Hey all. Sorry for the wait. This chapter was a little more difficult to write than i first thought it would be. I'm so glad that everyone has been enjoying this story, and I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has reviewed and commented on this most humble imagining of mine. Thank you all. Oh, and thanks to those who helped me out with information and pointing things out to me. Thank you for all your kind comments.

And so, without any further a due, chapter 25.

Disclaimer: i still don't own. Only Lyn, Shannon and Jack belong to me, as do any other of my own characters.

.................Change in place

''''''''''''''''Change in time

Trust me. Those two words were sacred, not to be thrown around without regard. When spoken with conviction, those two words could calm even the most troubled of hearts. Fears could be quelled with those two words. The gravest of situations seemed to be lightened with those two words. Lyn never said those words unless she knew that everything was going to be alright. She didn't like to make false promises, agree to things that she didn't know the ending to. The moment she told you to trust her, you knew that everything was going to be alright, that she knew to some extent what was going to happen, and that she was ready for it. And when she smiled like that, the worries that plagued a person's mind diminished. This was Lyn, and she would do anything to help. And usually, both Shannon and Jack trusted her judgment, trusted her with their lives, or at least that was how it felt from time to time. But this? This was different. This was something they'd never come across before. In fact, this was something that genuinely scared the ambulance personnel. They could only watch as the paramedic stepped onto the giant hand. The move felt like it had taken hours to execute, but in reality, it was only a few seconds. They watched anxiously as she turned to them and smiled.

"Jack, Shannon. It's ok. It's over now. They're here to help. Please. Trust me." There were those two words again. They watched the hand for a second longer before each taking the paramedic's own out stretched hands. It was a bit of a tight squeeze on the palm, meaning they had to hug on to each other in order to keep from falling off. Shannon bit down on a yell as the hand moved upwards, and not a moment too soon. The rubble and wood creaked and moaned as the pile was moved and shifted, the ominous sounds becoming louder and more frightening, until finally the weight won over the supports, the debris crashing onto the spot where they had been standing only moments before. The youngest of the team buried her head into the tall man's shoulder, weeping in shock and terror. Lyn rubbed her back, slamming her eyes shut as they were assaulted by the bright late afternoon sunlight. They were gently placed back on the ground, huddled in a group, arms wrapped around each other and practically oblivious to the world around them as they finally sat down. Jack kissed the mousy haired woman's crown, hushing her as tears turned into sobs. Lyn smiled, relief washing over her as the adrenaline subsided. She felt rather tired now, actually, and more than a little achy.

"Guys, we're safe now. It's over. It's all over." Lyn looked up at their rescuers, beaming despite being covered in dust and a little more than battered and bruised. Her eyebrow rose when she caught the smug, yet relieved smile coming from a certain red Lamborghini. She smiled back, allowing herself the opportunity to take in the happenings of the day. The street looked more like a battlefield, potholes littered the tarmac, trenches had been dug into the ground and there was the faint smell of what she had come to recognise as energon hanging in the air. Shannon's whole body shook as soft tremors signalled the approach of one of the mechs. Something was said in their language and, with some protestations from the Twins, the sound of shifting metal reached the humans' ears. The youngest member cast worried glances to the paramedic as she watched with terrified eyes as the huge robotic creatures changed into normal looking cars. All but one.

"Lyn?" The medic looked up to the source of the voice.

"Ratchet. You look like slag."

"Watch your language, young lady." His optics dimmed, preceding the appearance of his holoform, which pulled a worried squeak from the woman and a gasp from the man. Lyn, against her better judgement, stood and stepped towards him. One step was all she could make, the adrenaline that had been coursing through her body while she had been drawing Starscream's attention had finally been spent, and the cut on her leg was causing her trouble. The moment she put weight onto it, her leg gave out, sending her tumbling to the ground. Behind her, Shannon cried her name as Jack tried to get up, but found that his own injuries prevented such movement. But she never hit the ground. Instead she found herself being held up in the CMO's arms, using his body as a support. He moved quickly, scooping her up into his strong arms and sitting her on the ground next to Jack. Shannon tried shuffling away from him, but the technician held her firm.

"He's not gonna hurt us Shan. He just saved our lives." Ratchet nodded to the technician and smiled in thanks as he scanned their bodies simultaneously. Jack's leg was badly bruised and the muscle had been pulled, but other than that he was fine. Shannon was shaken but uninjured. But Lyn's leg was cut badly and, although it had been effective at the time, her makeshift bandage wasn't enough.

"I'm going to need to sort this out. How are you feeling Lyn?"

"A little groggy and tired, but hey, that could be from running practically half way across the state."

"You over exaggerate."

"I know. It sure as hell felt like it though." The CMO allowed himself a small smile as he worked on Lyn's leg, raising it and pulling a fresh bandage out of subspace.

"I'll be able to do more when we get back to the base." Shannon's breath hitched and she appeared to turn very pale. Her rise in stress levels did not go unnoticed. Ratchet cast his attention to her for a moment before turning back to his task.

"B-base? You mean...there are more of you?!" He sighed, tying off the bandage and proceeding to bandage the paramedic's wrist.

"Yes, there are. I thought you were going to talk to them, Lyn?" All eyes turned to the injured medic.

"I was, but you know, being chased down the street by a giant alien robot who's gunning for your blood kinda makes you forget about that."

"Wait, hold up. You mean..."

"Yeah, Jack. I knew. And this is what I was trying to talk to you about. Do you see now why I couldn't tell you?" Silence. Ratchet conducted one last scan on her before moving on to attend to any other injuries that he had missed. Lyn turned to her team mates. They were in shock, that much was obvious. Shannon looked about ready to faint. Jack simply couldn't keep his eyes off the holoform he had thought so many times was human.

"Sure had me fooled." The CMO smiled slightly, standing once again and helping them onto their feet. "So...wow, this is awkward."

"To be honest with you, I thought you may be a little more...surprised than this."

"Yeah well, give it time to actually sink in. I'll probably freak tomorrow. Shannon?" Acting fast, the technician caught the crumbling woman as she tumbled to the ground, the shock finally getting the better of her. Ratchet disappeared, the giant robot's optics brightening. The sound of grating metal was beginning to become less shocking for the technician now, but the disappearance and subsequent reappearance of the CMO was a little harder to get to grips with. The holoform took the unconscious woman from the man, laying her gently onto the stretcher bed in the back of the ambulance in front of them.

"It would be best to take you all to base, for safety. You know of us now, and we have yet to realise what sort of danger you could be in. And it will give you both a chance to meet the rest of the team." Jack looked to the paramedic, who smiled and nodded.

"Ok. Because Lynx trusts you, and I trust her, I'll come with you. I just hope you're ready for the screams when Shan wakes up."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. We've been through that roll call already, haven't we Lyn?" The medic smiled sheepishly, her cheeks flushing a pale pink.

"Well, the sight of giant robots when you first wake up isn't exactly the most comforting thing in the world, especially when one had nearly crushed you." Jack looked to her, eyes widening.

"What?"

"Long story. I'll fill you both in when we get to the base." The technician pulled himself up into the back of the ambulance, wincing as the pain shot through his leg.

"Do you want something for the pain?"

"Nah, it'll be fine." Ratchet nodded, before turning to the medic. She nodded, already limping towards the front of the robot's alt mode. Shaking his head, he closed his doors, the hologram disappearing from view. Now, the CMO could turn his attention back to the woman he had fallen for. She was struggling to pull herself up into the cab. Taking hold of her waist, he gently helped her up and into the seat. She was exhausted and about ready to drop off to sleep.

"Lyn, are you alright?" Her eyes opened a crack, green eyes meeting bright blue.

"I will be, Ratch. I just need some rest and maybe a few days R and R." The medic nodded, closing the door and vanishing, only to reappear in the driver's seat. Turning to the Paramedic, he smiled softly as she slept, stroking a hand through her now tattered and dusty hair. She stirred, nuzzling his hand and falling back to sleep.

"You had me worried, Lynx. I'm just glad you're safe." Starting his engine and keeping a sensor on each of his passengers, he set off for the long journey back to base.

Finally! I'm so very sorry about the wait guys. I've recently started work and haven't really found the time to write this, or any other of my fics for that matter. I hope you enjoyed it!

Peace!