Disclaimer: Yea, so, uh…I don't own any multimillion dollar companys or franchises…So I guess that means I don't own Transformers. But I own Jaime and the plot of Free Falling (and anything else you might not recognize)! :)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! And to also to everyone who has added this story to their favorites/alerts list! :) Sorry if I missed someone and didn't reply! I tried to answer everyone but I'm not at my best right now...

When Jazz finally let Jaime out of his sparkling hold—his sparkling hold! How many times did she have to tell him to stop thinking of her as a stupid sparkling?—the first thing her mind registered was the blinding light that seemed to bounce off the ground and into her eyes. The second was strong arms that wrapped around her tightly, squeezing most of the oxygen out of her lungs.

"Jazz!" she rasped to her guardian, struggling to pry her assailant off. Her ears picked up Jazz's booming laughter. What the heck was so funny about her being attacked? But if Jazz wasn't worried, then maybe she wasn't being attacked? Although it sure felt like it since she could hardly move in the tight vice-like grip. She blinked her eyes, and was finally able to take in her surroundings. She was in the desert, Egypt most likely, surrounded by milling NEST soldiers and Autobots. She she managed to pull her face away from the strong, not to mention sandy, chest enough to crane her head up.

"Will?" she squinted into her adopted father's relieved face. Actually that was a severe understatement. The man's face was shining brighter than the blinding sun, and his mouth grinning so wide Jaime could see every single white tooth.

"Oh God, Jaime!" his grip tightened and Jaime realized he was hugging her. Were…were those tears in his eyes? Oh geez. He was crying. Jaime was stunned. She'd never seen the man cry before. And it wasn't just a tear or two. No, his cheeks were streaked with them, his eyes were red, and he couldn't seem to stop sniffling. Okay, what happened? Why was he acting like she just came back from the — Oh. Understanding dawned on her face. She glanced at Jazz and he nodded an affirmative. Jaime finally lifted her arm and returned the hug, realizing the man just needed to hold her, convince himself that she was still alive and standing in front of him. She dropped her head back down and let her check rest against his chest. She hadn't even considered that Will or the other NEST soldiers would witness the cargo plane exploding.

"You're really sandy," she complains but doesn't let go. Her father's chest rumbles as a wet chuckle escapes him.

Eventually she notices the pair of soldiers closest to her and Will. Ricky's eyes were red rimmed as well, as if he had recently shed a few tears, and he was grinning, so obviously happy to see her. Epps was beaming in her direction before he turned away slightly to rub his eyes. Ricky noticed Epps trying, and failing, to inconspicuously wipe a tear from his eye.

"Are you crying?" Ricky voiced his observation with disbelief. Although Epps often showed emotions such as amusement or annoyance, he rarely showed negative emotions, such as tears.

"Naw man," he sniffed a little. "I just got a little something in my eye." Ricky snorted and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay Epps," he smiled at his buddy. "We're all relieved to see her in one piece." Jaime glanced at some of the other nearby soldiers and was surprised to see them all grinning at her. It was touching to see how many had apparently missed her. She hadn't realized until that moment just how many of the NEST soldiers viewed her as part of their team. Sure she didn't ever go on any mission with them. But she lived with them. She'd laughed with them. And she'd shared experiences with them. And somehow, without even realizing it, she'd formed bonds with them. Different than the bonds she shared with the Autobots, but bonds nonetheless.

Will finally pulled away, but didn't let go. His eyes seemed to take in her appearance, memorizing every detail.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You're not hurt are you? Injured?"

"I'm fine," she placated him with a gentle smile. Her heart swelled upon hearing the concern in his voice and seeing his worried expression. She didn't want Will to be stressed, but…it felt good to have someone so concerned about her well being. It made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. A feeling she hadn't even realized that she missed before meeting Will. The ground shook slightly as something large—one of the Autobots most likely—approached from behind her.

"Jaime?" The girl froze, her eyes widened to the size of saucers. She recognized the deep baritone voice. That beautiful regal tone she had feared she'd never hear again. Will let out a chuckle upon seeing her frozen expression and finally released her from his hold. Jaime took a deep breath and slowly turned, her eyes shut. She wanted to see him, crouched in front of her like usual, oh she wanted to see him alive and well so bad. But she remembered that just a few short hours ago he had been dead, cold and unmoving. She hadn't dared to lower the walls on any of her bonds since jumping out of the plane in fear of the Decepticons in the area. Could it really be?..."Jaime?" the voice spoke again. "Are your optics unwell?"

Jaime's breath caught in her throat. She'd heard his voice again! She could even feel—it felt so real! Surely it wasn't her imagination?—the way his breath would gently tickle her whenever he'd talk to her. Unable to bear it any longer, she cracked her eyelids open. Upon seeing the bright blue and red giant in front of her, her wide eyes opened all the way.

"Optimus!" she beamed at the crouched Autobot Leader. His face lowered even more, now within her reach. He smiled gently at her and opened his mouth plates to reply.

Crack!

The Prime blinked his optics in surprise, and quickly pulled his head away.

"Jaime?" his regal tone bordering indignation. "Why did you do that?"

"That's for scaring the crap outta me!" She growled. "Dang it, Optimus! Don't you ever do that again, or so help me, I'll bring you back online just to offline you myself!"

"I…." the Prime vented softly. "I am sorry that I was unable to fulfill my promise Jaime." And now he was making that pathetic kicked puppy dog face that only he could pull off without looking utterly ridiculous.

"Just don't make a habit out of it," she huffed. She lifted her hand to rest it on his metal cheek, but a painful tremor stopped her. She gritted her teeth and immediately let the hand return to her side.

"Jaime?" Optimus' worried tone caught her attention, most likely catching her flinch.

Jaime ignored the mech, no longer looking up at him but off to the side. Her mouth was in a thin line and her eye twitching while she resisted the sudden urge to wildly hop around bending over her throbbing fist.

"Freaking barnacle covered fish nuggets," she moaned, caving in and gently cradling her fist to her body which was trembling painfully. Ok, she had to admit to herself. Punching a giant metal robot was probably one of the stupidest things she'd ever done.

"Jaime?" the Prime hunched over her, concern evident in his tone. "What is the matter?"

"Your face," she answered, unable to repress the snarl, "just broke my fingers." His optics scanned her trembling fingers before quickly glancing in Ratchet's direction. The CMO paused in his rather heated discussion—or was he repairing the mech?—with Ironhide, and met his leader's gaze. He nodded once before finishing his task then making his way to the girl.

Optimus turned back to the silently fuming girl, amusement shining in his bright blue optics.

"Perhaps you should learn from this experience and refrain from hitting things more resilient than your fist," his mouth twitched dangerously.

"Don't you dare start laughing, Optimus Prime," she threatened.

"I am not laughing," came his immediate reply, his face schooling into a neutral expression. Jaime grumbled under her breath. True to his word, he was not laughing, externally. His twinkling optics were another matter. Not to mention the mirth she was receiving from his bond, and the others. She'd yanked all those suckers open to soak up all the good feels. She could really use them after the day she'd had.

Jaime stared. She wasn't looking at anything in particular. Her eyes didn't take in the bright desert landscape. She wasn't really seeing what her eyes were looking at. Instead, her focus was turned inwards. She'd never been near a battlefield before. Sure the battle was over in Egypt, she wasn't in any danger. But…she could feel the death. It was a disgustingly cold presence that tried to grip her. It was significantly weaker than when she had felt it from Optimus' bond, so she wasn't drowning in its clutches. But she could still feel, from the underdeveloped bonds, the horrendous pain from dying Decepticons all around her. She could feel their last moments until their feelings grew scant, then nonexistent as their sparks extinguished in silent flickers.

It was incredibly disturbing. And yet somehow, that wasn't what bothered her the most. Since she'd known the Autobots, she'd always viewed the Decepticons in a negative light. They'd been portrayed as monsters, heartless and twisted creatures of the night. They'd been emotionless evil demons to her. But now…she could tell that wasn't the case. Some of the dying Decepticons were angry, and thrashed liked wild animals, fighting till the very end until their spark could take no more. But others…she could feel the fear of some, their fear of the unknown. What would happen to them when they offlined? Would they be missed at all? Or would they be easily forgotten?

It was easy to hate someone you didn't know, an unknown or faceless enemy. Now…Jaime sighed as self-doubt settled itself in her heart. How could she continue hating the Decepticons as a whole when they weren't the emotionless beasts she had always made them out to be? Okay yes, a lot of them gave off evil and bloodthirsty vibes…but…not all of them. It gave the girl a different view she'd never considered. They really were all Cybertronians, the same race. It was like the human race, she realized. Not all humans were bad. Some chose good and other chose evil. The Decepticons felt emotions just like the Autobots. She was reminded of what the Primes told her.

"Your ability will allow you to help bridge the gap between the self-proclaimed Autobots and Decepticons." The Primes' words seemed to echo around her as the hot desert wind blew. "Jaime, you are the key to bring them peace. That…is your destiny" Jaime let out another sigh, shifting on her feet. Just how was she supposed to do that?

"What's wrong with ya?" Ironhide's voice caught Jaime's attention, and her head snapped to his direction. "Did one of those Deceptiscum hurt ya?" Jaime frowned at his assumption. She knew he meant well, but it was this the very mindset that would make her apparent destiny difficult. She turned her head away and stared out at the desert like before. She didn't say anything for a few moments, unsure how she should answer. After careful consideration, she finally settled on:

"Not everything is their fault." She could feel Optimus' interested gaze settle on her. Ironhide's engine sputtered and he crossed his arms to keep his agitated cannons from on-lining.

"Not their—" he snorted at her and shook his helm angrily. "They're the ones who started this whole fragging war in the first place!" Jaime pressed her lips into a thin line to prevent the scowl threatening to make itself known. How was she supposed to bridge the gap between the Decepticons and the Autobots? It felt like a gaping chasm. She definitely had her work cut out for her. One thing was for sure. If she wanted bring about any real change, she'd have to start smaller scale like attitudes.

"It takes two to start a war," she shrugs, eyes glued to the horizon. She watches the silent Prime out of the corner of her eye. He was looking at her with a thoughtful expression on his faceplates. Ironhide opened his mouth to answer with a retort, but Optimus rested a calming servo on the weapons specialist's shoulder.

"Jaime speaks with a wisdom beyond her years," his charismatic tone carried, catching the attention of both nearby Autobots and NEST soldiers. "I too look forward to the day when we can put this war behind us. But that will never happen if we are not willing to forgive past misdeeds," Optimus gazed at ever one of his soldiers, "or take responsibilities for our mistakes."

Ironhide's arms dropped back to his sides and gazed in the distance, as if contemplating the Prime's words, before giving a small nod.

"Doesn't mean I'm gonna suddenly go soft on those Cons, though," he muttered. Jaime's mouth twitched. She couldn't help it. It was just so Ironhide.

Galem: Ha! He's a sly bot alright. Yea, they just go so well together :) It's almost criminal :D

Guest: Glad you liked it! Er...please don't do that. Otherwise you'll miss all the future chapters! :)

Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, but…in other news…I'M DONE! OH SWEET JESUS I'M DONE WITH MY ONLINE SUMMER CLASS! Just finished taking the final this morning, so yea. I wanted to get this up today as a celebration. Sorry this chapter is so ridiculously short but we're gonna be skipping a little (just a tiny bit really) in the next chapter. We are finally done with Revenge of the Fallen. Now I get a huge 3 year time gap till Dark of the Moon, Mwahaha! *Cracks knuckles* I have so many little twists and turns planned for our little Jaime! And Charlie (No, I have not forgotten about our little Charlie boy)! And the Lennoxes! And well, just about everyone really. Not to mention our soon to be resident *glances back and forth slyly* former Decepticon prisoner…So leave a review my little darling readers! Now if only my stupid sinuses would stop acting up! God, I can't stop sneezing! Allergies SUCK! So I could really use some reviews to make my night *hint hint nudge nudge*

Hubero: *in a sing song voice* Hatchet! Oh Hatchet!...Where areeee youuuuu?

[Loud banging can be heard]

Ratchet: *Stomps in, a wrench in each servo, with optics blazing* WHO SAID THAT?

Hubero: Meep!

Ratchet: *Points a wrench threateningly* You!

Hubero: Hmm, on second thought, maybe running would help my sinuses?

Ratchet: *Charges* Come here you pit spawn organic!

Hubero: *Sprinting away* No! Hatchet! Have mercy!

Ratchet: *Bellows* Stop using that misnomer! Who told you about that?! Was it Jazz?! I swear I'm gonna take that half-bit fragger and stuff a wrench up his *Voice fades out as he pursues the author*