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Marli had taken to sitting, very stiffly, at the foot of my bed. She looked anxious. Celia stood behind her, looking emotionless. I hadn't felt such discomfort before in my life.

We all kind of just sat, and stood, there in an awkward silence, unsure on what to do or what to say. I could see in Marli's eyes that she really wanted something to happen; but she was too anxious to really do anything about it. Celia seemed stone cold, distant and cautious. The look in Celia's eyes reminded me of an animal, a predator, ready to attack at any given moment. It worried me, seeing her look cold and closed off. But I didn't know what kind of torture they probably endured during their imprisonment.

"So, uhm..." I started anxiously, "...was there something you wanted to...uhm...start with?"

Marli shifted a little where she sat, wringing her hands on her lap. She opened her mouth, trying to say something, but quickly shut it, as if she were thinking about how to start.

"Yes," Marli said after a moment. "I-I wanted to know...what happened?"

"What happened?" I asked.

The anxiousness in Marli's eyes intensified a little, her mouth settling in a small frown. "Between when NEST shut down and now. What happened?"

"I went to go stay with my brother and his fiancée for a little bit, then Cemetery Wind started hunting us down." I frowned slightly. Celia and Marli shared a look, and the look on Celia's face was still borderline unreadable.

"They hunted you down?" Marli asked. "For five years?"

I nodded. "All the Autobots were being hunted," I said slowly. "I stayed with Optimus because I wanted us stay together."

"We know the Autobots were being hunted," Celia said in a harsh tone, interrupting Marli before she could say anything. "We endured the same kind of fear and pain as the others."

I opened my mouth to say something, but Celia gave me a pointed look.

"I don't want any interruptions. Understood?" I nodded wordlessly. "Do you know how long we were held captive in that godforsaken place? They experimented on us, Desirée. It felt like we were going to die. Can you imagine, Desirée? One moment you're seeing the one thing you love die before your eyes, then you're taken captive and experimented on for years at a time?" I swallowed thickly. "Let me answer! It's a nightmare! No, saying 'nightmare' would be putting it lightly! It was unbearable. I was hoping - praying - they would kill me."

"Celia..." Marli murmured harshly.

"No! I'm tired of you thinking that she's innocent!" Celia's eyes filled with tears, her face contorting in rage. "She had to have known! There was no way she couldn't have! What did you think would happen when Cemetery Wind captured their targets?! Let them run free like nothing happened? No! They locked their targets up and experimented on them."

Marli stood up, looking at her friend. I laid there, unable to comprehend the information they'd told me. Cemetery Wind experimented on them? I felt the backs of my eyes sting with unshed tears. My throat tightened, trying to contain the sobs that wanted to rip through my body.

"Desirée, we were treated like guinea pigs for so long," Marli said, the tone of her voice tired. "We want you to understand what we're trying to tell you. Our lives were in danger every single day we were locked up - every single day those scientists decided they wanted to try a newer experiment on us."

"I-I didn't know," I rasped. "I'm so, so sorry...I-If I'd known..."

"Yeah, 'if you had known'," Celia spat.

"Celia, that's enough." Marli gave Celia a look. Looking back at me, Marli seemed apologetic. "I think it would be best if we took a break for right now. Things are getting a little too intense, and we were told you're expecting another baby!"

I nodded wordlessly.

"Congratulations on the new addition," Marli said softly. "How about we finish this up tomorrow? Would that be OK?"

Nodding wordlessly, I watched as Marli put a comforting hand on Celia's forearm, leading her out of my bedroom without another word and without a glance my way.

Cade POV

Cade watched as those two women left his friend's room. One of the women - Marli, was her name? - shot him a look and a small smile. Her friend was frowning deeply, kind of hunched over, looking deep in thought. Marli led her friend out of the house without a word.

A knot of worry landed in Cade's stomach. Desirée was his friend, and he could hear the argument from the room - even though the door was closed. It made him worry a lot for his pregnant friend. Even Drift was feeling a little worried, and it took Cade a long time to try and convince the Autobot that everything was in control.

"Is she OK?" Tessa asked.

Cade looked at his daughter, unsure on how to answer.

"We should check on her," Tessa said. "She might not be doing too well."

"You're right," Cade murmured. He told Tessa to watch over Saoirse and Eden, he'd check on his friend. Tessa nodded wordlessly, trying her best to keep Desirée's daughters occupied for the time being.

When Cade Yeager entered Desirée's room, he stood in the doorway in a moment of stunned silence. In the time Cade had known Desirée Witwicky, he had only seen her do this one time.

She was crying.

QUICKY A/N:

I HOPE THIS UPDATE WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU! SORRY IT'S SO SHORT. JUST LEAVE A REVIEW, TELL ME WHAT YOU GUYS THOUGHT OF THE DISCUSSION GOING ON BETWEEN MARLI, CELIA, AND DESIRÉE.

A HEAD'S UP, THE FOUR OC'S ARE NOT MINE. THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

JUST LIKE THE FOUR OC'S, THE TRANSFORMERS FRANCHISE IS ALSO NOT MINE. JUST LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS THINK!

STAY SNAPPY.

THANK YOU, ONE AND ALL.

READ, REVIEW, ENJOY!

YOURS TRULY,

~SMITHY