Title: 'Catharsis'

Pairings: Sam/Optimus

Categories: Angst, Romance, Slash (in later chapters)

Disclaimer: Everything related to Transformers belongs to Hasbro. This story is for fun only.

Rating: T for now. Will be M in later chapters. Those chapters will be clearly marked.

Author note: This is AU. Starts immediately after the first movie, but with a difference you will see in the first sentence. Continues AU from there, eventually going past timeframe of ROTF.

Summary: Destiny has something special in mind for Sam.

Thank you to Graycalls and Autobotmosquito for Beta work, advice, and hand-holding.

Chapter One

His parents were dead.

In a calm moment, Sam mused on the irony of things. He had so easily accepted the presence of giant alien robots, but the fact that his parents were dead refused to settle.

He only vaguely remembered being told the news now. Captain Lennox had been allowed to see him for a few minutes and had broken the news as gently as was possible. It just didn't make sense, just like nothing made sense anymore.

He was at some mystery military base where he had been taken right after the clean up had begun in Mission City. In the confusion, he had been separated from Mikaela and from Bumblebee, who had wanted to stay with him. At first he was sure it was temporary, but as hours and then days passed, he knew they had no intention of letting him see any of the Autobots. A blur of faces and people passed by him, doctors who looked him over, idiot government people and scientists demanding to know all the details of what had happened. He repeated the story over and over, always telling the truth, always asking where his parents and Mikaela were. "Protective custody", someone had finally said, and Sam realized that he was in custody too.

He was kept in a plain, but serviceable room, not quite a military prison like in the movies but close enough, with guards outside the door. Food was brought to him, thought he hardly had any appetite, and he was taken out of the room only for another round of seemingly endless questioning. After the battle, his clothes had been ruined, and he had been given some standard army issue boots, pants, and T-shirt. The shirt didn't have a prisoner number of it, but he felt like it. His watch had disappeared and there was no clock in his room, so he was even unsure of the passage of time.

Then Lennox had told him about his parents, and a world that Sam thought couldn't get any more difficult did just that. They had been killed during the attacks on Mission City. Why they had been there, Sam hadn't thought to ask. The only good news was that Mikaela was alive, but Sam was not allowed to see her. Truth be told, Sam didn't know if she would even want to see him.

Some things were always the same, he thought. Most adults tended to think teenagers were all morons incapable of understanding anything. But Sam was smart, and he had overheard plenty during his "debriefings". Adults in the corner of the rooms, murmuring about "no relatives", "cover story", and "custody", and giving him looks as if he was one of the aliens instead of a fellow human being.

Every conspiracy theory Sam had ever heard seemed to be coming true. His great-grandfather had been part of an enormous cover-up, and it seemed like he was destined to as well. He didn't have any relatives. He could "disappear" and no one would really notice. He had handled the All Spark; did that make him a traitor to Earth, even if it had been to kill Megatron? He was just 17, for crying out loud. Did anyone even believe him at all?

In the windowless room, far underground at some base, Sam hugged his knees to his chest, refusing to let himself cry as he mourned the loss of his parents and the loss of his life.

"It is not negotiable."

The politician frowned, readjusting her glasses yet again. She had to admit it had been sometime since she had faced such a hard-nosed, stubborn, just plain tough negotiator. She respected that, but she also had her orders.

"And I'm sure you understand our position," she replied, no longer very rattled at talking to the machine. Politicians were used to dealing with all sorts of groups and the Autobots were just one more group. She sat in a chair in her office, teleconferencing, as were all the players in the talks. She had been appointed the primary spokesperson to negotiate this new treaty, and she was damed if she would give in easily. "Really, of all the things to stall our progress…"

"It is one of the most important issues. I have made that clear from the start."

The Secretary of State frowned, pausing for dramatic effect and to consider her options. "Everything else has been settled fairly on both sides, I'm sure we all agree, and settled quickly. This is just quite a simple matter that should not affect the treaty between us."

"The entire treaty is off if this condition is not met."

Madam Secretary of State gritted her teeth. Deal-breaker, damm it. And the worst thing was that the Humans didn't have much to offer back. She looked down at her computer, running through the details again, even though she had everything memorized. The U.S. and its allies had gotten off quite nicely in the treaty, she did admit. Secretary Keller had already weighed in on how he personally felt on this issue, but the remnants of Sector Seven were whining and fussing on this.

Um….she visualized the people from Sector Seven, and was not impressed. "Perhaps, under certain conditions, we could reach an agreement," she mused aloud, waiting for a reaction.

"My conditions only. That is final." There was a pause before the deep voice continued. "And since your government has already taken steps in this matter, this is in fact a solution for both of us. Many things have already been done that would be difficult to explain away."

Damn that Sector Seven again. She was going to personally punch everyone one of them. They had not followed proper procedure and had taken custody and started clean up before authorization. It would be difficult and embarrassing to either admit to their actions, or try to conceal them. And she suspected that the Autobots would not be quiet about this little problem if they didn't get what they wanted.

She opened a file on her computer and studied the latest information carefully. Yes, a complete clean up had been put into place. The Witwicky family was officially dead. The actions were, she admitted, entirely unwarranted, no matter what those idiots had thought. And when it came right down to it, she knew that this was the *right* thing to do. She tapped the screen image thoughtfully, looking at the boy. He deserved better than what the remains of Sector Seven wanted to give him.

"As a mother, I do have some concerns, of course," she began carefully.

The door clanged open, nearly making Sam jump up from the bed. He could see the usual two guards outside the room, but a new person stepped in, wearing what Sam now recognized as an Air Force Colonel's uniform. Funny how very quickly he had gotten up to speed on military insignias and ranks.

"Sam Witwicky," the man nodded at him. "Come with me, son."

"Where to?" Sam stammered. The man raised one eyebrow, apparently not used to being questioned by a 17-year old, but he answered calmly.

"You're wanted up top."

Sam numbly followed him out of the room and down the mostly empty hallways to an elevator. After a long ride, they emerged into a huge hanger. Sam had to blink, seeing the sun through the hanger's doors. How long had he been underground? They proceeded through the mass of people and machines and finally Sam recognized something waiting at the entrance to the building.

"Bumblebee!"

The car revved, headlights blinking. After sounding the horn once, the car raced over to Sam, skid to a stop in front of him, and the passenger door swung open. The teenager glanced over his shoulder to see that his military escort was standing back, making no move to hold him back. Without hesitation, he threw himself into the car. A satisfying noise sounded as the door slammed shut and wheels squealed as the Autobot turned and raced away.

Sam clutched the dashboard, almost ducking down as the car speed down roads, effortlessly dodging people and vehicles. Two large trucks joined them and Sam recognized Ratchet and Ironhide. The larger bots took up flanking positions on the scout, and together they raced through a gate and out into an open desert area.

"Sam, Sam!" Bumblbee called his name and Sam finally responded, daring to take a deep breath and realize that he had been rescued.

"Bee! Oh my God, what is going on?" The teenager sagged back against the warm seats, still taking in the wonderful sight of the larger Autobots following them.

"*Home, sweet home*," Bee sang. The car was practically vibrating with happiness now that his Human was back with them. The three cars had reached a main highway and continued to speed along.

"Home?" Sam looked up in confusion. "What home?" Even as he said the words he knew that he didn't have a home anymore.

"Samuel," a deep voice spoke through Bee's speakers and Sam nearly jumped at hearing Ratchet's voice. "It is good to see you, sparkling. Are you injured?"

Sam automatically looked down at himself. "Uh, no," he stammered.

"Hmf." Ratchet's truck form slid closer to Bumblebee and a bluish light flashed over the smaller Bot and Human inside. Sam blinked at the glare but it was quickly gone. "We will arrive at our current base of operations in approximately three hours. I suggest you recharge until that time."

"Recharge? Oh, rest," Sam translated. As if he could do such a thing. He realized he was shaking and shook his head. "What's going on guys?

"All will be explained," Ratchet said, his voice calm and soothing. "Trust us."

Trust? Sam repressed an urge to laugh. Could he even do that anymore? But just as he thought that, he realized that twice now he had had the guts to get in the car. He looked behind them, seeing the desert speed by, and then took a deep breath. He would put his trust in the Autobots as they seemed to be all he had left.

Bee chatted away, keeping up a stream of chatter and kept Sam's mind busy. The scout told Sam that it had been 11 days since Mission City, and Sam was shocked at how long it had been; at how long his parents had been gone. 'Mom and Dad', he thought painfully. He hadn't even been able to say goodbye. Without fully realizing it, his eyes closed and a few tears finally slipped past. The seat under him moved slowly so that Sam found himself lying down and he curled up for a time, refusing to think about anything. To his surprise, he did rest, exhausted from all that was happening. He had been on alert for 11 days, never truly resting and only now he felt safe enough to let some of his defenses down.

The shifting of gears and Bee slowing drew Sam out of his light doze. He sat up to see that the Autobots were entering another base and tensed, but forced himself to relax. He knew deep down that Bee was not going to let anything happen to him. His guardian was back on duty.

After passing a number of buildings they drove slowly into a huge hanger and Sam had to blink at the unexpected sight. There were new Autobots, ones he didn't recognize, working all over. Bee had told him that Optimus had sent a message to the rest of his kind that might still be out in the stars, and apparently some had already responded. Despite himself, Sam had to grin. Sector Seven was going to be totally pissed at this. He hoped everyone one of the idiots he'd had to deal with for the past two weeks had a major stroke with the arrival of even more aliens.

There were a few Humans working among the bots, and Sam thought he recognized some of Lennox's men. It raised his hopes considerably. "Where are we?" he asked.

"Our new base," Ironhide answered. "We will eventually be establishing several bases around the planet, but for now, this will be our main headquarters. We have sensor shields already in place to help conceal our location, and are now working in the interior facilities." Bee rolled down one of his windows and Sam admired the activity. Autobots were welding, assembling, and all sorts of different operations moving along quickly. The Human soldiers were busy making sure deliveries were made and assisting with communications.

A gigantic door inside the hanger rolled open, and Bumblebee drove into a smaller separate area clear of the controlled chaos outside. Once the inner doors changed shut, Bee opened his door, inviting Sam to step out. Nervously, the teen followed the silent direction.

A grinding of gears accompanied the Bot's transformations and Sam sighed as he took in the now familiar sight of Bee, Ironhide and Ratchet in their robot shapes. Before he could say anything, he was picked up in giant hands and pulled into the closest equivalent to a hug that could be managed without crushing him.

"*I feel good*!" Bee sang and Sam laughed, hanging onto whatever he could, even though he doubted Bee would let him fall. His guardian performed some rather impressive dance moves that made Sam's head spin, but he welcomed every second of it.

"Bumblebee! Put that child down before he becomes sick!" Ratchet ordered sternly. Bumblebee grumbled a bit, but obeyed. Sam had no sooner gotten his feet back on the ground when he was picked up again, this time by the medic.

"Hey!" Sam protested. "What's going on?" He was instinctively kicking, trying to get loose from the metal hands, but stilled as he was turned to face Ratchet, and ended up sitting cross-legged in the Autobot's cupped hands, while those weird lights flashed over him again. There was a tingling sensation, and Sam rubbed his hands nervously. He grabbed one of the medic's fingers for balance, still feeling unnerved at being held so high off the ground.

A clacking sound made Sam suspect that the Autobots were talking about him and then Ratchet addressed him. "You said you were not injured." The medic sounded rather accusing.

"Well, bruises and cuts, yeah," Sam replied, "pretty normal after falling off a building, I think." A snort told him Ratchet was not satisfied with this answer.

"And your hands?"

Sam looked down at them. "Um….Allspark burns?" he mumbled, not really sure himself. The doctor he had seen at the base had wrapped bandages over them during his checkups, but Sam had pulled them off a few days earlier in a sort of act of defiance, and grief. The pain in them was the only emotion he could accept at that point. Pinchers came out of Ratchet's hands, and gently grasped Sam's hands, turning them. More lights flashed over them. "What is that?" the teen asked curiously.

"My scans are modified to include Human physiology," the medic answered, still sounding rather peeved at what the scans told him. A pause, and then the bot moved, carrying Sam to a huge metal platform set into the wall at a comfortable Autobot height. The teen was gently set down and to his surprise there was a table with food and a military issue cot bed waiting on the platform. "You will eat, and then rest," Ratchet ordered.

"Hey, wait, wait," Sam protested. "You said that all would be explained! Just what's going on? Where's – where's Optimus?" He suddenly badly wanted to see the leader, to be assured that all would be all right.

"Prime has ordered us to take care of you first," Ratchet said. He, Bumblebee and Ironhide were all standing over him and it was completely intimidating to be facing three huge Autobots, all acting worse than his Mom when he'd had chicken pox. The thought of his Mom made Sam swallow hard, a painful stab of memory coming back. He began to shake, and a warm blanket was dropped over him. He sank down onto the bed, suddenly exhausted.

The Bots took advantage of Sam's quietness to get him to take some food and water, and Ratchet produced a number of rather scary looking pills that Sam was too tired to protest taking. He swallowed everything he was given and then laid down, his head suddenly too heavy to hold up. He could feel warm blankets being pulled up over him, and he surrendered to the peace of sleep.

To be continued…