Here's the next chapter! The next one will probably be delayed a little! Just a heads up:

I'm preparing for a choir concert and, also, a band competition at Great America coming up, and getting ready for graduation (June 10) so I'm very excited!

I sat on the cold metal berth in the Med Bay, seriously wishing for some insulated heat or a blanket or something. I sat there for over an hour, Ratchet had just finished running all sorts of tests on me, and now he was talking to Optimus. Of course, Sunstreaker refused to leave so, yea, he was there too. They were in another room, but I could still hear them, even though I really didn't want to. I was just worried about Barricade. I had managed to convince Ratchet to fix him, but the minute we arrived at the base, he was hauled off to the brig for questioning. I felt terrible for how they were treating him, but no matter what I said they wouldn't change their minds.

"How is she, Ratchet?" I heard Optimus ask, almost softly. Ratchet sighed.

"Well, she's alive. That is, unfortunately, the only piece of good news I can give you." He sounded regretful that he said that. My gaze shifted downwards when I realized that he knew. He was going to tell them. I couldn't help but be slightly ashamed of myself.

"What do you mean? What did Sideways do to her?" Sunstreaker asked. Another sigh escaped Ratchet. Then a few clicks and whirs lead me to believe that they were discussing it in Cybertronian. Thank God I don't understand it!

"Cybertronian" "Normal"-

"Sideways is a sick and twisted Decepticon; ex-Decepticon." Ratchet corrected himself. "He has used a different means of torture on Sam. And I regretfully say this now, but he has also tried the same thing when he attacked her at her home."

"And this means of torture is?" asked Optimus. Ratchet dimmed his optics.

"He raped her. She has too many marks on her body to prove otherwise and when I had asked her, she couldn't give me a direct answer."

This news floored the two mechs. Sunstreaker was clenching and unclenching his fists and growling, and Optimus' face was a mix of shock and anger.

"WHAT?" Sunstreaker shouted in plain English. Optimus turned his head towards Sam and saw her jump a Sunstreaker's sudden loud voice. He felt concern and sadness rise up in him and turned back to Racthet.

"Ratchet, I shall be in my office if you need me."

"Yes, sir."

I was a little surprised at Sunstreaker's reaction, but I knew to expect it. I didn't want to make any form of contact with anyone; I just wanted to crawl under a rock for the rest of my life. Optimus walked past me and I couldn't even look at him. I felt his gaze on me, but I kept my eyes on the floor. It wasn't till he was at the door I heard him stop.

"I want you to know that none of this is your fault, Sam. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

I was surprised when he said that, but I narrowed my eyes. "Then why won't you let Barricade go?"

He didn't say anything. I don't expect him to. The Med doors opened and shut. I looked up and saw that Optimus had left. I knew it. They're not going to let him go just for saving me, so why bother?

A cop can't release a dangerous criminal just because he rescued a helpless kitten. The world doesn't work that way, so why should the Autobots be any different?

"Sam." I slightly jumped at Ratchet's voice. I was half-expecting Sideways to be there and it scared me. I was going to continue to be paranoid until Sideways was taken care of. I looked into his concerned optics.

"As much as I hate to say this, I'm going to release you. You need your rest and I doubt that you're going to find it here. Sunstreaker will take you back to your room." On cue, Sunstreaker came in, gently scooped me up, and left the Med Bay.

It was quiet on the way back to my room. I had no idea what to feel at this point, of course I was tired, but I didn't know what to say to Sunstreaker.

'It wasn't until I was taken by Sideways that I realized that I love him.' But how was I going to tell him that?

After a while, I notice we stopped in front of my room. Sunstreaker set me on the ground while he transformed (I had to lean on the wall for support) and activated his holoform. I didn't realize how weak I actually was until I tried to walk on my own. That didn't work out so well. I took one step forward only to have my legs give out from under me and I fell. Luckily, Sunny caught me, but a whimper escaped me. I was in so much pain.

"Hang on, Sam. I got ya." He said softly. He grabbed one of my arms and held it over his shoulder and put his other arm around my waist and helped me into my room. After stumbling across my room, we finally made it to my bed. He gently set me down and sat next to me. It was quiet for a couple of minutes.

"I'm sorry, Sam." He murmured. I looked at him, confused. "I wasn't there to protect you. I-I just needed time to think, and I was going to come get you when Sideswipe commed me-"

"Sunstreaker." I interrupted him. I looked into his brilliant blue eyes that were full of concern, guilt, and love. All for me. "I've been doing some thinking too."

He took my hand in both of his and held it to his chest. This may be his holoform, but I'm still amazed at how real it is. I can actually feel his spark beat. My cheeks flushed a bit as he stared into my eyes, completely serious. (A/N: For any Fruits Basket fans, he kind of reminds me of Kyo).

"I swear on my spark, on every ounce of life I have left in my body, I'm going to protect you. Nothing is ever going to take you away from me ever again." His voice held so much possession in it that it almost scared me. But after gazing into his glowing eyes, I realized that the fear was replaced by my overwhelming desire to be with him.

I shifted on my bed, ignoring the shooting pain up my back, and scooted closer to him. My face inches from his; I could feel his hot breath on my face, smelling sweet and tangy.

"I love you, Sunstreaker. I'm only sorry it took me so long to realize it." He gently placed a soft hand on my cheek and I leaned into it.

"I want you to be with me. To be mine and only mine." His possessive side was taking over again. I know it because I've seen it before. I wasn't sure how to respond to his statement, but he leaned in closer to me.

"I want you to be my sparkmate." He whispered. I was so shocked that I pulled away from him as he was about to kiss me. I became a little nervous.

"What? Th-That's a lot to ask, Sunstreaker. Being together is one thing, but bonding is more serious than human marriage. I don't even know if it's possible for a Cybertronian to bond with a human." I back up to my headboard and leaned against my pillow. Sunstreaker followed, so he was over me, his arms on either side of me.

"We'll make it work. I don't want anyone else to have you." I was getting worried about how serious he was about this. I tried to think of a way to get him off.

"Look, Sunstreaker, I'm really tired and Ratchet said I need my rest, so um, yea." I said nervously. He didn't move though. "Sunstreaker." I said, more sternly this time. I gasped when he suddenly dropped his whole weight on my body. I tried to fight him.

"No Sunstreaker! GET OFF!" I yelled at him, but his holoform was stronger than me. He leaned his face to my ear.

Just relax, Sam. Everything will be fine." My eyes widened as I had a flashback of Sideways.

"This will all be over soon." Sideways' voice came from Sunstreaker's mouth.

Hot tears burned my eyes and I squeezed them shut so I wouldn't see Sideways' looming face. He placed his lips softly on my neck.

"SIDEWAYS, STOP!"

!

I sat up screaming. I stopped and panted heavily and noticed that Sunstreaker wasn't on me anymore. In fact, I wasn't even in my room anymore. I was in the Med Bay, on the berth. The blanket covering my legs. A beeping sound caught my attention and I looked over and saw that I had an IV and several wires hooked up on my body and a heart monitor. A door sliding open and rushing footsteps turned my attention to Ratchet rushing in.

"Sam! Sam, are you okay?" he asked, scanning me and checking the monitors. I started to freak out again.

"W-What's going on? Where's Sunstreaker? H-He was just here, and Sideways-!" I hyperventilated ad my eyes frantically searched the room.

"Sam, calm down. It was all just a bad dream. You've been unconscious for a few days. Thank Primus you even woke up at all." He said, rubbing a finger up and down my back for comfort.

I looked at him, confusion etched all over my face. "What?"

"Your injuries were more severe than I first thought. You fell unconscious on the way back. The Autobots and higher commanding human officers have already been briefed of what happened. Sunstreaker refused to leave your side until his energon levels were running low. He actually just left to the rec. room a few hours ago to refuel. I told him I would comm. him should anything change. I guess I should contact him." He said as he sent a private comm. to Sunstreaker.

"But-but-but-but we were in my room. He-" I stopped, realizing that Ratchet was right there. Maybe it was just a dream.

"He what?" Ratchet asked, silent anger etched in his voice.

"Nothing." I muttered. I was so confused. If I had been unconscious this whole time, then what happened to Barricade?

The Med Bay door opened and Sunstreaker walked in. I tensed a little but he hadn't noticed me.

"What's going on, Doc Bot?" he asked casually.

"See for yourself." Ratchet motioned towards me and Sunstreaker looked surprised. I, on the other hand, was nervous. Thanks a lot Ratchet.

"Sam, you're awake! How are you feeling?" he asked, rushing to my side.

"Fine, I'm fine." Sunstreaker raised an optic at my behavior, but said nothing. Instead he looked to Ratchet.

"She just woke up from a nightmare." Ratchet explained.

"Oh."

"I was actually planning to release Sam after I ran a few more tests, so you can take her back to her room. She needs rest and I doubt she'll find it here."

I breathing hitched. It was just like my nightmare. I wanted to stall as long as I could.

"What happened to Barricade?" Where is he?" the sudden demand in my voice surprised me, as well as the two mechs. Ratchet cleared his throat.

"Barricade is fine, Sam." He reassured, his voice was gentle. Sunstreaker crossed his arms over his chassis and snorted, mumbling something about 'lucky I didn't get a hold of him'. Ratchet jammed his elbow into Sunny's side, receiving a loud yelp from said mech.

"Dammit, Ratchet!"

"Language." Ratchet warned, then turned to me. I tried not to smile, I had really missed their antics. "Anyways, I had finished Barricade's repairs this morning and he left for a meeting with Optimus. We were all very surprised at Barricade's announcement of leaving the Decepticons. We almost didn't believe him until we discovered that Barricade actually rescued you."

I thought about how they would have made that deduction. Figuring that they showed up as Sideways made his retreat, and seeing the bad shape Barricade and I were in, they must have put one and two together.

"He did save me. He stood up for me and he protected me." I confirmed, just to give them peace of mind to know they were right. Ratchet nodded in understanding while Sunstreaker still scoffed.

"I still don't trust him. He could just be saying that, thinking we'd welcome him with open arms, so he can steal our information and pass them along to Megatron." I clenched my fists.

"That's not true, Sunstreaker!" I snapped and he flinched. "He doesn't even want to be an Autobot. He just wants to stay out of this war, as a neutral. You weren't there! You weren't there when he said that to me, you didn't hear the sincerity in his voice. You weren't there when he save me. You weren't there, Sunstreaker! But he was!" Tears welled up, but I had to hold them back for the sake of showing him he was wrong.

"Why are you sticking up for him?" he snapped back. "I know I wasn't there, and I should've been! I should've been there to protect you, and I wasn't. If I had been there, Sideway's wouldn't have even touched you. You may think you're grown up on this planet, but to us, you're still just a sparkling. You haven't been a part of our war for very long. You weren't there back on Cybertron, where he took the lives of so many- citizen and soldier. Once a Con always a Con. You don't know what goes on in his mind, Sam!"

"And you do?" I asked incredulously. He paused for a moment, before turning and walking towards the door.

"I'm going out for a drive." He grunted. I stared after him, but a sigh from Ratchet caused me to turn back around.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with him. But what happens to Barricade is ultimately Optimus' decision. Whether he wants to remain neutral or not. Now, I've commed Sideswipe and he's going to take you to your room to rest. You've had a pretty eventful week and I'm far too busy here." Ratchet said. I nodded.

"You know, he was really worried about you, Sam. You should've seen him when we were searching for you. From day one you've touched his spark, and you continue to change him."

Before I could say anything, the doors opened and Sideswipe strode in.

"Hey, what's up, doc?" I had to chuckle at the Bugs Bunny phrase. Sides grinned and Ratchet shook his head. It was amazing; it was as if the whole atmosphere lightened up.

"How's it goin', kid?" he asked.

"Good, I guess." I smiled half-heartedly. I knew he was just trying to cheer me up; he's always been good at that. That's why I always used to see him as kind of like a big brother.

"Sideswipe, take Sam back to her room so she can rest. I have work that needs to be done."

"Okey-dokey, Ratch." Sideswipe gave him the 'okay' sign, scooped me up, and walked out of the Med Bay. I didn't see, but I was pretty sure Ratchet shook his head and rolled his optics.

We made it to my room pretty quickly, probably because I wasn't paying attention. He activated his holoform and guided me to my bed. I just decided to wait for him to help me, not wanting to chance my stability by myself. He gently set me down and sat next to me. He was quiet and it was starting to get awkward. He looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't quite know how to say it. It was like his whole demeanor had changed from being completely carefree a minute ago to troubled; he was like a different person, erm, mech.

"You know, Sunstreaker really cares about you." He finally said.

"I know." He looked at me. "Ratchet told me." He nodded.

"He was really hurt after that argument about Barricade. I may not know the whole guardian-thing as well as Sunny, but I'm still his twin. I can feel all of his emotions through our bond." Then he chuckled. "He's never been good at controlling his emotions." He went back to serious. "But that's just to show he really cares."

Guilt welled up so much in my chest that I thought I was going to throw up. Maybe I shouldn't have snapped at him like I did, he was only trying to protect me. I knew Sunny was terrible at keeping his emotions in check, but I never took the time to understand the real reasons behind his blow-ups.

"I know he didn't mean to yell at me. I feel terrible for snapping at him." I choked. "It's just that I wouldn't even be here right now if it weren't for Barricade. And now I feel like he doesn't even stand a chance because of his past and there's nothing I can do about it!" Sideswipe grabbed my hand and pulled me into a tight hug. I gasped at the sudden action.

"I know, Sam, I know." His voice sounded forced, as if he was struggling for control. Then he started sniffling, and, before I realized it, we were sobbing in each other's shoulders.

"I'm so sorry, Sam!" he sobbed. "We should've been there for you from the very beginning. We should've followed you and Nina home, we should've stayed with you at your house, and we should've waited for you at school!" Not knowing where this was coming from only made me sob harder. It was confusing; Sideswipe said we. As far as I was concerned, it was only Sunstreaker.

Thinking of my mom made it so much worse. I really needed her right now; I wanted to have a heart-to-heart mother-daughter conversation with her giving me helpful advice.

"You'll be alright, honey." Her voice, like angels, rang in my head. My eyes widened, and I squinted through the tears.

"Mommy."

"It'll be alright. I'm right here and I'm never going to leave you. Just follow your heart. Sunstreaker really loves you."

Sideswipe pulled away, rubbing his eyes. I had no idea up to this point that their holoforms could cry.

"Sorry about that." He chuckled. It was like he was suddenly back to his normal self, which totally threw me off. He gave me a childish grin. "Sometimes Sunny's emotions can get pretty out of hand, so they flood through the bond and mess with my processor."

"So, he must be pretty upset, huh?" I asked. He looked at me with a sympathetic look.

"Yea, but don't worry. He'll get over it eventually."

'But how long will eventually be?' I thought.

"Well," he sighed, standing up, "I'd better go so you can rest." I smiled.

"Okay. Bye Sideswipe, and thanks for everything." He smiled back.

"No problem. See ya' later!" The door slid shut behind him and I was left alone in the dark room. I laid down, instantly feeling relief in my body from my comfy bed. I snuggled into my pillow and my blankets. As much as I wanted to relax, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen; something bad.

Here's the next chapter! So, Sam had a pretty bad nightmare and is causing some tension between her and Sunny. Not only that, when Sides has the talk with her, he breaks down! But the question is, was it Sides apologizing to her, or was it Sunny? The truth will be revealed in the next chapter! Also, what is Sam's 'bad feeling'?

Find out next time!