Hi everyone! Hope you all like the new chapter! Please review and tell me what you think! On a side note, I'd think to thank all of you beautiful people who gave me horror movie films! I love you all! Thank you again!
As always, I own nothing!
~Mel

The day had quickly come for Alise to go to NEST.

Days prior to that Wednesday morning, she spent her last days at the Witwicky home with her new family. With each day getting closer to her departure, Mrs. Witwicky was getting more beside herself. Every moment she could she spent taking Alise from place to place, showing her every corner of South Gate and trying to spend as much 'mother-daughter' time with her as possible. The two didn't eat lunch at home that whole remaining week. As much as Mrs. Witwicky didn't want to admit it, she was trying to hold herself together by keeping busy. Though she was thrilled that her new daughter had gotten a job that made her happy, she was going to miss her severely.

She also went on a photographing frenzy, determined to have photos of her before she left. On one occasion, Alise and Sam had been sitting on the couch playing video games when she came bustling into the room, her camera in hand.

"Up, up, up!" she commanded quickly, practically buzzing with excitement. The two exchanged a glance before pausing the game and rising slowly to their feet, only to be guided over to the center of the room. She raised the camera in front of her face. "Now I want nice, big smiles out of both of you!"

"Oh, mom," Sam started to complain. "Do we really have to do this?"

She then put her hands on her hips and gave Sam a pointed looked.

"Samuel," she said sharply. "Alise is leaving us in a matter of days and I'll be damned if I do not get a photo of the two of you before she does! Now stand up straight, and smile!"

Alise and Sam laughed.

"Okay, mom, chill," Sam said lightly, and he put his arm around Alise's waist. She leaned back against him, and the two smiled as the flash went off.

Sam and Mr. Witwicky were doing better than the Mrs., but they were still feeling the affects of her soon to be departure also. Sam and his 'sister' spend time together by going to the movies or playing video games (Alise was surprisingly very good at some,) or they just hung out with Bee in the garage. Sam was also going to miss her dearly. He liked having another young person around the house, and not only did she make Bee happy, but she also was just fun to be around. He never knew he'd like having a sibling so much, and he had a feeling if it was anyone other than her, it wouldn't be the same.

Mr. Witwicky was going to miss his new daughter, too. Though he didn't have lunch dates or shopping excursions with her like Mrs. Witwicky did, or laugh with her along with her alien friend like Sam, he had spent many hours with her teaching her all the useful knowledge he could think of. What he taught her ranged from car maintenance to home repair to worldly advice, and he liked to tell her these things because she listened. Having a teenaged son who thought he knew everything and a wife whose response to these teachings was normally, "but that's what I have you for," it was refreshing change of pace to have someone who actually gained something from his lessons. She was also just a nice presence to be around, the room lighting up whenever she walked into it. He was going to miss that the most.

Mikaela had come over a few more times before she left also. The two didn't make many outings however, instead opting to stay in the Witwicky garage. They both found it to be their comfort place, and that they would rather be there together than anywhere else. Mikaela didn't get to see her off the day she left, but she did two days prior. Before she left the garage that night, she shared with Alise a lasting hug, shed some tears, and gave her one last piece of advice.

"If anyone gets too close, kick 'em where it hurts." With that, she kissed her on the check and walked out of the garage. Bee, who was in the room at the time, gave a firm chirp of agreement. Alise found it slightly amusing that everyone wasn't very worried about her being on a government island inhabited by alien robots, but that they were afraid the humans would do something to her. She was touched at their worry, but ultimately knew they had nothing to fret about. She knew Epps, Lennox, and the Autobots wouldn't let anything happen to her in the slightest.

The one person, however, who was most definitely taking her impeding departure the hardest was unsurprisingly, Bee. Every day was leading closer and closer to her leaving him, and it was killing him on the inside. He felt as if his Spark was going to tear out of his chest with every passing day, and the only time he felt whole again was when she slept on his chest at night, where he could watch over her. He tried not to let it show how much her leaving was ripping him apart. He didn't want her to feel guilty or like she couldn't leave him behind. He was mostly successful in this endeavor, but he couldn't hold back the pained look he would get whenever someone would mention it in front of him.

The two of them most definitely spent the most time together before that Wednesday. She slept in the garage with him for the remaining days she was there at night and during the day, when she wasn't being whisked away by one of the other Witwickys or Mikaela, the two would take drives all around South Gate, normally not having any destination or purpose. They were just to be in each other's comforting presence.

However, on one particular trip, the two decided to get out of South Gate. Deciding to just go where the wind took them, they ended up in Los Angeles after only a bit of driving. The large city wasn't too far away from South Gate so it wasn't exactly a trip, but they wanted to see what the city had to offer anyway. Not knowing where to start, Bee searched the World Wide Web for things to do in the city and he found some places to go. They didn't drive based on how close anything was, just if they wanted to go there at that exact moment.

The two had a great time driving around the city, even though the traffic was horrendous. Some of the places they ended up at were driving through Robertson Blvd., where Bee said a lot of famous people shopped and dined, Sunset Blvd., and to her utter amusement, Bel-Air. She almost died when Bee started to play the theme song to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the car, and was laughing so hard she wasn't making any noise, her stomach hurting. Her favorite site that they went to, however, was when they drove along the Malibu Coast.

The coast was beautiful and clear, and Alise asked Bee to roll down the window so she could take in a breath of the fresh salt air. After a few miles of driving, they pulled over on the road next to an entrance to the beach. There were other cars parked there, but they were the only living things there at the time. Alise opened the door and got out, taking a seat on Bee's hood and lying back against his front window. She closed her eyes, letting the sun shine upon her face, and started to absentmindedly run her fingers along his hood. Bee gave a gentle, content purr and Alise laughed, resting her cheek on the window.

After a moment, she looked up, taking in all the details of the area around them. She had only been to the beach a few times in her life, not living near any coast lines or ocean, but she loved the scenery. She thought the beach was beautiful to look at, and she noticed how everything seemed to go at a slower pace at the shore. Both the people and the creatures seemed to take their time around on the coast. In the distance, she saw dolphins jumping and surfers lazily sitting on their boards in the bright blue water. To add to the beauty, the sand was clean and there were dunes located at the side where birds of every space and size were taking residence. It looked like something on a postcard, and Alise marveled at how perfect it looked.

"Isn't it beautiful, Bee?" she asked him softly, curling herself on the hood contently. The two of them were perfectly comfortable and relaxed, the weight of the world and what was to come far away. They wanted to stay in this moment forever. He gave her a gentle chirp.

"'For some moments in life, there are no words,'" he voiced to her, lovingly. She recognized the voice as Willy Wonka. She smiled and nodded.

"I agree completely." They stayed in silence for a few moments, listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the sand and the gulls chirping in the air. Alise thought she was going to fall asleep so was so content, but then she had an idea. Slowly moving off of Bee's hood, she asked him to open the door, which he did, and she reached across the seat to her purse in the passenger's side. Opening it, she reached in and pulled out her camera. She seemed to be taking it everywhere these days.

Just at that time a male surfer in a wetsuit, a large board with him, walked up the boardwalk from the beach and started to walk pass them. Alise gave Bee a wide smile, and he gave her a confused chirp in response.

"Wait here," she excitedly whispered to him, and before he had time to protest, she had already started to run to the surfer.

"Excuse me," she asked the man, taping him on the shoulder. He turned around, and she had to quickly jump back to avoid being hit by his surf board.

"Yeah?" he asked her, looking at her curiously.

"Can you take a picture of us-me?" she asked, gesturing to the camera in her hand and quickly correcting her mistake.

He laughed and nodded. He continued in the direction of his car and propped his board against it, leaving it there as he turned back towards her. Alise headed back to Bee and she smiled at him before turning back around.

"Sure thing, babe," the surfer said lazily, taking the camera. Bee's engine revved at the man warningly, as Alise sat on his hood again, lying down against the window again. However, the surfer, not realizing that Bee just threatened him, smiled at the car. "Nice wheels."

Alise laughed and ran her fingers along Bee's hood as a calming gesture, unbeknownst to the surfer. "Thanks." She laughed again. "Make sure you get him in the picture." She then smiled up at the camera, placing her head against the window.

As he took the picture, he gave Alise an amused smile. "Him?" he asked, chuckling, his eyes on the center of the camera as the flash went off. She sat back up and took back the camera.

"Yes," she said brightly. "Thanks!"

The surfer then nodded and walked away.

Alise looked at the picture on the camera and smiled. It looked prefect. In the photo, Alise was smiling brightly at the camera and the man had gotten a good portion of Bee in it too, instantly making it one of her favorites. To top it off, the beautiful coastline was in the background, making the picture just as beautiful as the postcard it should have been on.

"You take a nice picture, Bee," she said humorously, stepping inside the Camaro form. She held the camera with image up to the rearview window. A chuckle entered the car.

"'I just have one of those faces,'" he voiced, and Alise laughed at his remark. She would have the picture printed the moment she got the chance at home. She then rested her head on the steering wheel. It had been a wonderful day. She was going to miss him so much.

The very night before that Wednesday, Alise had walked into the Witwicky living room to find Sam watching television, Mrs. Witwicky reading a book in a chair in the corner, and Mr. Witwicky at the table doing work. Looking at her family, all separated from each other on the night before she was supposed to go, she realized what she wanted to do that night. Running into the kitchen and putting a bag of popcorn in the microwave, she popped the bag and then returned to the room.

"Hey guys?" she asked. All three heads turned towards her. "Can we all watch a movie or something in the garage? I just want to spend my last night with everyone together."

All the Witwickys looked at each other and then turned back to her, smiling.

"Of course, Alise," Mr. Witwicky said, a fond smile on his face. Sam and Mrs. Witwicky nodded in agreement. They picked one of Alise's favorite movies, Ocean's Eleven, and then walked out into the garage. Bee was surprised at first to see all the Witwickys coming in together, but then he felt his Spark warm when he was told the reason of their arrival. The two older Witwickys sat down on a loveseat that was recently put in the room, the bowl of popcorn setting between them, and Alise and Sam both took spots on Bee's shoulders. Putting in the movie, they watched it as a complete family. They laughed, yelled, and winced as one. As they did this, Alise felt so completely at ease and happy, being with the ones she cared about and who cared about her.

But after awhile, she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of nerves form in the bottom of her stomach. Was she doing the right thing? she wondered to herself. She looked once more at the all the faces in the room. Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky's faces looking amused as they watched and sat next to each other, the two holding hands. Sam's laughing expression, who even after all he's been through was still able to do so. And Bee, her Bee, who looked over at her with the dearest, gentlest, and more sincere expressions, who she couldn't help but get closer to every day. Was she really going to leave them all behind, even if it would only be for a little while?

She thought to what she would be doing at NEST, helping the soldiers fight off the Decepticons in the smallest of ways. What they were doing was not for the faint-hearted, and she was proud to call these strong individuals her friends. What she was leaving to do would help not only them, but quite literally, the whole world. That's what she was leaving to do. And that's why she was still going to go.

So instead of fretting over the last few hours of her time with her family, she decided to enjoy it. Her time was limited, and she was going to make the most of it.

That Wednesday, Alise had gotten up earlier than she normally did. It was 7 o'clock in the morning, and Alise had to start to prepare. All of the Autobots, Epps, Lennox, and the rest of the NEST soldiers were coming to pick her up at 9. Apparently the air transportation they would be taking was located in Southern California, even further south than South Gate, and the Witwicky home was on the way there. She woke up on the chest of her Bee to see him looking down at her. She wanted to spend that last night in the garage with him, clinging with all her might to the last moments they had together. He gave her a gentle, yet unconvincing smile.

"Good morning," he said gently, taking a small lock of her hair and twisting it gently in his massive fingers. She turned her head and kissed on of his fingers lightly.

"Morning," she said softly. Then she added solemnly, "Today's the day."

His unrealistic smile faded and his eyes dimmed. He nodded. Sitting up, Alise placed her hand on his finger and rested her head on it, looking up at him. He bent his face down and they connected their foreheads for a moment. Alise closed her eyes. A feeling of comfort and familiarity passed between them for a moment, but it quickly faded. It didn't stop the inevitable.

"You sh-hould get-t ready," Bee said gently and unwillingly. Alise opened her eyes to see that his were closed. She nodded once.

"Okay," she replied, but her voice cracked. She hoped she wouldn't get too emotional too soon, but that obviously wasn't going to happen. She could already feel the tears brimming at her eyes. Bee opened his and looked at her sadness with a crestfallen expression. He took his hand and held her to his cheek as she wrapped her arms tightly around his face. She started to sob, not being able to hold it in. The sound started to tear Bee's Spark to pieces. He knew he had to be strong for her, but he wasn't feeling strong at the moment. Instead he just held her close as her tears continued to fall.

After a few moments of this, Alise had finally picked herself up and started to walk out of the garage, leaving him with a gentle kiss on his bottom lip and a promise that she would return soon. She didn't really have much to accomplish that morning, mainly just cleaning herself up, eating, and saying the rest of her goodbyes. She knew the tears she had just shed and wiped from her face wouldn't be the only ones that would appear that morning.

She didn't have any packing to do either. All of her needed items were still packed in her suitcases from Arizona. In fact, they were almost untouched since they were placed in her room the night she got back. The only thing she did with them was take out her camera and photo album. She had taken many pictures of her new family, and almost all of them were currently residing in the album, including the one of her and Bee from Los Angeles.

She hoped that she would be the first one up and about, but when she walked into the house, she was greeted with an odd, yet warming sight. Standing in the living room in front of her were the three Witwickys, all smiling at her. Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky were already dressed for the day, but Sam was still in his night clothes, a smile still present as face anyway. He was holding something behind his back.

"What's going on?" Alise asked as she entered, walking over to stand in front of them. Mrs. Witwicky started to speak, tears brimming at her eyes.

"We wanted to show you something," she said softly, her voice cracking. She took a calming swallow and nodded to Sam. Smiling brightly, he took out what was behind his back. Tears immediately started to leak from Alise's eyes.

It was the picture of her and Sam, the one taken just days earlier, placed a wooden frame. In the photo, Sam, wearing his lazy grin, had his hand wrapped around her waist as she gave the camera a bright smile, her head resting against his shoulder. She put a hand over her mouth, not knowing what to say. Emotion was ripping through her, and she had lost the ability to talk.

"We wanted-" Mrs. Witwicky cut herself off, starting to choke on her own words. "We wanted to have a picture of our two children together, before the one left." Gently taking the picture frame out of Sam's hands, she walked over to one of the tables in the room and placed it on it, adjusting it slightly. She then turned back towards Alise, tears streaming down her face. "This is so you know you will always have a home here."

Alise let out a sobbing noise, and she walked up and embraced Mrs. Witwicky tightly. The tears from each other's faces were leaking onto the other's shirts, and the two stayed in this position for at least five minutes.

"Thank you," Alise breathed as she clung to the older woman. "I don't know what to say-"

"You don't need to say anything," Mr. Witwicky said to her, walking up and placing a hand on her shoulder. "You've given us so much, Alise. We wouldn't want you to come home anywhere but here."

"Yeah, Lise," Sam added. "It just won't be the same here without you here anymore. We're gonna miss you."

Tears were now flooding her face.

"I'm gonna miss you all so much!" she cried, and then she wrapped the three in a giant bear hug. Looking into all their faces, she noticed that not only Mrs. Witwicky's face was full of tears, but that water was brimming in the eyes of Sam and Mr. Witwicky as well. The sight both warmed her heart, and broke it down. She was going to miss them dearly.

9 o'clock had come quicker than any of them expected. The time had seemed to not only fly, but soar out the window. It was almost exactly on the hour when a rumble started to sound through the neighborhood. Moments later, a parade of bright, large colored vehicles pulled into the street. The first was Optimus's Petebilt form, colorful as ever with its red and blue flames. Next was Ratchet's rescue Hummer, followed by Ironhide's Topkick. However, following at the end of the line of Autobots was a navy blue car that Alise didn't recognize. Lastly, after all the colored vehicles, were three black vans, which she assumed held the remaining NEST soldiers.

All the Witwickys and Alise were standing outside when they rolled in, and they all cringed at the sound of the tires screeching in protest as they came to a stop. When they came to a halt, out of Ironhide stepped Epps and Lennox. They walked up to the four in the driveway, smiles on their faces. Epps and Lennox both embraced the two women and shook hands with the two men, greetings being exchanged between them. Epps then turned to Alise and smiled.

"All packed?" he asked. Alise looked at the suitcases at her sides and her purse next to them. She gently nodded.

"I think so," she responded, a small smile on her face. He nodded in approval.

"Great. The three of us will be ridding with Ironhide, but when we get to the clearing to take off, Lennox and I are gonna fly with our men. You'll stay with him though." Alise nodded in understanding. "Any last goodbyes?"

She nodded again.

"I just need a moment."

They gently smiled, and then started to carry her stuff over to Ironhide as she headed in the direction of the garage. She opened the door and walked in. Bee looked at her as she did this, a faraway look in his eyes.

"They're here," she said gently, stating the obvious. He nodded in reply, looking away. "You going to come out?" He nodded again. He looked as if he was about to transform when she said, "Wait." He looked at her, his blank expression replaced with a confused one. She walked up to him. "I want to say bye first."

Bee let out a shaky sigh. He quickly reached down and picked her up, bringing her directly to his face. She immediately wrapped her arms around his face and hugged him tightly, him doing the same to her with his fingers. Alise started to release tears once more, but she wasn't sobbing like before. She placed gentle kisses along his face and then buried hers in his. Bee ran his fingers through her hair, savoring every strand, remembering the texture and feel. He memorized her scent and her touch, and he ran his metal lips over her forehead, giving her the closest thing he could to a kiss of his own. He pulled away from her gently to look her in the face.

"I'll be wait-ting right h-here," he told her promisingly, "for you to come bac-ck." He made this promise with all his Spark.

Alise let out a choked noise and placed her forehead back on his.

"I know," she said shakily. "I know you will."

He held her tighter for a moment. "If anything happens-s to you-"

"Nothing will," she cut him off, assuring him. "I will be back. I will be alright." He nodded. With a fresh trail of tears running down her face, she choked out, "I going to miss you. So, so much."

"I already mis-ss you," he said softly. "Stay safe."

She nodded and gave him one last lingering kiss, and one last lingering hug.

He then unwillingly put her down on the ground, both knowing it was time for her to go. Bee transformed into his Camaro form and Alise opened the large garage door for them to exit. Before they did, Alise rested her hand on his hood, letting it linger there for a moment. The metal warmed at her touch. She gave him a small smile, and then withdrew. He drove up next to Sam and she walked next to him. Lennox was standing there with the Witwickys when they reached the tiny group, him and Mr. Witwicky speaking.

"Keep my girl safe," he told Lennox sternly, who nodded solemnly.

"Of course, Ron." Mr. Witwicky nodded at him, shook his hand, and then walked back to Ironhide. The group turned towards Alise.

"I guess I should be off," she said lightly, and they all nodded. She gave the three humans all long hugs and lastly gave Bee a small kiss on his hood. Knowing that would be the last touch she would give him in a long time made her heart twist painfully. The thought hit her like a bullet. She then knew she couldn't deny what she felt for him then. So with her insides in pieces, started to walk towards Ironhide.

The door opened to her and Epps was there, laughing almost to the point of tears as he pulled her in. The sight almost made her forget about her torn heart for a moment.

"What'd I miss?" Alise asked curiously, willing to take her off her sad departure.

Epps laughed. "We were just saying that we should try and find 'Hide a girl. You know, soften him up a little," he answered with a smirk on his face.

'Hide grunted roughly. "The probability of my courting of a human femme is highly unlikely," he replied, making Lennox and Epps's laughter grow. Alise smiled also. She was glad she would be riding with them.

She looked out the window and back to her family who were still standing there, watching the cars. She also saw Sam say something to Bee. She waved to them, but they didn't wave back. She was a little shocked at first, but then quickly realized that they wouldn't be able to see her through the tinted windows of the Topkick. She put her hand down and just looked at them. All their faces, whether they had happy expressions or sad ones, were mixed with tears. But the face that she wanted to see the most she couldn't, because his Camaro form wouldn't allow that. She drew in a deep sigh, trying to calm herself.

With that, the Autobots started to pull away, taking her with them, one single thought passing through her mind.

I love you.