Disclaimer: I don't own transformers I've just buried it.

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Bumblebee felt a shudder of relief go through him as his charge gingerly emerged from the wreckage of the house, followed closely by an anxious Will who had an arm wrapped around his family.

"Sam," he rumbled softly as moved to the smaller bot, his optics narrowing as he took in the damage marring the small metal frame and the steady leaking of energon from various places. His youngling had been through hell again, and he struggled to contain the rage threatening to burst free of his spark.

"Hi Bee," Sam said softly glancing up at his Guardian, blinking at the concern in Bee's optics. "I'm okay Bee," he added reassuringly, and then spoilt the effect by stumbling sudden feeling slightly light-headed - however, his fall was broken instantly by a large yellow hand. He glanced up expecting it to be Bee, but found Ratchet examining him sternly instead.

"Youngling I have never known anyone get into as much trouble as you seem to get into," the medic said lightly scolding, and Sam had to grin at that - if the medic had been human it would go without a doubt that he would have more than a few grey hairs because of him.

"It isn't my fault," he pointed out as he let the older Bot ease him to the ground and start to examine his newest injuries. "And Bee's been in just as much trouble as me! If not more!" He protested, and Bee rumbled in protest - he didn't need another lecture from the medic.

"You're both trouble-makers," Ironhide rumbled as he slowly approached the group, still angry that Barricade had turned and run…and that he had managed to lose him in the trees.

"Barricade?" Optimus rumbled grimly.

"Gone for now, I doubt Megatron will be happy with him though," Ironhide replied, drawing a modicum of pleasure from that thought.

"It seems that we will need to be more watchful in future," Optimus said his gaze alternating between Sam's battered form, the wrecked house and the small Lennox family. They had come to close to losing a lot this time and as much as he hated to admit it, it worried him.

"Ouch!" Sam protested as Ratchet pushed a wire back into place, twisting his head to glare up at the medic.

"Sorry Sam," Ratchet said softly and then gazed up at Optimus. "We should get Sam back to base, he needs some more repairs that I can't do here."

"Very well, we need to regroup anyway."

"Will, we should take Sarah and Annie with us for now, your house needs repairing and it's clearly not safe for them at the moment," Ironhide added, turning to gaze down at his own charges - especially the sniffling toddler that had somehow wormed her way into his iron-clad heart.

"I agree, and send a message to Epps and anyone else on the team with families - I think it might be an idea to bring them all to base," Will said grimly, still shaken by how close he'd come to losing his whole world to the deceptions…if it hadn't been for Sam…he couldn't even complete that thought.

"We'll take care of that," Sideswipe promised glancing briefly at Jolt who nodded seriously.

Bee rumbled softly as he transformed and rolled up next to Sam, thankful that his charge was still small enough to be able to ride in him. With a weary smile the teen transformed to his own alt form, and with Ratchet's help carefully climbed into the Camaro. Relaxing as he watched the others transform around them, and smiling as Annie's tears transformed into excitement as she got to clamber into the weapon's specialist.

"You did well," Bee said softly, but with pride evident in his voice and Sam patted the steering wheel in thanks - it was nice to be the one to save the day for once. Slowly the large group of Autobots rolled out, leaving the wreckage of the house behind them as they headed back to the sanctuary that was the NEST base.

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Mikaela sighed with relief as she saw the large group of automobiles moving towards the hangar with no obvious signs that they had been in a battle. Beside her Wheels also sighed with relief, he had come to be quite close to the other Bots who hadn't held his origins against him and because he had worried about Michaela's reactions if they had been hurt. However, their relief diminished somewhat as the brilliant yellow Camaro moved off at a tangent - heading for the med bay with Ratchet in pursuit.

"Sam?" She asked the other Bots as they pulled to a halt outside the hangar, Optimus swiftly changed and she stared up at his towering form anxiously.

"He will be fine, he has some minor wounds but they will be easily fixed," he said reassuringly, turning slightly to watch as the Lennox's climbed out of Ironhide - Annie now held securely in Will's arms.

Realising that they had stuff to sort out she silently slipped away, heading for the med bay with Wheels closely on her heels. Will watched her going, sensing that she had some issues to resolve with Sam - and he muttered a silent prayer that it wouldn't lead to more problems for the teen, he didn't need any more pressures on his shoulders at the moment. However, that would have to wait for now…his family needed him, and they clearly had a major intelligence issue that needed to be resolved.

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Sam tried not to grimace as Ratchet set to work repairing the latest damage to his body - working with a gentleness that he rarely displayed to any other Bot except Bee. Thinking of his guardian he glanced across at him, and found the loyal Bot watching them intently his blue optics anxious.

"Stop worrying Bee, I'll be as good as new as soon as Ratchet's finished," he said confidently, knowing that the other Bot was likely recalling the last time they had been in the med bay following a battle.

"I should have been there," Bee said softly, cautiously moving closer to his charge but making sure he stayed out of Ratchet's way - he didn't want to get whacked with any of the tools the medic was wielding.

"It's not your fault Bee, you can't always be there," Sam said noticing that although Ratchet was scowling at Bee's words he wasn't interfering…for now. "Besides this is why I've been doing all this training. And it's thanks to your tinkering with my sensors that I knew he was coming."

"It doesn't mean I have to like it," the small yellow Bot muttered mulishly and Sam grinned fondly at his Guardian, he really was a mother-hen. Suddenly he recalled the idea that had come to him after the battle - it would be a perfect way to distract his brooding guardian.

"Bee…" He started and then glanced up at Ratchet before opening the private com-link with Bee and telling him about his idea and what he needed, causing the medic to eye them suspiciously as he welded a torn wire back into place.

"What are you younglings plotting?" He demanded a moment later when Bee chuckled his optics now bright with amusement.

"Nothing," Sam and Bee replied together, and the medic groaned… whilst the twins were the most blatant troublemakers of the group, Bee was known for the mischief he could cause…and Sam was a teenager and from what Ratchet had observed about human youths they too took great pleasure in mischief. Therefore he dreaded what they could get up to together, but it was clear from the mock-innocent expressions on their face that they weren't going to tell him.

"If either of you cause too much havoc, this wrench" or he paused to wave the tool for effect, "will introduced to you heads."

"It's nothing bad, honestly," Bee protested not wanting Sam to be in any trouble - even if it was his idea, however, this did little to reassure Ratchet.

"Last time you said that you had managed to rewire Skywarp's directional circuit so that he could only go backwards," the medic reminisced, his optics drooping slightly as he recalled the good-natured Bot whom had fallen in several years before they had come to earth. However, he was broken out of his melancholy by Sam's chortle as the teen gazed at Bee who was looking incredibly sheepish.

"Sam!" The rest of their conversation was cut off as Michaela rushed into the medbay, her eyes anxiously scanning Sam - noticing the new dents and the remaining energon stains. Sam shifted for a second, unsure of what to say so he just stared at her with wide optics as she came to a halt and fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Right I'm going to check Ironhide isn't hiding any injuries from me," Ratchet proclaimed sensing that the girl wished to talk to Sam alone. "Just stay away from battles for a few days at least," he said as a parting admonishment which Sam acknowledged with a humorous nod as the large Bot strode away muttering to himself.

"And I'll go take care of 'It'," Bee said with a quick wink - as he too cottoned on that the young ones needed to be alone, transforming he quietly drove out of the bay.

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Confronted with the sight of Sam covered in the remains of battle, it took all of her will not to throw herself on him. However, she knew that she had hurt him…not as much as his parents had, but she had abandoned him at the worst time possible. Glancing round she sought a way to break the ice; finally she spotted a large cloth, and silently she stepped across and scooped it up and moved towards Sam. As he watched her with wide optics she gently began to wipe at the blue energon marring his body, her eyes soft as she glanced up at him.

"I'm so sorry Sam," she said quietly as she worked and he tensed beneath her hands, metal clanking softly.

"For what?" He asked uncertainly, he didn't know what to make of her actions - and there was so many emotions flashing across her face that he couldn't even begin to guess what she was feeling or thinking.

"For everything…for leaving you on your own when you needed for me, for letting you think I didn't care, for not being able to cope," her words came out in a jumbled rush, but her hands were steady as she continued cleaning him up.

"I didn't blame you," he said softly "I don't think I would have reacted any better if our places had been switched."

"When….When we heard that you were under attack today I realised that I couldn't just switch off my feelings for you," she paused, her words faltering before she squared her shoulders and looked up and met his gaze. "I still love you Sam, this," she pressed a hand to his chest her fingers warm against his metal, "hasn't changed that."

Sam couldn't believe what he was hearing, and yet hope blossomed in his chest even as he feared that it would turn out to be some sort of cruel joke. Holding her gaze he transformed. Cautiously she leant up and gently kissed him, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath her hands. After a moment she leant back and looked at him shyly. His brilliant blue eyes were bright if a little unsure, and a small smile played around his lips as he looked at her.

"Are you sure?" He asked, not wanting her to feel coerced into anything - and not wanting to risk anything more if she was uncertain in anyway.

"I'm sure," her voice rang with conviction, and his smile spread into a real one that lit up his face….reminding her of the happiness he had shown in their last days at high school, and that thought brought a broad smile to her face as she gazed at him.

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"What was Bee talking about?" Michaela asked suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen over them. She was currently curled up against Sam who was leant against the wall, his arms wrapped around her, and she twisted slightly to look at him as he chuckled. "What?"

"We're going to prank the twins," he explained with a grin. "Payback for all the ridiculous names they've been suggesting that I use."

"Oh," she remembered that he needed a Autobot name as well now, although to her he would always be Sam. "Have you found one yet?" She asked curiously, trying to imagine what name would suit him…somehow she couldn't imaging any Autobot name suiting him the same way they suited the bigger Bots.

"Yep, Will gave me the idea back at the house after Barricade had taken off," he said and she waited expectantly but he didn't elaborate.

"Well?" She demanded impatiently. "What is it?"

"Blitz," he replied somewhat shyly, "because apparently I blitzed his house, and I figured it was quite a good Autobot name." He shifted nervously, and she realised that he was waiting to see what her reaction was.

"Blitz," she repeated considering the name, and then she smiled. "I think it's the perfect name for you," she said and he sighed with relief, and with an amused smile she lent up to give him a brief kiss. "So what is this prank?"….

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Okay not much action in this chapter and quite a bit of mush.

Let me know what you think x