I've recently been pretty obsessed with the Transformers movies recently. This is my take on Lennox's thoughts during Sam's death in ROTF! No slash!

Disclaimer: I don't anything but the plot and the writing!

It was hot. Sweat plastered Major Lennox's uniform to his body and dripped down his face like he was on the Florida coast during a hurricane. But he wasn't. He was in Egypt, and it was dry, and his combat boots sunk into the sand and made it next to impossible to run, but still he ran. In his left hand, strapped across his chest, he held his weapon, loaded with high caliber sabot rounds to counteract the decepticons they were fighting. In his right hand was the dainty, almost flimsy, wrist of Mikaela Banes, a civilian that had no business being in the middle of a war zone.

The flash of gun fire lit up the skies around him and muffled all sound as he ran, practically dragging poor Mikaela behind him. The smell of burning and melting metal singed his nose, acrid smoke surrounding them. Through the ringing in his ears, the man suddenly heard Mikaela scream and try to tug herself from his grasp. Lennox turned his head, hoping to catch sight of Sam to his left where the boy had been. But the college student had veered from Lennox's path and was running for the inactive robot lying on the ground, half covered by flimsy tarp.

"SAM! COME BACK!" Will's own voice sounded muffled to his ears as, from the smoke behind Sam, two red optics appeared. The sound of cannon fire made Lennox's chest seize, and air flow to his lungs stopped abruptly.

Sam Witwicky flew, and Will Lennox couldn't do anything except for watch.

Mikaela ripped her arm from Lennox's now limp grasp and sprinted for her boyfriend. Lennox, suddenly regaining use of his legs, was on her heels. The two dropped to their knees beside the unmoving boy and Lennox impatiently tore Mikaela away from him.

The soldier tried not to stare down at Sam's face as he did chest compressions, didn't want to see whatever look might be frozen on his unmoving face. He'd failed. He'd failed and Sam Witwicky was dead. Sam, who'd saved the world, who'd saved him, was lying dead on the ground and it was his fault.

Guilt wracked his body, made him slam his eyes shut. He felt a couple of the boy's ribs crack under his harsh compressions.

"FUCKING DO SOMETHING!" Mikaela screamed, but Lennox couldn't even hear it. He moved back for the medics and rocked back onto his heels, staring at the sand beneath him. The dirty sock that held what was left of…whatever Sam was going to use to revive Optimus, toppled from the college student's fingers, the black dust blowing in the dry wind. Lennox blinked the tears from his eyes.

"You're a soldier now!" He'd screamed that at Sam, in Mission City. What a shitty thing to say to a child. He'd started to grow fond of the young boy, started to see him as almost a younger brother. He definitely considered the nineteen-year-old family. You don't let family die. Sam's parents, screaming the boy's name with desperate, cracked voices, made the Major wince. Bumblebee's noise of distress shattered his heart. He didn't deserve the rank of Major. He didn't even deserve to be in the army. Not when he'd so easily allowed his little brother to perish.

A sudden gasp broke through his concentration, hope ballooned in his chest. Will Lennox didn't think he'd ever been so happy to see anybody having such troubles breathing.

"I love you." Mikaela was whispered, holding Sam's face tenderly. Lennox backed away to give them what little privacy he could and hid his smile to himself. He'd never let anybody he cared about die again. Not on his watch.