When they finally met up with Alexis' brother, it was not her sibling who caught Thundercracker's eye. It was his companion.

But before that meeting took place, it was the arrival at Alexis' home that held his attention. The look on her face when they discovered it was still there had sent a melancholy chill up his spine. A long night passed after their first day in her house, and it was due to Alexis' insistence that they dared to stay one more day.

Staying in her home was strangeness indeed. And for the first time since Thundercracker had started his little deception with the human, he began to wonder where he expected it all to lead, and just how far he was willing to intrude on her life.

More than he knew, he realized as Thundercracker spent his first night in her home, sitting on a velvety green sofa before getting up and wandering through her house freely. He took in the pictures, then small notes on the refrigerator before stilling before the back patio doors, blinds pushed aside as he stared out in the darkness.

The day that followed was a quiet affair. Alexis had been in a somber, ominous mood, and as such he kept his distance as she waited. When he started packing up their stuff was when she pleaded with him. Somehow managing to turn his mind totally around as Thundercracker found himself agreeing to stay there one more night. They had not been in danger anyway, in fact, there were no Decepticons nearby, but there was no way he would have ever revealed that knowledge.

Alexis had a fitful night's sleep. He could tell by the way she paced her room before crashing on her bed only to start the sequence of activities all over again. TC had not been able to see her, but he heard her movement with clarity.

The third day Alexis did not argue as they made their way outside. Leaving her house behind, her head turned and looked at it until they drove out of view.

An hour later was when they stumbled upon her brother. Or to be more precise, a bright yellow Lamborghini that came out of nowhere and blocked their path as Thundercracker barely had time to stop the bike, it turning and twisting as they came to an unsettling stop.

The tension that was working up his shoulders only grew when Alexis jumped off the bike and ran to the car as two men got out of it. One whom she ran up to eagerly, her body hastily grabbing onto and holding tight as she began to sob.

While Alexis reunited with her brother, Thundercracker was preoccupied with the person who had driven. For he knew immediately that he was not human, more than that knew he was an Autobot.

The two locked gazes. After a rather dull inspection of Timothy's self, the Autobot diverted his gaze, one that easily fell upon the siblings as he watched, a finely sculpted brow lifting.

"Alexis, I want you to meet Sunny. Sunny, this is my sister, Alexis."

Alexis withdrew from her brother's embrace, smiling uncertainly at her brother's companion.

"I have so much to tell you, Alexis! But first, you should probably tell me who this is." Josh motioned toward TC.

Introductions were made. The three men and one girl exchanged glances until the decision was made that they should probably get moving.

After making camp for the night, Thundercracker sat with his back leaning heavily against a tree behind him. His eyes were steady upon the Autobot, who was busily cleaning and actually polishing the car, hands wandering over the yellow vehicle as he checked for scratches and dings.

He had already figured out which Autobot he was, and Sunny speaking of his twin to Alexis; Thundercracker placed him as Sunstreaker. The Autobot done with his inspection and cleaning, he sat down by the siblings. The three took off with a conversation that erupted into laughter and loud chuckling.

Thundercracker had never been an overly social individual. The only reason he was even there was Alexis. But it was a dark emotion that ignited within as he watched the exchange. He had Alexis to himself for quite a while and sharing her with anyone did not settle well with him, nor did the fact that she was, however, unknowingly or not, cohorting with an Autobot.

And the human version of the Autobot already disgusted Thundercracker. He was far too perfect, far too preened, his features prominently perfect, his body evenly matched. Alexis was far too interested in her brother to notice, even as the Autobot seemingly did everything to try to get some kind of response out of her.

"And you trust this Timothy?"

Food eaten, the siblings were left alone. Even Thundercracker made a show of backing away as the two talked for a rather long time. He heard every word, and the proximity that the two were to the Autobot's alt mode; he knew the Autobot was picking everything up as well. Somehow, he was rather disappointed that it took so long for her brother to bring him up.

"With my life, Josh. You don't know what we have been through together, or where I would have ended up without him. Sunny seems... I mean that is..." Her voice drifted into an uncertain whisper.

Josh chuckled. "Yeah, he does take a little getting used to. And there is so much more to him than what you see." He paused, uncertain but excited. "I have something I have to show you, Alexis, something that I don't want you to freak out about." This is what Thundercracker had been waiting for. What he knew their entire conversation was leading to. The tension in the male sibling building until Josh could no longer hold the knowledge in.

Standing, Josh leaned down. A hand was offered to his sister as he pulled her up.

"Sunstreaker, I think she is ready to see you."

Nothing happened at first. But suddenly the vehicle came to life, shaking and vibrating. The hood lifted before twisting back, the car shifting and folding until a Cybertronian stood before them. With that, Sunny twinkled out and disappeared.

Alexis yelped and grabbed to her brother's arm as she pulled him back and away.

"I don't understand," Alexis spoke with confusion and a glimmer of fear. "You can't possibly be working for the Decepticons! Not after everything they have done!"

"He is one of the good guys."

She scoffed and violently shook her head. Finding Thundercracker's eyes upon her, she flinched before her gaze drifted to her backpack, obviously thinking of the weapon it contained.

"There is no such thing," she argued, tense and coiled and clearly unnerved. "And how you can even say that after everything we have been through, after everything we have seen?" Alexis demanded while pushing Josh roughly in the chest. The boy went flailing back on his feet a couple of steps at the force.

"He's an Autobot, not a Decepticon," Josh defended himself. Leaving his sister, he went to stand beside the Autobot. An act that had Alexis' eyes becoming large, her neck straining upwards as she spared the towering Cybertronian a passing, cautious glimpse. Her brother continued, "And I have seen him do amazing things over the last several months... helping, guarding protecting, even fighting for us humans. Believe me. He isn't one of them. So many things have happened. You have been gone for a while, Alexis."

Alexis was still shaking her head, her eyes once more wandering up and down the Autobot. Arms rising, they wrapped protectively across her chest, nails digging into the soft flesh of her arms.

"If you stare at me any further, you are going to strip off my paint, and it's not easy maintaining a shine such as this, let alone this color," the Autobot finally spoke.

Alexis' eyes widened. She turned to Thundercracker.

"Could this be possible, Tim? Did you ever hear of these Autobots?"

As Timothy, he had not, and he said such. As Thundercracker, his analytical processor was stirring. He had no idea the Autobots had arrived, even if it was always inevitable. He wanted to know their numbers, but he already knew there weren't many, for they would have surely made themselves known by now.

"My brother and I were sent by Optimus Prime to..." the Autobot began to explain with gusto while not allowing any interruptions until the end.

Despite her brother's reassurances and the Autobot's rather long narrative, Alexis did not look relived. As such, it took her longer than usual to fall asleep that night. As soon as she did, Thundercracker activated his retrieval protocol, his consciousness drifting back into his real body as his frame vibrated dully, his digits tensing.

The Seeker was in a mild dilemma. He needed to let his trinemates know the Autobots were on Earth. But he needed to do it in such a manner that his source of information was not revealed. Ready to deliberate the problem, his monitor blinked on-line; a small alert sent that let him know that Alexis was moving.

Reestablishing his connection, he once more became Timothy. The problem set aside as he wondered what she was up to.

He found Alexis leaning against the motorcycle. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, and her eyes did not leave the ground until he sat down by her side.

"You are not happy," he said. His hand lifted. He almost brushed some of her hair out of her face, but dropped it. Being there with her was going to have to be enough for the moment.

"Yes. No. I don't know." She looked at him, eyes sparking with suspicion. "I don't trust that Sunstreaker. I know Josh does, and I know he thinks he is who he says he is, and that because my brother trusts him that I should too, but things aren't so clear-cut as they used to be. What is your take on him?"

"Do you trust your brother's instincts?"

"Most the time." She nodded her head.

"Do you think your brother would ever betray you?"

She shook her head again, this time in the opposite direction and more vigorously.

"So you are saying to trust my brother and what he believes?" Alexis inquired, desperate for an answer.

"No. I have seen Decepticons create a scenario to toy with humans. Helping them could just be another ploy. However, helping them for several months, I don't see that happening. They don't have the patience, and nothing humans have to offer would be worth enduring such a change of personality."

Lies, lies and more lies. How easy they came, how capable he was at uttering them. Was he not in a scenario? Had he not deceived her for weeks upon weeks? What misgivings he suddenly had, what strange regret. Yet as she turned to him, still asking for his support and overflowing with that trust of hers, he knew he could not stop. He was trapped and did not want to escape.

"So, if he was a Decepticon, he would have... revealed himself by now?"

"Yes, I believe so." She didn't hear the hesitancy in his voice, nor the subtle anguish. Why now, after all this time did he suddenly feel like he had gone too far?

Alexis was still talking, unaware of his internal struggling.

"It would help if I at least felt at ease around him. But even before I knew he was an Autobot; I couldn't help but feel, well, wary of his personality. This hell the world has become hasn't done much good for us, but it has honed my figuring somewhat out skills. And I most certainly don't feel anything toward him like I do for you. If he stopped talking about himself with such vigor, perhaps I could get beyond his obvious large ego and try to see who he really is."

"Perhaps that is exactly who he is."

"No. He would have to be more than that for my brother to take up with him. At least, I would hope. Timothy?"

"Yeah?"

"You are going to continue with us? Aren't you?" Those large eyes of hers turned upon him with full force, Alexis' hand finding and holding on to his as their shoulders brushed momentarily. He had the sudden inclination to grip down on her hand harder and to pull her up and to take her away. What he was doing was dangerous enough without adding an Autobot to the mix. Thundercracker would not be found out though. His programming of his holo-matrix had been a thorough one and was obviously more sophisticated than the Autobot's.

Idly, his thoughts went back to the way her brother first looked at him. There was less suspicion than he had expected, and while Josh seemed wary about the way he and his sister interacted; he seemed ready to accept him, if only for Alexis' sake.

Such misplaced trust. Thundercracker was growing rather sick of it. Even if it only meant he was playing his part well.

"For now."

Alexis smiled, turning to him, one hand brushed against his arm.

"I'm glad."

Footsteps were heard. Thundercracker already identified who it was, and he was pleased that Alexis noticed as well.

"Alexis, what are you doing up?"

Greenish blue eyes landed intently on Thundercracker before diverting to Alexis. With the brother so close, TC took the opportunity to look him over. Josh had light brown hair, darker skin than his sister, a thinner mouth and was several inches taller than Alexis. The similarities between the two were subtle but apparent, from the shape of their noses to some of their shared mannerisms. The male sibling was noticeably lean but not unhealthy, the fullness of his face a sign that he was fed regularly.

"You need to get your sleep. We are going to have a long day ahead of us. Especially if we want to make it back to base camp."

Alexis stood, a winsome smile arresting Thundercracker's attention as she got up and left. Josh stayed momentarily behind, staring at Thundercracker in an appraising manner before following his sister.