Why hello there! ...you're going to kill me, I know. I know, I know, I know, I know. It's been, a year? Almost. So I'm here. I'm finally here.

A lot has changed this past year, and I'm a different person for it. But that's just part of growing up, right? XD

Anyway, I've got something to announce!

I'm having a baby!

…Ha. Got ya didn't I? X3 No, no, I'm not – but I am going to be re-writing this particular baby of mine. Yup... S'why I've got the, technically unfinished, chapter 16 up here. There was supposed to be plenty more according to the original outline for this chapter – and the ending is awfully put together, but I wanted to give you guys something for the long, long wait, before I embark on this journey.

I know some of you might be wondering why I'm re-writing it – and I'll be frank, I'm not completely re-doing it. A lot of things will stay the same, if not touched up a little bit -just that, you know when you've recently finished a piece of art work? And, even if it has its flaws, you're still proud of it and in your head (or maybe just mine) it looks good! Theeeeeen you come back to it later and all those little (big) blemishes come into view. Simply put, I'm not happy with the quality of this story. I know I can write better, and I know that I can construct a much more meaningful and engaging ficlet for all you wonderful, wonderful readers to enjoy. Yes, some things will be different, and the plot won't be exactly the same, but it'll still be the same story.

Anywho – for fear of all you tracking me down and murdering me for the absolutely ridiculous wait, I did decide to post chapter 16 in addition to this notice! Or at least what I had. There are no letters, unfortunately, but it's here! ...And yes I do acknowledge that most of you aren't even reading this and are just tearing into the story. Cool cool bro. But if you've come back to this after the chapter (that I pray you enjoy(ed)!), just let me say – thank you. Thank you so much for putting up with me and my ludicrous waiting periods. I promise, and I mean it this time, that I'm coming back to this story. I'll never abandon it. Never ever ever. Once it's all been re-worked and re-done, I swear it will be a story worth your time, with the first chapters updated and longer, all the letters actually having an eventual (if not immediately visible) purpose, and the characters fixed – in that I'll try to keep them as in-character as possible. Though I refuse to surrender Soundwave's Britishness! I don't care!

Bleh, I go on too much – but this shall be the last of the long notes. Probably. And instead, you will be getting long chapters that are worth your while . For yes, I will be hunting down a beta – with my bare hands if necessary. :3.

Now, finally – please enjoy!

*Note, ya may wanna re-read the ending of chapter 15! XD

Finally, finally...it's Chapter Time, guys.

I think I'm actually going to cry. :')

A silence enveloped him. It was cold and quiet. The type of silence one doesn't want to be alone in. But he was alone. The prospect of reaching out from the dimness, of grasping onto the person beside him was...chilling. Nothing would be accomplished from it. Nothing.

He seemed to sink back into the helm-board, mind feeling as though it were floating atop a tranquil sea of rising darkness. Cold was swallowing him, bleak cold, sad cold... He was trapped, suspended in air, and yet, sinking into the dark, deeper and deeper and deeper, until he no longer existed.

~~U,u~~

By all natural laws, shouldn't there have been a limit to how much emotional abuse one could take? Was there not a point, where both mind and spark could no longer handle it? Caving in and snapping into a deep, frightening madness?

Megatron figured there should have been, but no matter how far he went into the depths of his soul, no matter how heavy the world weighing atop him, he was unable to reach a point of insanity. Unable to dodge the reality he loathed. Unable to shudder in denial.

Ariel...she...

...

...He'd pushed himself too far. With the damn letters, with everything. Forgetting caution to the whims of curiosity, Starscream had gotten inside his head, and that...that was it for him. Defenses now so torn and shattered, it was eminent denial had been but a luxury that sheltered him, that fortified the walls of his spark and protected what love he had left inside of him. It made the universe easier to understand, and made his conscious clear when fallowing his obsessions.

Denial was such a wonderful thing...but it's poison only went so far. And with this new, terrifying problem? Atop of his already miserably crumbling walls? It had ripped him apart. Leaving him with nothing but the cruelty of his own hatred and pain. Abandoning him to the truth.

Denial only went so far, and so, there was no confusion facing this new obstacle. No delusions of how he felt, or why. It was simple to understand...

...

...But that didn't make it any less painful.

...

...Ariel...

She was here. She was alive. It was impossible.

The cursed femme had left him, betraying him just the same as Orion, and yet...he did not feel anger or resentment.

No, his emotions were clear. It was simple.

Knowing who she was, the history between them, what she had done to his spark...

He was just sad.

~~r_r~~

Sadness was not a docile emotion. It did not stay contained within, no matter how hard it was grasped, concealed, and suppressed. It was entirely inconsequential what one did to hide it, cage it, for sadness reeked of its own wretched, gloomy aura, and infected the air about you; allowing another to see it, if only they looked.

Megatron was aware of this, but still tried veiling it anyway, no longer possessing the possibility of hiding away in a secluded, quiet place to thwart out his sorrows. That was a kindness Primus only granted him when he was young.

And as expected, his efforts weren't of much use. He could feel it in Starscream's gaze, could sense it in the thin air...

He supposed he should give himself credit for managing to crawl out of the pit of his own thoughts, but praise seemed unfathomable, seeing as how sadness hadn't loosened its servos on him, even a little. He had returned from that grim hell, sure, but he had forgotten to leave his depression in the deadly cool darkness.

"Megatron..."

A sensation other than misery was welcome, but fetching a reply was a universe of trouble away. So, rather than bothering with the impossible, he shuttered his optics, feeling their scarlet lights fading into numbness as he weakly looked at his bondmate.

He hoped to god it'd be enough to pacify whatever worry may have been lurking in the Seeker's spark.

It was overt he didn't have the stamina to put up a show of strength, and if Starscream overstepped his alleged 'boundaries'...well there was no telling what his reaction would be.

Their eyes meeting, shockingly bright rubies glimmered worriedly, concern clouding his Second's appearance. Wings tilted, mouth frowning, he seemed to be searching for something amidst the mess of a mech that was Megatron, looking further and further for...an emotion? A response? A clue to his inner thoughts? Who knew...

With a distorted sigh, Megatron broke his stare, burying his faceplate in a servo and slumping against the berth. Fatigue overwhelmed him. The aches of his frame, the tortures of his mind, the horrors of...remembering. Of facing what he had no defense against. It was all deluging.

I need a break.

Promptly, he decided to finally go to recharge, any other action would have required thought, and thinking was the last thing he felt like doing. Too much was pressing against his processor. Too many worries, too many spark-aches, and it was surprisingly easy to just say to hell with it.

Forcefully shifting his frame, he lay back onto the unprecedentedly soft surface, closing his eyes to be lost in barren dreams but moments after.

~~I_I~~

I looked into her optics, his optics, my optics, and tried to see it. I couldn't. With a shrug of hateful, inner resentment, I turned away and began walking across the rickety flooring.

"Wait! Please! Well-well you can't just leave me here!" her desperate voice floated to me. It was gentle and needy, the voice one acquires after living a life of ease. I paused. What did she expect me to do? Why seek me out?

Curiosity overcame my agonizing self-loathing, if only for a moment.

I looked over my shoulder.

"What is it you want of me?"

Tears glimmered in those familiar optics. Her intakes hitched and she gathered herself. "O-only a place to stay... Just-just for the night. Please."

About to decline, a feeling wrenched my tank, a memory of an ever compassionate smile, and the wrong word came free. "Fine."

~~n_n~~

Light pooled in his optics as he opened them to the morning air. All was quiet, the room serene and still, existing without worry or pain or regret, but merely the humbleness of a gentle calm.

For a small moment in time, he only listened, not bothering to remember who he was, where he was, or why he was there, but just existed in a tranquil state of peace, mind matching the steadiness and ease of the room entirely.

But, it was only for a moment. One small little moment.

Megatron blinked, realizing then who he was, where he was, and why he was there. And suddenly the room felt much, much darker. Blackness creeping out from the hidden corners, pain infecting the lulling atmosphere, cruelty suffocating his spark. He swallowed gruffly.

I wish I was anywhere else...

With that, he forced his eyes shut, but his processor refused to lay to rest, recognizing an ugly, growing problem raging just beyond his thoughts.

Elita One.

He couldn't recharge now, he had a universe of trouble to sort through.

~~I_I~~

The mist of recharge clung to him as he lifted his frame into a sitting position, a sudden fogginess drenching his mind as he looked about. But against it, one question obscured his thoughts. Where to start in this mess.

Elita One's arrival, Soundwave's absurd behaviour, Starscream's...well...

Megatron looked at him, curled up and sleeping soundly. He frowned. Right. There was no longer an issue regarding his companion, he had sorted that out, and was satisfied with his conclusion. His current affiliation with the Seeker was merely the fault of lustful, primal desires, stemming from the appeal of pure physical attraction. It was only logical.

Yes, there was nothing left to ponder regarding Starscream. The letters were one thing, and he would finish them, but at the moment priorities had to be set.

With a heavy grunt, he stood up off the berth. What was important? What couldn't wait?

Optics turning towards the lounge, he paused. Was Soundwave awake? Or even still in there? Quickly and quietly he checked, spotting his Third lying on the couch the moment he peaked his head through the doorway. So, yes. A frown pulling to his faceplate, he retreated back into his berthroom, allowing the slab of metal to slide shut as he once again turned to face his companion.

With Soundwave still out cold, there wasn't a point in delaying dealing with the Elita situation. It was more immediate than anything anyway, seeing as, equipped with an extra member, the Autobots would be sure to be on the move soon enough. But what to do about it?

...

...A sad sigh broke free from him before he could catch it, and he felt his shoulders slump, optics dimming ruefully.

What was there to do about it, other than try not to feel?

~~u_u~~

Without absolute proof or solid evidence, it was easy to deny something you didn't want to believe; pretending the reality is simply a fantasy, and hoping that no pieces of truth would come to life, allowing the dream to continue. And that was exactly what Megatron had been doing. The bitterness of each step, drawing him closer and closer to the Commander Centre, was overwhelming as it became clear just how much he didn't want to believe Elita was here; didn't want to believe he would actually have to deal with it.

The issue was ill-desired, and the more he told himself that he hadn't seen any proof of Elita, the more he convinced himself that perhaps it wasn't really true, and it was all a messy illusion of sorts brought about form restless, weary nights.

But that desperate hope was futile.

Pink and violet plating, blazing scarlet optics, strong angular frame, Elita One was a reality, and she was really here on Earth.

As he stared into the enlarged photograph taken from a scout monitor, Megatron didn't allow the grimace of disdain, hovering on the edges of his lips, to swallow his features. The Command Centre was alive with workers, and showing a reaction to Elita One other than anger would be questionable at best.

Still, that didn't stop the overpowering sense of nauseating wrongness from consuming him internally.

After all these years, now she showed up? And on Earth as well? It didn't make any sense.

The details of Elita's 'disappearance' (as was the only way to put it now) had always been shrouded in mystery. It seemed as though both Autobots and Decepticons alike had been searching for her for a time, and eventually it became largely believable that she had died. Prime never stated anything publicly, and in a few of the fallowing years, the Decepticons had a long streak of victories, the Leader of the Autobots constantly off his game without his mate by his side. It had been a good day for the Decepticons when Elita had gone missing, and by the time Optimus was back on top of things, the damage had been done.

"S-sir..." the tentative, fearful voice of a drone suddenly called, interrupting his brooding.

Annoyed, though not nearly enough to be angry, he replied, keeping his voice as steadily cold as possible, "What."

The familiar gulp of nervousness, accompanied by the slight clanking of rattling plates, sounded behind him. "W-well, i-it is in-in our um...humble enquiry, as-as-as t-to what-what you say we-e...do about this...new development..."

Megatron paused, resisting the urge the lift an optical ridge. This idiotic drone must of pissed off someonereally badly to end up forced to actually come up to him and 'enquire' about their next move. That or he was seriously glitched. Either way, the soldiers were given their orders when they were given them, they did not ask. The disrespect and arrogance of the action was severely punishable, and though the drone was no doubt pushed into this by others, letting it slide would been seen as too lenient...right? He had no desire to bother himself with this soldier, but if he didn't another might see it as going soft, and he was not.

Nothing had changed, the situation just a passing incident, and he would forward that.

Turning around, he lifted his arm, powering up his canon and fixing his gaze in a hard glare, drilling it into the drone. Fear devoured his soldier, pure panic and dread overtaking him. Megatron could tell he was fighting hard to stand straight and still, but his knees were buckling, his servos were shaking, his chassis was rumbling. While clearly attempting to hold himself properly as demanded, he seemed very small, like an insect caught in a trap, waiting to be killed.

It was pitiful.

...And not at all entertaining.

Strangely enough, Megatron felt no rush of power and control at this display of his dominance over his mechs, just an odd sense placid annoyance. At what though... He knew he couldn't let this obscure act of insubordination slide, but if he didn't want to bother with the drone before, he couldn't stand the sight of him now...

...

He frowned.

...

The drone trembled.

...

He lowered his arm, and shook his helm. "Probation. Three weeks, non stop shifts cleaning decks. Leave." And that was the end of it.

Optics stared at him, datapads were dropped, consoles went silent. Disbelief rioted through the air, shock channeled through the ground. He could feel it in a hundred open Energy fields, all silent and yet screaming in surprise. No one could believe it, understand it. None trusted what their optics and their audios had told them. No one had the initiative to speak a word.

Slowly, Megatron faced away from his minions, expression fixed in stone, spark...so confused it felt enlightened. There was no rhyme or reason to what just happened. He had been faced with a problem, an easily fixable problem, and he let it walk away. With probation. It... What... How... Huh?

He was honest to Primus stumped. And let absolutely none of it show. Instead, he waited, waited until his workers realized their mistake and pulled their EM fields back in, waited until the silence was finally filled with the sounds of computers, waited until that damned drone had snapped out of his shock-induced comatose and scurried away. He waited, not thinking a thing, until his mind finally caught up with him.

What...what just happened? No, really, what the hell just happened?! That-that didn't make any sense- why did he do that? Why did he do that?! There was no reason for it, no cause, so what the actual hell!

Uncertainty, confusion, you could say he was use to it be now, but this seemed completely and utterly out of line with resent events. How did this... What? What?! He meant, there was acting strangely due to plaguing emotions, and then there was...that. It was totally uncalled for, and a little insane! What was the reasoning behind that, what was the logic? Yes drama had unfolded in his personal life, but that shouldn't have been affecting...well, his- regular life! No, no, this was entirely wrong! Something, was seriously fucking wrong with him. It didn't make any sense! It was crazy!

...

...Primus.

Stealing a vent, realizing he'd been holding them, Megatron forced himself to calm down before he began acting foolishly. Something...something was up. Whatever had caused that...incomprehensible behaviour had to have been some sort or virus, or...something. But it was something. Because...well because nothing else made any sense!

Why did he let the drone go? He should have just shot the little bastard!

There was a problem, a big one...

His optics glanced at the photograph taken of Elita One, surrounded by Autobots and in the arms of her mate.

...Well, another big one anyway...

He shook his helm, taking a vent to settle himself. Priorities. He had to have priorities. Something was undeniably wrong with him, yes, but there was plenty more wrong with this world as well. And that came first. It had to. It always had to.

Eyes narrowed, he decided to put this...this...issue, away for later. The immediacy of the Elita situation took priority, and dealing with it was inescapable. Besides, he at least could come up with an answer for this problem...

Albeit they were dim and offline, Elita's scarlet optics were still eerily cheerful, and they clawed at him without remorse, eliciting a guilt and a pain he didn't want to acknowledge.

...Yes, an answer. Hopefully.

~~i.i~~

Walking anywhere on the Nemesis seemed like a task today. First to the Command Centre, and now this? The weight of each step felt as though he carried an ocean on his shoulders, questions, confusion, the usual uncertainty drowning him as he progressed ever so tardily towards his quarters; pedes dragging, optics dim, posture slumped. Thankfully the corridors were empty, as he was a pathetic sight, and to imagine attempting living up to his name while appearing so miserable was...dejecting. He felt weak and worthless, felt as though he had lost something precious, and was now left bare to be picked apart. Felt like a disgrace, to the Decepticon Cause and to himself.

He felt like allot of things, but he didn't bother to ponder over them.

Instead, he focused on rejecting enquiries over his behaviour in the Command Centre, and on puzzling over the Elita situation.

What were they to do about it?

Having her deactivated as quickly as possible would have been opportune, as the femme could quite drastically turn the tide of the war in the Autobot's favour, but it was highly unlikely killing her would be achievable. After so many years, Prime wasn't about to loose his bondmate again, and atop of that Elita One was an incredibly skilled warrior. How couldn't she be? Megatron thought in irony, I trained her.

So, no, having the Autobot Commander...dispersed of, was probably not an option, but then what could they do? The repercussions of ignoring this development would be too high. No matter which way the situation was examined, the Autobots were gaining no disadvantage by having Elita on their team. And if overlooked, the consequences for the Decepticons could be dire.

Once again then, the question blinked, what could they do about it? Well, if killing her wasn't going to be done, (or at the very least, not easily) then perhaps temporarily taking her down a notch was possible...

Elita One may have been skilled, but she wasn't invincible. If they could injure her gravely enough, it may take her off the field for a short while, giving him a little more time to think of a permanent solution. Or, more specifically, a way to finally deactivate her.

He stopped moving, standing in front of the door to his quarters.

Well, it wasn't perfect, but it was something.

With a shake of his helm, he entered the access code quickly. As the door slid aside, a dreary light cast a gray glow across his form, seemingly seeping into his body. He felt his optics darken, faced with an indescribable depression that lurked from the room in outstretched fingers, roping around his frame and tugging him in regardless of his wishes. There was a heavy somberness in the air, choked with an unsettling sense of solitude and distance that made everything feel so very far away. He felt isolated in the suffocating atmosphere, and it was only when a voice spoke a moment later did he think he could understand it.

"I'm serious, Soundwave, attempting to understand Megatron is like attempting to understand the universe's struggle to expand and explode. It's simply impossible."

Starscream.

Starscream was speaking to Soundwave, in the lounge, about...him?

...

...

...Why?

He had no time to examine the question or the situation, the open door to the lounge seemed to emanate reluctance from deep within, a certain dubiety rolling off Starscream's tone as he went on. "I honestly don't get it. His behaviour...is so...unexpected? Strange? I don't know. I just don't." A pause filtered through the air. "Is there even a term for this...this insurmountable spire of confusion? I don't understand him... Could...could he have known?" A sigh. "I doubt it. And I doubt I'll ever be able to understand any of this, either."

There was silence for a minute. A deep, deep, silence. Megatron didn't dare vent or even think a word, caught in a world of curiosity over the Seeker's thoughts. Perhaps finally he could know-

No.

...Just...he just wanted to know.

"I am...conflicted- is the word I'm looking for," a sigh. "I don't know what to do, I don't know what to think, I can't make out him at all. I mean- I mean is he just...fucking with me? Or what? Why did he act the way he did? He shouldn't have. He couldn't have. It is...immeasurably stupid to risk so much on something so trivial as messing with my processor...right? This couldn't be a form of punishment...he wouldn't have gone that far to jeopardize himself. So...so..." A defeated sigh cut through the air.

"I wish I knew what to do."

...Not a single inclination of thought could enter his mind as he waited, eyes fixed religiously on the doorway of the lounge, audios strained to catch every bit of dialect.

An almost corrosive bitterness drawled through the air. "But what can I expect from you? You can't even hear me..." Yet another sigh. "I only wish I knew... If this isn't a game to him, then what is it? Does he... No. No, just no. Maybe what he wants is to see me crumble, maybe not, but not that. Despite what you say, I can't believe that." A heavy breath was drawn, and an almost mocking tone shot out of the room. "Perhaps all he is doing it for is to see what happens."

Slowly, an anxious hesitance burning within him, he took tentative steps towards the room. Finally, he leaned against the door frame, folding his arms and frowning.

Starscream was standing restlessly beside an unconscious Soundwave, his back to him, his wings rigid. "I suppose-" His voice cut off, a wing turned sharply in Megatron's direction, and ruby optics pierced scarlet.

Starscream faced him, clamming his mouth shut, gaze deepening as he leveled his stare. "Megatron." he said shortly.

Said mech gave the slightest nod, keeping silent as unease whipped through the air, chafing and cruel like an unrelenting storm at midnight. Regret was already wearing at him from the obvious hesitation leaking from his partner. What was there to say, to do? Why had he done this? He shouldn't have made his presence known... Regardless though, he had. And he could only hold his ground as the Seeker's eyes broke from his, finding the floor as a scarcely withheld distress battled its way onto his faceplate.

"I don't suppose you heard any of that?" was what Starscream said, voice strained and perhaps a tad timid.

Megatron shrugged, feigning carelessness. "Does it really matter?"

A mixture of unidentifiable emotions came across the Seeker. Optics darkened, lips parted ever so slightly, his gaze flickered as his frame slumped. "I..." His eyes shuttered. He took an intake. He looked at him. "No. No I don't believe it does."

With that, he trained his gaze to the ground, scurried to the door of their quarters as quickly as possible, and left without a single glance back.

For a brisk moment, Megatron started out after him, wondering if he'd done something to offend him, pompously then reminding himself he didn't care.

Starscream could feel however he liked, it was beneath him to mind.

~~o_o~~

Here he sat, in the same position he did some hours ago, with Soundwave still unconscious. Which was a little alarming to be perfectly honest. Primus, I didn't hit him that hard. Perhaps, if his state of unawareness continued, he'd take him to Knock Out. It wouldn't do to have a damaged Third in Command. Of course Soundwave had survived much, much worse than the blow Megatron inflicted unto him, it was simply that if he had acquired an injury to his helm it could potentially develop into something far more drastic than a bad processor-ache if left neglected.

The mind was a such a treacherous, tricky thing after all.

Still, he'd give him a little more time.

But that begged the question, what should he do now?

...

...Either deal with the Elita situation, or address his apparently deteriorating mental sanity. There really wasn't an explanation to his actions in the Command Centre, and sitting around wondering what to do currently was not going to fix whatever virus had infected him. He had to be logical after all.

And-

And continuing to read those wretched things was not logical. Not really. He should stop altogether. He knew what happened from this point on, didn't he? After that day, that terrible, despicable...awful...grating day... It was...it was...

It was that day.

A frown took his face, and his optics looked to the ground, sudden memories obscuring his mind...

The sun was like Unicorn on my shoulders. Biting and scathing, the unpleasant weather was slowly inching away at my mood, bit by bit, until agitation tried marking a more frightening scowl than usual on my features. But despite not being in the company of others, showing my discomfort was still unacceptable. I'd worked in far harsher conditions than the petty heat, and displaying unease at something so trivially inconvenient would be pathetic at best.

There was nothing else to be done but survive it.

And survive it I would, standing for a brief moment alone just outside the camp.

Admittedly, it was exceedingly unwise to be out in the open on my own, and I knew Soundwave would give me scrap for it later, but I needed a moment to collect myself before the advance on Iacon. We would leave in a few hours, and then there would be no turning back.

If all went well, the storm on Iacon would be swift, bloody, and effective. The damn Council would finally see their sparks extinguished, and what the Decepticons were fighting for for so long, what I was fighting for for so long, would finally be realized. Cybertron would be ours to shape.

There was not a doubt in my mind that we would win this fight. After so many years, so much Energon-shed, we would win; I would win. Victory was so sickeningly close I could taste it. A new world, a new Cybertron, was just upon the horizon.

So, by all sensible means, I should have been beaming with extravagant joy! But...I wasn't. While I was despicably smug (even considering my descending mood), I wasn't confidently parading around with a triumphant grin either. Quite the opposite. I stood under the sun, watching the riveting sky fold into the arid ground; my frame over-heated, my cooling fans working too hard. My thoughts were caught over the actions to take after the war, something I may as well have almost forgotten about.

Cybertron was ravished, as it had to be, whole city-states destroyed, bodies of people obliterated. The force of the Decepticons had conquered and prevailed 'til the opposition had crumbled to its knees. There were still independent Autobot forces located throughout Cybertron, but once their Capitol fell, it wouldn't take more than a couple decades to thread out every remaining resistance, crushing them before moving on to re-building another world.

But there were large uncertainties about that future world, ones that only now seemed alive, so close to its beginning.

In terms of what legitimately was going to happen, ideas, plans, even some detailed specifics had of course been discussed, and it was not as though a course of action had not been thought-out long before, but one of the most prominent things I was flummoxed about was the moment after it was all over. The crucial, "What now?", days that came after every long decision made; when my mechs would again look to me for guidance, guidance that I promised I'd give them, that I would give them. What to say in that moment though, what actions to take following it, how to govern a people who'd only fought for so long, were things that I didn't know, and stood there, trying to ascertain.

But answers evaded me, my processor blank and unhelpful as it simply recycled the same questions over and over without ever finding resolutions.

Eventually, I placed the thoughts away for later, as I knew it was time to be going soon, and I could not have any distractions weighing on my mind. Possibly the most crucial battle of the entire war was at hand, and distraction was not acceptable.

With a shake of my helm, I turned back towards the camp, when a sudden glimmer of silver flashed in the corner of my optic. Instantly I activated my cannon and spun around sharply; I nearly choked.

To say what addled me would be to say what a mountain feels when a tremendous quake threatens its existence. The unsteadiness and hopeless desperation tearing through my core all in an instant was staggeringly impossible. I felt the ground dissipate below me, watched the sky melt above me, and experienced all time moving at once while it didn't move it all.

I couldn't think.

I couldn't move.

And at the centre of it all was Starscream, my bondmate.

Shock coursed through me, mixed emotions and blatant confusion causing the world to begin spinning again. A hole ground in my spark. Attempting to comprehend what my optics were seeing whilst trying to make sense of it... It couldn't be him. It looked nothing like him! No... No not now, not after so long... It simply couldn't be!

My gaze was gripped to his.

It was him.

I struggled to find something to say, overwhelmed as I was confronted with the past. I had put it behind me. I had forgotten it. I had moved on. Still, though, barely a sound escaped my intake but a whispered rasp. "S...Starscream?"

I couldn't tell if he heard me or not, but his wings were sloped, his eyes aflame, his form trembling. A moment of deathly nothing crept by, time so indiscernible it could have been an hour and I wouldn't have noticed. I couldn't move, couldn't speak, caught in a trap of waiting for a response.

Finally, one came.

Hate filled my bondmate's expression; pure and utter loathing overshadowing him. Ice seeped through my spark. Suddenly the Seeker turned on a thruster, wings rattling as he moved away.

My vocalizer burst to life, static-laced and stressed in waging desperation. "Starscream!"

He didn't stop, transforming and zooming off back towards the encampment, silver frame tremendously graceful in the open air before he disappeared into the sea of tents and temporary walls.

Note Time!

Gosh, this is so short...

...Huh. You know, I'm not sure if I'm glad or depressed over the fact that 5,000 words/14 pages of a chapter is 'short' for me. Huh. XD

*Sigh* Oh but oh dear, oh deary deary me. It's too bad that the letters (I'd written a couple already) didn't make it in. But I was DETERMINED to put this chapter up tonight [even if it's now only go up two days later technically...heh], and there was just a lot of things to do and bleh. It's one of the reasons that this chapter is choppy and just...bad – I remember, I restarted it and rewrote it so, so many times way back when. But this is what we got, eh? *Sigh* It really isn't finished. Things were supposed to get cut or redone and some things were supposed to be longer; it's just a mess. And the memory, actually, technically goes on a lot longer as well, but I won't be writing any more of this story yet, so don't worry about it; it'll all come back and stuff.

I'm only posting this chapter because I love you guys and I'm praying that you'll find it within the deepest depths of your soul to somewhat *maaaaaybe* slightly forgive me just a little tinsie bit – even though, I know, it feels like nothing happened. I assure you something did though! Many things, actually; although, like I said, it is true that it wasn't done yet. Hopefully though, this chapter can serve as somewhat of a peace offering. Once I am done plotting (bw...haha...ha ha, ha...ha), I'll be getting to work immediately to update the story! If you want to stay posted on the updates and what not, in the summery of the story there's a 'list' of the chapters edited – so if you just want to take a quick glance at what is up and out, that should work! :D

If you'd like a more detailed process of what's going on with the story, I am going to have a section for Dear Megatron on my profile where I'll try and post either short or long weekly updates on what's happening, when the next update is going to likely be here, maybe if something really specific is going to change, whatevers gotta be said honestly. Oh! That reminds me! Either as they come out or when they're done coming out, you will need to re-read the story for the updated chapters. I don't mean to be picky, but as a guess right now, a LOT of things probably won't make that much sense if you just pick up the story at chapter 17 when I continue it. So a re-read will be necessary if you want things to make sense. XD

Oh, of course if you want to shoot me a PM about any questions about the story, I'm toates down with that, and I'll answer all your questions as quickly as I can! Given that they're not requests for spoilers. :P

Anywho! Well I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful Easter Season with your families, that you're all doing just lovely, and that you enjoyed this chapter!

If you'd like to post a review, by all means! It'll serve as fuel for me to keep motivated and active. I do have a lot of school work and some things going on in my personal life keeping me busy, but there's not much excuse for this just sitting here like a pile of horse dung. :)

Now with that mental image, have a Happy Easter everyone!

~Scarlet

*Post, posting note!

A review reminded this to me (thanks for the comment by the way!) When this was written, it was written generally closely to the other chapters, meaning that I still had the entire story and everything in mind. For the most part, I still do, but now I'm stuck thinking that you guys might need to re-read the whole story for this chapter to make sense in context. I hope not; mostly because of the updates that are going to be coming and all... Hmm, it's really up to you all what you want to do.

Oh! And to the reviewer (and anyone else that's wondering) no Elita One doesn't become the focus, I assure you. XD Thanks again!