Hey everyone! Thanks so, so much for sending me wonderful 'get-well' messages while I was recuperating from the accident! I am feeling MUCH better and they were helping me get through this chapter!

A little warning: The next chapter may be a little delayed because this weekend I have

1) A Band performance on Friday

2) A College Marching Band try-out the next weekend but have to practice.

3) A Speech competition for a scholarship coming up in a matter of days.

Ect., ect. BUT I will try to update as regularly as I can!

Enjoy!

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

All I could see was darkness, but I could hear the steady beeping of a heart monitor. Then, feeling slowly began to return to my body. I felt severe pain in my head, my neck, my back, and my arms and legs. Then I felt a cool, metal surface beneath me, a soft pillow supporting my head, and a sheet over my body. I tried to open my eyes, but moaned in pain as the sudden light intensified my headache. I took in a deep breath and, again, tried to open my eyes, but more slowly, so they could adjust. I succeeded.

Then came the agonizing process of sitting up. Positioning my arms, being weary of all the wires on my bare chest that was covered in wrapped bandages, and the IV in my arm, I gently lifted myself. Hissing in pain, I had managed to put myself in a sitting position. I looked around at my surroundings: I was at the base! My breath was hitched in my throat. Crap! Ratchet probably found out!

My mind began to wonder: How'd I get here? And what happened to Sideways?

The soft hiss of the Med Bay doors opening caught my attention and I saw Ratchet walk in. The atmosphere immediately seemed to grow dense and heavy, his optics were dark and carried sadness in them; sadness and regret? I could feel the stress practically flowing from his body into me. I lowered my eyes and looked the other way. I heard Ratchet's come to an abrupt halt and I imagined his shocked his expression at seeing me awake; I mentally smiled.

'I must be a sight.' I thought.

A sudden tingling feeling caused me to look up and noticed Ratchet scanning me. He stopped and processed the data into a data pad.

Without even looking up, he asked, "How are you feeling?" I shrugged a little, but not enough to cause pain.

"A little sore with a headache." I said as if it were no big deal. The shock of last night's events was still trying to settle in, and I had unknowingly made the comment sound as if I hadn't realized how close to death I actually was.

Ratchet slammed his data pad on the table and turned to me. I jumped at the sudden motion.

"This isn't a joke, Samantha! You could've been killed had Sunstreaker hadn't have gotten back in time!" He shouted. I knew that Ratchet was upset and that he was just venting. Hell, I do that to, but he's never, not even once, used my full name. Out of habit of being yelled at, I raised my voice.

"Don't you think I know that now?" I snapped. "I tried to call him sooner, but a certain Decepticon broke my phone!" Ratchet looked taken back at my outburst. I was internally guilty for blurting that out loud, but I wanted answers and I wanted them now.

"Who was he? How did he know who I was?" I paused, taking in a breath. "He said that he killed mom. Is that true?" Ratchet's frame stiffened and his face showed shock. "Is there something you need to tell me, Ratchet?"

A heavy silence weighed in the room. Then he released a heavy sigh. He was about to say something, but then rapidly shook his head and turned away from me, acting like he was putting things away.

"No, no I don't have anything to say. I-I just need to put these files away." He said a little too quickly. I knew right away he was lying to me.

"Ratchet!" I yelled. He stopped, and slowly turned his head over his shoulder to look at me. "Dammit, why are you lying to me? First you act weird on the way home yesterday, then Sunny started hiding things from me, and he told me that you had something to say to me. What the hell is going on?" I demanded.

Normally Ratchet would warn me about my cursing, but I had a damn good excuse to. He sighed again, rubbing his optics with his hands.

"Okay, Sam, I'm sorry. "Okay, Sam, I'm sorry. You deserve to know the truth." He said softly, looking away in shame.

'You're damn right I do!' I though, but did not say that out loud. I want to hear Ratchet's explanations instead of a cursing lecture.

"I want you to think back ten years ago, the time of the accident." I shook my head slowly.

"Oh no, no Ratchet. Please." I begged. I really didn't want to hear the gruesome tale of my mother's death.

To be honest, I've spent the last ten years suppressing my feelings, much to Ratchet's displeasure. I mean, even he sought help from Optimus when he felt down, but I refused to seek any form of help that required me to talk about the accident.

He held up a hand to stop me. "Sam, you have to hear what I have to say. I (sigh) I have not been completely honest with you these last ten years, and it was probably one of the biggest mistakes of my life, and-" he started to ramble. I waved my hands to stop him.

"Woah, woah, Ratchet, calm down. What are you talking about?" I asked, completely lost.

"The storm didn't kill your mother, the Decepticon, Sideways, did." He simply stated, as if there were no other way to put it. And, in truth, there wasn't. Sideways killed my mom. A Con told me the truth, yet my guardian lied to me and covered up the story.

I was at a loss for words. Sideways killed my mother, Ratchet lied to me. These words replayed over and over in my head like a broken record stuck on a crappy song, and as much as I desperately tried to switch the names around, there was no hiding the cold, hard truth.

"What?" I squeaked when I finally found my voice. I breathed hard, still trying to process the truth.

"I'm so sorry, Samantha." His whispers faded into blackness as I passed out.

Flashback- 10 years ago in the ER-

Pain was all she felt when she felt herself being thrown back into the world of consciousness. She heard the heart monitor next to her, and felt the IV in her arm and the various wire hooked up to her like some machine. She felt bandages that were tightly wrapped around her head and chest, and felt a cast on her left arm.

She fluttered her eyes open with a moan of pain, seeing the bright lights noticed that she was in a hospital room on a bed. She wrinkled her nose at the sudden scent of alcohol and other medical things that made every patient uncomfortable in a hospital. She scanned her surroundings and noticed a middle-aged man sitting on a chair next to her bed, his head down with his arms resting on his legs, giving the appearance that he was asleep. His dirty blonde hair casted over his face so she couldn't see it, but she knew exactly who it was. His yellowish short-sleeved jacket with a life-line symbol on the sleeves was a dead giveaway.

"Ra-Ratchet?" the child croaked out. As if being electrocuted, the man jolted his head up, noticed the little girl next to him, and jumped from his chair. He was her side in a split second.

"Sam!" Dear Primus, are you okay?" he asked, everything about him expressed concern, especially his voice, but it also had a hint of guilt. But Sam didn't notice that, what she did notice was something else.

"Where's mommy?"

It was as if her words were a dagger and they stabbed him repeatedly in the spark. He looked at Sam, the very child he considered close enough to be his daughter, in her large chestnut eyes and nearly died on the spot.

"Mommy," he choked on his words, "mommy isn't coming back, ever. She-she's gone." He looked away from the child and heard her gasp.

"But where did she go?" she asked, clueless to the obvious truth. Oh how Ratchet despised how clueless and oblivious human sparklings were. He really did not want to state the truth, but he had to or the girl was never going to understand.

"She's dead, Sam." He blurted. Seeing her widen eyes that were lacing with tears, he couldn't help but whisper it again, "She's dead."

"NO!" His head jerked up at her sudden shout. His eyes were wide when he saw the eight-year-old's expression: eyes full of determination, sitting straight up in the bed despite the pain.

"Mommy can't be gone! She can't be!" her voice raised to a squeak as finally broke down crying.

"Sam." He whispered. He so wished he could take the child in his arms, telling her that everything would be okay, but he, himself, didn't know if things were ever going to be okay between them. Nina had always took care of her daughter's needs, he was just there for the medical care. He didn't know the first thing about raising a human child. It was then that he realized that this was what all new parents faced when a new child is introduced into their lives; they learn on the job. But he wasn't sure if this situation could be used in that category.

He sat on the bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her, in such a protective and comforting manner, that it surprised him. His shock doubled when he felt tiny arms wrap around him tightly.

Sam sobbed into his chest until she fell asleep about an hour later. As gently as he could, he layed the child onto the pillow and petted her head. Tears still running down her face and she hiccupped in her sleep. He stared at her saddened, yet strangely relaxed face with a newfound determination.

"I won't let Sideways get to you, Samantha. No, matter what it takes, I will protect you from him. He's not going to find out about you," he let out a shaky breath, "and you're not going to find out about him."

End Flashback

-In an alleyway in the city-

Sideways sat in vehicle form in the dark damp alleyway, his holoform sitting on his hood with a look of disgust as he watched the disgusting flesh creatures mindlessly walk by, not even realizing the potential threat that lay mere feet away. As much as he would love to blast any human within his range, he was not here for games; no, he was waiting for someone.

As if on cue, a familiar Mustang Saleen cop cruiser came to a halt in front of his alt mode. Barricade's holoform exited the car and walked towards him.

"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite partner from the glory days." Sideways greeted with a twisted sneer. Barricade's façade, however, did not change from the look of pure hatred that he had for the mech.

"Cut the slag, Sideways! You and I aren't partners anymore." He snapped. Sideways seemed unimpressed and pretended to be staring at his nails and sighed.

"Ah, yes, you have a new partner. Oh, what was his name? Fritzy? Franny?-" Barricade growled at his insolence.

"Frenzy." He growled through his teeth. Sideways snapped his fingers.

"Yes, that's it. Wasn't he offlined by the humans with his own weapon." He chuckled. Sideways was testing Barricade's patience, and he knew that. That was the way it always was with him, back when they were partners on Cybertron. They scouted together, but Sideways scared Barricade even more so than Soundwave. Because, unlike Soundwave, Barricade can actually tell what went through the ex-Con's mind during a torture session or when they slaughtered innocent lives; and that was something the Saleen never enjoyed seeing.

Barricade decided to discuss the matter of interest. "So why did you call for me here?"

Sideways' face turned serious and he began to walk towards him. "I managed to contact you on a secret frequency so none of the other's will know of our whereabouts, which I'm sure you're aware, is incredibly difficult. Now, I was hoping you could do me a little favor."

"What's in it for me?" Barricade wasn't at all interested in Sideways' schemes, but he had nothing better to do. After all, Megatron and Starscream were still off the planet somewhere.

As if reading the Con's mind, he replied, "It'll give you something to do until your master returns."

Barricade snapped; he wanted to transform and beat the slag out of him, but he was still under cogneato. He grabbed Sideways' holoform by his shirt collar and slammed him into the brick wall of a building. Sideways' just smiled, completely unaffected. He knew the effect he had on Barricade, and he enjoyed it immensely.

"Tsk, tsk. Temper, temper, Barricade." He mocked.

"Get out of my head, slagger." He growled under his breath.

"I don't have to be in your mind to see your thoughts and emotions that are plain to see right your face, holoform or otherwise." Barricade only seemed slightly shocked, but it was gone as quickly as it came. He pressed Sideways harder into the wall, Sideways remained impassive.

"So, do we have a deal, or not?" he asked, easing his hand out for Barricade to see underneath his arms. Barricade backed off of him and thought for a moment. "What do you have to lose, Barricade?"

He glared daggers at the mocking holoform, but got over his petty uneasiness and firmly shook his hand. Sideways grinned madly.

"What is it exactly you want me to do?" Barricade asked, his previous feelings subsided.

"I have recently come into contact with a special little treasure that I have failed in destroying. Now, this treasure is extremely close to the Autobots, especially the medic and the hot-tempered one."

"Ratchet and Sunstreaker?" Barricade asked incredulously.

"Yes, and with those Bots never letting her out of their sight, I can't get anywhere near her."

Seeing where this was going, Barricade said, "And you want me to provide some kind of distraction while you retrieve this treasure you speak of?"

"Exactly. Will you help me in claiming my prize?"

Barricade sneered. "Only if we can share the glory."

"Of course, after all, what's the fun in playing with a new toy if you're alone?"

Both holoform vanished and the cars sped out of the alley, each going a separate way.

Uh-oh! Sideways made a pact with Barricade! And, in case you all were wondering, yes I was thinking of the "Hello World" by Lady Antebellum music video when I wrote the first chapter. AND I was listening to it when I wrote the hospital scene in this one to get in the mood.

So Sam's mom passed away shortly after arriving in the hospital, but sadly, Sam never got to say her good-byes. Ratchet finally told her the truth. And Sideways still wants Sam. Major conflicts are happening!

Thanks so much for reviewing and keeping this story going!