Part 5: Not the Only One-

"What was that all about?" Bumblebee murmured as he went to catch up with Amber and Megan wow were flagging him down from across the way.

His mind swarmed with thoughts as Megan babbled on to him about some idea Amber had had.

Who was that woman? How did she know who he was? How on Earth did she find out? Out of the corner of his eye,he caught sight of her leaving the firing range. She happened to catch his gaze then left in the opposite direction, ponytail bobbing back and forth as she went. He watched her go and heard a sharp "SNAP!" in his ear that caused him to jump back about a foot.

"...You weren't even listening to me!" Megan exclaimed. Bumblebee felt his face go red hot.

"I-I...I didn't mean to, honest!" he sputtered. Megan laughed at how quickly his face reddened. He waited until he felt normal again to speak."What were you talking about?

Megan returned to a calm demeanor and starting explaining Amber's idea over again.

Well out of ear shot of the trio, Elle stopped in her tracks and sighed as she leaned against the side of the building. She looked back at them, staring at the male blonde,his hands shoved casually into his pockets as he listened to the other two girls go on about something.

It has to be him, she thought. Who else could he be? She bit her lip as she mulled over her thoughts.

Looking around,it dawned on her,as it had many a time before, how normal she looked to everyone else, even though she knew she was not normal. Looking down at her hands reminded her of what she had been, something made of steel and wires,not flesh and blood. Processors replaced brains, optics were what substituted for eyes, and everything was so much bigger. Well, here on Earth anyways. Yes, at one point, she had been one of them,one of the Autobots, and a damn good one at that. She had no trouble handling a gun and could shoot a fair sized target from a good ways off. Luckily,this same skill easily translated to the form she currently found herself in, the result of a freak accident during a lightning storm. She shuddered,

Remind me to never stand alone in an open field again!

"Hey,'lita," a voice said from behind her. She looked over her shoulder to find a man standing close by her, his face riddled with scars that had healed over in odd ways. He had black hair that grayed as it curled around his face and sprung up in tufts here and there. Sporting and old leather jacket, paired with worn,black work boots, faded jeans and a gray tee shirt that had seen better days,he was ready to work.

Elle grinned at him,he was the only person who knew about her predicament, which also made him the only person to still call her by her real name. Her real name was "Elita", the name given to her back on Cybertron.

" The hell have you been doing?" she asked her companion as she looked him over.

"Nothing!" he exclaimed in frustration. Rough hands ran through his dark locks and he let out a heavy groan."I mean,I can't go around acting like I know everything there is to know about the weapons the Autobots use!"

Elita watched him slump to the floor and did the same right beside him. She looked over at him sympathetically. "Tough, isn't it?" she commented conversationally. He nodded somberly. "I know how you feel..." she sighed,hugging her arms around her chest. They fell silent for some time,neither one sure of where to take the conversation next.

Elita glanced over at her friend so as to look him over once more. She could remember what he had,too,been like when he was an Autobot. However intimidating the old weapon's specialist might have been,nor one to be messed with in battle, he was a big softy way deep down. I guess that's why they called him Ironhide, because no matter how tough the exterior is, it doesn't show what's beneath.

"You never told me..." she started in a hesitant manner."How it happened,you know, how you became human?"

Ironhide said nothing,but his expression changed to one of discontent as he recalled that day.

"I can safely say that was the worst day ever,worst few days as a matter-of-fact," he began with a sigh. His hand was covering his eyes and she began regretting asking the question in the first place. "You remember me telling you what happened with Sentinel, right?" he said with his teeth barred in anger.

Elita nodded.

"Well, Optimus had me guarding the old bastard when he decides to turn on the Autobots! And the first thing he does?"

It took her a moment to realize that this was a legitimate question,not a rhetorical one.

"...Uh...he shot you in the back...?"

"He shot me in the back! And let me tell you, you do not want to be on the receiving end of the blast from a cosmic rust cannon," Ironhide said with a finger pointed in Elita's direction.

"So then how are you alive?" she asked.

"I...I honestly don't know, I really should be dead," he sighed heavily."All I know is, the next moment I was being woken up but someone telling me to get my lazy ass off the street because the area was strictly prohibited. Before I could even get a word out,I was being thrown off the property of one of the N.E.S.T. Headquarters,"

Elita grinned."And yet you still managed to sneak right back in, didn't you?"

He looked proud of himself as he gave an affirmative nod.

"Yes,yes I did!" he beamed.

Elita let herself laugh."Sneaky! Very sneaky!" she punched his arm playfully."When exactly did you figure out you weren't yourself?"

"Only moments later, there was a river near by and...well,I couldn't transform, that was a big clue..." he bit into his tongue with his top row of teeth."I saw my reflection in the water and...you get the idea,kinda freaked out!"

"You're not alone there," she mumbled under her breath.

They returned to silence which was only broken now and again by a sigh or a shift in movement. Elita fell into watching the comings and goings of the others in the building, not much was going on today, not much was going on anymore. The Autobots were pretty much there to help solve human conflicts, which isn't as bad as fighting Decepticons, but at least it gives you something to do. She smirked as she thought about what other might say if they knew that the Autobots were now helping organics and that some of them WERE organics! Organics hadn't been very popular back on Cybertron, they were called "impure" and "vulgar". Elita saw nothing wrong with them, she was starting to doubt any nay sayers had ever met an organic to begin with! Of course, now they kind of had to put up with the, they were stuck on an organic planet after all, surely Optimus...

...Optimus...

The name could barely cross her mind without making her heart skip a beat. She hated that feeling, that feeling of longing that can never be satisfied. He probably had forgotten about her, or thought her dead. And it was better that way, she didn't want him worry about her, she could take care of herself, couldn't she? Of course she could, she was a full grown woman after all, how hard could it be.

She groaned and buried her face in her arms so no one could see how red her face had gotten, even if Ironhide was the only one who would notice. Instead of focusing on what was on her mind, she turned to the conversations going on around her. Most were pretty boring and average, just about petty human problems,but one did manage to catch her attention well enough, an exchange between William Lennox and Sam Witwicky.

"...Anything?" Sam asked.

Elita popped her head up slightly.

Lennox shook his head."Nothing," he replied.

Sam looked crestfallen.

The elder man let out a sigh."Look,Sam, I know you're worried,but,I'm sure he's fine,he'll turn up soon enough,"

"Maybe you're right," Sam said with fists clenched tight."But, what if he doesn't? What if he never..."

"Sam! Bumblebee's you're best friend,why would he do something like that?"

Sam didn't reply, he just stared downward. Lennox placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I want you to go home and take your mind off of this for a while, alright? I'll let you know if we find out anything,"

After a moment or two, Sam nodded then left,not noticing two pairs of eyes following him as he went. Once Sam was gone, Ironhide turned to Elita and said,

"So, where do you think he is?"

"Huh?"

"Where do you think Bumblebee disappeared to?" Ironhide repeated.

"Oh! Him! Did you see that three some come in this morning? The two girls and the guy?"

"With Wes? What about them?'

"Well I think that the boy's Bumblebee,"

Ironhide was dumbstruck. This was not the answer he was expecting. He laughed.

"That's crazy! Like he would ever do something like that!"

"Like either of us MEANT to do it,"

"...Touche...What makes you think it's him?"

"He's pretty good with a gun, he stuck up for the other girls when Simmons was bashing them, oh, and he hates Simmons,SO hates Simmons,"

"Everyone hates Simmons!" Ironhide exclaimed.

"Ironhide, come on! You just don't want to admit that I'm right!" Elita said as she jumped onto her feet.

Ironhide laughed and got up as well."You want to bet?"

Elita, evening knowing that he was asking this question in a joking manner, smiled slyly and folded her arms across her chest.

"Yes, yes I do," she said."Twenty bucks and dinner to the winner, sound fair?"

"You've got yourself a deal!"

The pair shook on it,then each went their separate ways in satisfaction at what they had accomplished.

Back at the Sullivan's home, Megan confronts Bumblebee about something that's been bugging her all morning.

"Why didn't you tell Sam?" she asks as she enters the garage where she finds Bumblebee leaning against an older version of the Chevrolet Camaro that had been Bumblebee's vehicle mode as a robot. Wes loves older cars, and purchased the car before knowing the Autobots, he's been keeping it in good condition ever since. Bumblebee didn't respond, he didn't want to.

"Why didn't you tell Sam?" Megan asked in a harsher tone.

He tried not to pay attention, acting like he hadn't even noticed she was there.

"You know he's worried about you," she said, noticing what he was doing."I mean, I know you said you didn't want to tell anyone, I get that you 'wanted a break', but you should have told him! I figured you would have at least told..."

"Megan!" Bumblebee snapped with irritation. She looked at him with surprise. His hands rested on the Camaro's hood and he stared at her intently."Stop! I know what I'm doing! I've got it under control!"

"I find that hard to believe," she replied."Did you think that the other day when you were lost in the woods the other day? Hm? What was you plan then? If Amber and I hadn't found you, you'd probably be collapsed in a pile of scrape metal!"

He was about to storm off but Megan got between him and the door before he could.

"We promised Sam we'd help him look for you, here you are!" he pushed past her."It's on your head to tell him," she called after him."Not mine!"

He just walked away shaking his head.

Megan leaned against the wall,handing covering her face in distress she sunk to the floor.

"Why does he have to be so stubborn?"