."

Sunstreaker nodded slowly. "Would Hannah coming back help?"

"Undoubtedly."

"But there's not enough time to get her?"

"No there isn't. Her cell phone number has been deactivated."

"Then Sides needs to go get her."

"What part of my diagnosis did you not understand?" Ratchet said. "He would never make it."

Sunny groaned to himself, rubbing the sides of his head aggressively. "There has to be something we can do! We can't just let him die!"

"He will not respond to anyone, not even Optimus. Perhaps he will respond to you."

Sunny scoffed. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll love to see me. He knows, Ratchet. I couldn't hide it from him anymore. He won't want to see me."

"Then your presence will get a rise out of him. At least it's something."

Sunstreaker paced the small room, much more quickly then Ratchet had done earlier. Sunny didn't know how this was going to work, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice. It was either try to save his brother or just let him die.

"Alright," he relented. "I'll talk to him."

Hannah didn't think that picking out a headstone could be so difficult. There were so many varieties and so many things you could had engraved on them. She wanted something simple, nothing extravagant or huge, just something to mark where her mother would be laid to rest.

Ken had wanted to go with her, for moral support, but she had politely declined. She wanted to be alone for a while. Ken was a great friend, but he could be a little suffocating with the best intentions. He was only trying to help, but he was trying too hard. She just needed a little space.

Upon coming back to Jersey, she had hugged Ken and thanked him for letting her stay with him. After pleasantries were exchanged and she arrived at Ken's house, she snagged her cat, who had greeted her with all the excitement of a dog, much to her pleasure. Botchy purred and nuzzled her chin, more then content to be with her when she locked herself in her room to cry. Botchy cuddled with her all night.

Hannah didn't know whether to be grateful or ashamed that she wasn't crying over the death of her mother. She still couldn't believe what she had said to Sideswipe before she left. She hadn't meant a word of it, but she had just been so angry. She didn't want to come between the brothers and she didn't want them fighting. With all her heart she knew she wanted to go back, but she couldn't. She had to move on. She had used Ken's phone to deactivate her cell so no one could get in touch with her. She wouldn't go back. She couldn't.

Hannah listened to the man drawl on about the designing of headstones and she mockingly wanted to call out that they were just pieces of carved rocks with fancy words on them. Finally, she decided on one that would lay face up in the ground, one more likely to be overgrown with grass and be forgotten. She wouldn't have anything fancy written on it, no readings from the Bible, not even a R.I.P. There would only be a name, a date of birth, and a date of death. It would be simple, straight, and to the point. It would still cost a pretty penny, but she was satisfied. It would be on the plot at the cemetery the day of the funeral.

Hannah climbed into Ken's truck and drove to the funeral home where Janet James was being prepared for her burial. Hannah thought about a viewing, but decided against it. It wasn't like people would actually attend. Still, Hannah would have a priest hold a small ceremony for her mother, no matter how miniscule it may be. She just wanted to get this whole thing over with.

As much as she had detested it, Hannah returned to her home of origin to try and find something nice for her mother to be buried in. In the back of the woman's closet had been a decent blue dress, but it would probably be too big on her given all the drugs and alcohol she survived on. With all the funeral arrangements, Hannah couldn't afford a new dress.

Checking in with the funeral home had been quick. She just needed to know that her mother was going to be ready for the next day when she would be laid to rest. Everything was a-go, so Hannah drove back to Ken's where Botchy was patiently waiting by the door for her. Hannah felt horrible for leaving her cat for so long, but pleased that he hadn't forgotten her. Ken had pretty much let the cat eat anything he wanted, not wanting to be bothered with it and Botchy had gained some weight, but it was nothing that Hannah couldn't handle. She had immediately started the fatty on his new diet. Botchy was less then pleased, but he endured.

Hannah dropped her bag and hefted the cat into her arms. "Hey, baby," she greeted, carrying him into the living room.

Ken, apparently, wasn't home. She didn't know where he could be, but she wouldn't be surprised if he went to his newly established office building that he was so proud of. Hannah smiled at the memory of Ken excitedly explaining his new plans for his computer repair shop.

Botchy meowed when Hannah absentmindedly stopped scratching his ears. Hannah kissed his head as he purred, the vibrations rumbling through his body.

"You know, Sides really wanted to meet you," she said to him. "He wanted me to bring you out there. He said he wouldn't mind having a pet." She laughed. "He would've loved you. You're so much alike it's kinda scary."

Botchy looked up at her like he was listening, but he was probably just pretending to listen so she would keep scratching his ears. The master of manipulation.

"I don't know how Sunny would've felt about you. He would've freaked over the cat hair," she said teasingly, "but I don't think he'd squish you."

Botchy meowed again as if he was saying, "He better not. Punk."

Hannah wiped her eyes before any tears could escape. "Too bad it's never gonna happen, huh?"

Ratchet discretely escorted Sunstreaker to Sideswipe's quarters. There was no time to get the move approved by Optimus, so they had to be careful. Ratchet looked up and down the hall before nodding sternly to Sunny, giving him the go-ahead. Sunny slipped into the room while Ratchet stayed on the outside, prepared to jump in if Sideswipe found the strength to try and pummel his brother again.

The room wasn't dark like Sunstreaker had expected. In fact, it was fully lit. Sides was lying on a berth attached to the far wall. He was fully conscious, staring at the ceiling with his hands behind his head, a very casual, human pose. He looked perfectly fine. Sure he looked deep in thought and saddened, but physically he looked healthy.

Hesitantly, Sunstreaker stepped forward, not really sure how his brother was going to react to him. Well, he was expecting the angry demand for him to leave or there would be a forceful extraction involved, but instead he got something completely different.

"I was wondering when you were gonna show up."

"Sides—"

"You have a lot of nerve coming in here."

"I'm sorry."

Sides finally looked over at him, his optics narrowed. "I figured you say something like that. Even if it's hard for you to apologize to people, even me, I knew you were going to say that."

"I didn't mean for this to happen."

"Didn't think you did."

"I would understand why you would hate me."

"Which I don't."

"And I…What?"

Sides sighed heavily as he moved to sit up. "I don't hate you."

Panicked, Sunstreaker rushed over to push him back down, ignoring the purely confused look on Sideswipe's face. "Don't move around too much."

Sides pouted. "Why not? I'm—"

"Look, you can't let Hannah stay in New Jersey," Sunny said quickly. "She doesn't belong there. She belongs with you. She can't survive there on her own, even with that friend of hers. You have to get her back."

Sideswipe stared at his brother, not really surprised, but not really expecting his declaration, and all he could muster as a rebuttal, "What about you?"

"I won't try anything if that's what you're worried about," he replied. "It's not my place. You are Hannah's guardian. I'm just siphoning feelings off of you."

Sides scoffed bitterly, clearly still not pleased about the situation. "I'm not an idiot. They all aren't mine."

Sunstreaker stiffened. "It doesn't matter."

"It does!" Sides said firmly. "It's not just about Hannah now. What about you? You're on the outside looking in, Sunny. That can't be easy."

If Sunny was shocked by that proclamation he didn't show it. Stepping back he crossed his arms. "Why do you care about that?"

"I was mad," Sides admitted. "Hn, more than mad. I was seeing red. I probably would've made Megatron wet his pants. But I've had some time to think about it all and I've decided that Ratchet is right and I—"

Sunny blinked. "Ratchet?"

"Yeah, Ratchet. He convinced me to hear you out. I know you didn't mean for what happened to happen and I appreciate that you tried to stay away and, you know, not try to take her and all."

Sunstreaker nodded. "I'd say no problem, but…"

Sides grinned a little. "It has got to be the hardest on you. I didn't know you would be affected this much."

"Neither did I," the yellow mech said heavily. "But it's not something you have to worry about. I never had any intention of interfering."

"Good," Sides said, "because if you did I would have to kill you."

Sunny allowed himself to laugh, because the idea of Sideswipe actually killing him was ridiculous, but as he thought about it for a moment, he really didn't think that Sides was completely joking. It was a fleeting thought, but where Hannah was concerned, Sides would probably take down everything and everyone that was in his way, including his brother if he had to. Sunny supposed that it was for the best on more then one level that he wasn't going to get in the way.

Sides suddenly shifted, sitting up and pushing Sunny's hands back before he could push him back down. "Ratchet told me what I did," he said softly. "How I tried to break away from you. I'm sorry."

Sunny flinched. "Don't apologize. I know you didn't mean to."

"It doesn't make it any better. When I did it I was wishing that we weren't brothers and that I hated you. I had some pretty nasty thoughts, bro."

"I said don't worry about it. You didn't hurt me."

"That's not what Ratchet said."

Sunstreaker silently cursed the medic with a roll of his optics. "Yeah, well Ratchet doesn't know everything."

"Uh, yeah. He almost, kind of does."

Sunny stared at his brother sadly. "It didn't do any damage to me. Can't say the same for you though."

Sides laughed. "Yeah, Ratch told me. I didn't even feel it."

Sighing, Sunny sat down on the edge of the berth. "You need to bring her back before she does something stupid." He looked at his twin seriously. "You can't die."

Sideswipe frowned. "Who told you I was dying?"

"Ratchet. Just get better so you can go get Hannah."

"Get better? But I feel fine."

"No, you're not. Ratchet told me that you were almost catatonic. That's why he sent me. He thought I could snap you out of it."

Sides stared stupidly. "What in the name of Primus are you talking about?"

"Dammit Sides! I know you like to put the tough guy act on, but stop playing. I know you've given up because Hannah left, but she was just angry. You know she didn't mean any of it! I can't believe you would think that she would leave you over something so stupid!"

Sides pouted again. "I know that."

"Then what the hell is wrong with you?"

Sideswipe's frowned thoughtfully. "Ratchet told you I was dying?"

"Yes because of the damage to your spark."

"…You think I'm dying?"

"I know you are. Ratchet told me everything."

"…Dying?"

"Dammit…Yes!"

Sideswipe started laughing. "Holy Primus, you think I'm dying? How can you think I'm dying? Can't you feel it? I'm fine!"

"…Excuse me?"

"You got played, bro. Bad." Sideswipe shrugged and jumped up. "I am not dying. The damage that was caused was pretty major, considering it wasn't physical, but I'm fine. I've just been sitting in the dark, wallowing in self-pity and thinking about what happened. Does that sound catatonic to you?"

Sunstreaker stared. "You're not dying." It was more of a statement then a question.

"Heck no. I know Hannah didn't mean what she said. I just wanted to give her some time."

"…You're not dying."

"I just said that I wasn't. Ratchet lied to you."

"…I'm gonna kill him."

Sideswipe laughed and yanked his brother to his feet. "Looks like we'll have to be more careful around Ratchet from now on. He's a sly old dog, ain't he?"

"…I'm gonna kill him."

Sides placed his hand on his brother shoulder. "He was only trying to help."

"I thought you were dying."

The red mech sighed. "Why? You should've been able to feel that."

"I…I-I thought that when you tried to break from me you, I don't know, did some damage. I thought that I wasn't really feeling all of you, I guess."

"Trust me," Sides said. "I didn't do anything to our bond. It's still there, perfectly fine. You're stuck with me forever, glitch head." He leaned back and held out his hand. "Brothers?"

Sunny grinned sheepishly and clasped the extended hand with his own. "Brothers."

"Alright, now that the touching moment of sibling love is over, I have a girlfriend to rescue."

"Girlfriend?"

Sideswipe's smile was cheeky. "You bet. She'll get used to the idea."

"You are so whipped."

"Yup and damn proud of it."

The two hadn't noticed that door had opened and Optimus was in the doorway. "If you two are done, there's a plane ready to take us to New Jersey."

Sideswipe looked up surprised and excited. "A plane?"

The Autobot Commander nodded. "It's much faster then driving there."

"Wait a minute," Sunstreaker growled. "Was everyone in on this?"

Optimus smiled.

"Get mad later, Sunny," Sides said. "We gotta go."

Sunstreaker looked hesitant. "You actually want me to go?"

Sideswipe rolled his optics. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I could think of a few good reasons."

"It's alright. You can't help it and it's partly my fault as well," Sides said softly. "Hannah loves you, I know she does. She doesn't want you to be unhappy and neither do I. Besides, I know it will make her happy to see that we've kissed and made up."

"I ain't kissin' that ugly mug," Sunny scoffed.

"We're twins stupid."

"Whenever you're ready," Optimus interrupted.

As Prime slipped out of the room, Sunny thought silently for a moment, thinking back on the fight he had with Sides and Hannah's hasty departure. Sideswipe was so easy to forgive. It was in his nature, but even Sunny knew that even though his brother was not one to hold a grudge there would always be that underlying aggression towards him and Sides would never truly trust him around Hannah, not that he did in the first place. He still felt like that Sides had been waiting for him to come clean just as much as Sunny had wanted to. It felt like a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

Sides grinned eagerly. "Ready?"

Sunny nodded. "Ready."

A/N: I've had a lot of crazy emotional roller coaster ride throughout this story, but actually having Sides start to die b/c of Hannah leaving was way too much, so I decided to try and trick everyone. We all know Hannah didn't mean it. I mean, come on. Duh. Anyways, I hope it was worth the wait. I've been working on the final chapters almost every day. Thanks for reading and see you at the next update!

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