Hello everyone! I apologize since it's been a few months since I updated this story, but I've finally found some free time to just be able to write! I got writer's block again with this chapter, so it may not be the best, but in the next one I'm super excited since something BIG will happen!

Thank you to my reviewers: AutobotGuy710, The Silvernote, lizyeh2000, SunnySidesFemme, Skyelover101, KayleeChiara, mikeysrevenge, jgoss, and Bee4ever! You guys brighten my day :)

To those who were kinda confused on Lilly's parents' reactions, they are explained a little more in this chapter. I hope it makes more sense (if it doesn't, let me know!)

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Chapter 29: Holding Out for a Hero

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Lennox watched as Lilly ran out of the hangar, Bumblebee following close behind. He grit his teeth, clenching his fists tightly as he walked up to Jim and Caroline, who were fearfully watching the angry crowd around them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Roth, please follow me," he said, as he began to walk towards a door in the hangar. They glanced at each other, before following the Major through the door, and up a staircase, taking a left turn as he led them into a conference room.

"Please, take a seat," he said, motioning to the circular table in the middle of the small room. They did, and he took a seat at the head of the table. The room was silent for a few moments, and Lennox stared at the couple, before shaking his head. "Why," he said, "why did you do that to her? To your daughter? To Lilly?"

Jim and Caroline frowned, both giving large sighs. Jim patted his wife's hand gently, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"She isn't our daughter," Jim said. "You heard her, she's adopted. Not our biological child."

"That doesn't mean she isn't your daughter!" Lennox snapped, the image of his own child, Annabelle, popping into his mind. "No matter what, you raised her since she was a baby, and even if she was never human to begin with, you still should be there for her! You shouldn't just shut her out of your lives!"

"Do you think we asked for this?" Caroline said, tears falling onto her cheeks once more. "Do you think we wanted Lilly to be thrown into some crazy alien robot war? No! Even though Bumblebee was watching over her, I still went to bed every night terrified that she could be ambushed, or attacked, even killed! We can't live like this," she cried, her shoulders trembling as she whispered, "I can't live like this."

Lennox froze, letting the words of Caroline sink into his mind. "So you're afraid?" He asked.

"Yes," Jim replied. "As a robot now, she'll be in more danger, and we don't want to constantly be afraid about losing her. She's old enough now, that she doesn't need us. And I'm sure you all have become her new family, since she belongs with the Autobots." He gave a small smile, and wrapped an arm around Caroline, who was silently crying next to him. "We'll always still love our little girl, but finding out she was never human…" He paused, closing his eyes, "really took a toll on us. Although, I may have panicked a little earlier."

The Major nodded, somewhat understanding what the two meant. They were afraid, mostly of what Lilly had become, and he could tell through their voices that they were sorry. "Alright," he said. "Even though I still don't agree with what you're doing, I understand. I'll tell Lilly when she comes back. Now, let's get you both out of here, since I'm sure a lot of people are mad about what you said."

He stood up, Jim and Caroline following him out of the conference room. As they were walking down the hall, a large group of soldiers headed toward them, one of them calling out.

"Lennox, sir!" The soldier stopped near him. "We have just received a call, Bumblebee has alerted the base about something approaching DC! We need to act fast!"

"What?" Lennox said. He turned back to look at Lilly's parents. "I need you two to stay here, you hear me?" They nodded, and he took off down the hall at a sprint, praying it was a threat that they could handle.

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Lilly took a few hesitant step backwards, spark pounding heavily in her chest. She closed her eyes as she allowed herself to transform into her robot mode, getting a better look at what was in front of her.

At least twenty Decepticons were at the edge of the forest, their cannons and weapons pointed at the two Autobots. Lilly could pick out Barricade, Starscream, and Soundwave among them, the rest unfamiliar as she transformed her arm into a cannon, the energy within it crackling to life.

Bumblebee's holoform vanished in a shimmer of sparks, the yellow Camaro roaring to life as it sped forwards, transforming a mere feet away from Lilly.

"I thought I told you to run?!" The young mech shouted, nudging Lilly with his arm. His bright blue optics gazed at her with worry, before he let out a sharp gasp, pulling Lilly to the ground as they were fired at.

:I'm not leaving you here alone!: Lilly shouted over the comm link, pulling herself upwards as she aimed her cannon at an approaching Decepticon and fired. Blue energy shot out of her cannon, hitting the enemy square in the chest. She frowned as the screams of the Decepticon filled her audio receptors, it's body seeming to melt away from impact of the Allspark energy.

Lilly had practiced hundreds of times with Ironhide, but she never had the opportunity to test her weapon out on a Cybertronian, and her spark clenched with guilt as she watched her first victim collapse in front of her.

I just killed someone, Lilly thought, shaking her helm to clear the negative thoughts fluttering within her processor. She dodged a missile fired on her right, the weapon barely missing her body as she spun out of the way.

:Calling to base, is anyone there?: Bumblebee screamed over the comm link, desperately hoping to reach his comrades in time. He fired his cannon repeatedly, optics flickering back and forth to see any oncoming shots from the Decepticons.

:Bumblebee?: Optimus answered, and the yellow mech felt a slight relief as he grabbed Lilly's arm, dragging her down the hill as the two fled. They were greatly outnumbered, and if they were to remain on the hill, they would likely be dead within minutes.

:We're under attack by at least twenty Decepticons, and they're headed right towards the city!: Bumblebee continued to sprint, Lilly right next to him.

"Ow!" Lilly cried out, stumbling as a bullet hit the back of her shoulder. She clenched her denta tightly in an attempt to fight the pain, firing blindly behind her as they reached a forest, crashing through the trees. For what seemed like hours they ran, although it was only a few minutes, before Bumblebee opened his lip plates to speak.

"They're getting really close to the city!" Bumblebee yelled to her, refusing to let go of her servo. Lilly nodded, glancing behind her, only to find no trace of any Decepticons.

"Where'd they go?" Lilly stopped, venting air heavily through her systems in an attempt to cool down. She released Bumblebee's servo, rubbing her own absentmindedly across her chest plates. The forest around them was silent, shadows casted from the looming, dense trees creating an eerie atmosphere.

"I don't know," Bumblebee muttered, turning in a slow circle to assess their surroundings. "Did we lose them?"

Lilly shrugged, hissing as pain shot through the spot on her back where she had been shot. Hesitantly, she brought her servo to the area, immediately pulling it back when she felt a warm and sticky liquid come in contact with the metal of her servo.

"Is that energon?" Bumblebee asked, glancing at the bright blue substance on Lilly's servo. "Did you get hurt?"

Lilly nodded, turning to show him where she had been shot. "I'm fine, really," she said, turning back to face him before he could touch it.

Bumblebee raised his optic ridge, giving Lilly an incredulous look, but decided not to push her. "We need to–"

A series of faint shrieks and calls for help made the mech pause, his helm whipping in the direction of the noises. Lilly darted forward, grabbing Bumblebee's arm, her cannon whirring to life once more as her sensors picked up the sounds from coming nearby.

:I can see the edge of the forest!: Lilly yelled over their comm link, the break in the trees revealing a road. The two Autobots burst through the treeline and onto the hard cement, almost colliding with each other as they halted, taking in their surroundings.

"Oh Primus," Lilly whispered, her knees giving way as she collapsed onto the ground, mouth falling open.

In front of them lied a wreckage of cars, most flattened or split in half, shrapnel scattered hundreds of feet beyond the mess. Bodies of those trying to flee were everywhere, bent at weird angles or missing limbs. The sounds of sirens wailing and explosions came from within the city, the Decepticons already having gone too far.

"All of these innocent people…" Bumblebee trailed off, shaking his helm. He bent to comfort Lilly, but the femme quickly stood up, turning to face him.

"We can't stop here and mourn," she said, closing her ocean blue optics for a few moments before reopening them. "We need to help save the city."

Bumblebee nodded, refusing to look at the bodies on the ground as he moved forwards, heading towards an adjacent road. "We need to split up. You'll be okay, right?"

"You don't need to worry about me," Lilly said, venting air through her systems. She gave him a small smile, before the two split paths, and she continued down the road.

Foundations of houses and apartment buildings rested on the sides of the road, completely demolished as fires raged on. The Decepticons must have just ran through here, blowing up anything in their path, Lilly thought, before a loud shriek brought her to reality.

"Help, someone, please!" The voice sounded masculine, and Lilly quickened her pace, sensors picking up a Decepticon a hundred yards away. She sprinted, turned around a corner and into a new neighborhood, almost stopping as her optics fell onto a Decepticon pointing a cannon at a man clutching a baseball bat, a woman and small child hiding behind him.

"Hey, you!" She yelled, and both the man and Decepticon looked at her. Lurching forwards, she dodged a shot fired from the Decepticon, growling as she threw her frame onto it, the two tumbling onto the ground. Pointing her cannon into its chassis, it mumbled words of a different language, although it sounded desperate.

"I'm sorry, but you messed with the wrong femme and the wrong planet," Lilly hissed, allowing her cannon to fire into the Decepticon. It gave a ferocious scream before its body stilled, the Allspark energy tearing apart its frame in a matter of seconds.

Lilly stood up, turning to look at the terrified man, woman, and child. "Are you alright?"

"Please, don't hurt us," the man said, his body visibly shaking. His hair was messy, dirt and soot covering his face and arms, a few small injuries noticeable on his bare skin.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm an Autobot, the good guys," Lilly replied, bending to get a closer look at the humans. The man froze, considering Lilly's response, before he pointed a shaking finger at a burning house behind him.

"T-This was our house. We just escaped in time, but…" He trailed off, grabbing the hand of the trembling woman, trying to calm down the sobbing little boy in her arms. Lilly frowned, her spark panging in guilt at the sight of the family's destroyed home.

"You need to get out of here. As far away from the city as you can," Lilly said, lifting her helm up as she heard the sound of distant explosions and gunshots. "It's not safe."

The man nodded, ushering the woman towards a nearby car. He dropped the baseball bat he had been holding in his hand, and gave a smile to Lilly. "Thank you. For saving the lives of my wife and child, as well as myself."

"You're welcome," Lilly replied, before heading down the road, following the sound of war.

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Bumblebee sprinted down the road, on the heels of a Decepticon. His cannon whirred to life as he fired it, although to no avail. His shots kept missing as the Decepticon dodged them, diving behind buildings for cover as the Autobot continued to chase him.

Suddenly, Bumblebee was tackled to the ground, and the sound of a cackling laugh echoed through the air, reverberating across the towering buildings. He grunted, optics widening as the hideous face of Starscream came into view, the Decepticon holding the yellow mech's arms tightly to his sides.

"Happy to see us, Autobot?" Starscream hissed, missiles appearing on the plating on his arms. "I think it's time for me to finally end you."

The Seeker let out a scream as a nearby explosion sent him flying off of Bumblebee, crashing into a wire fence. Something gave a loud thud as it landed next to the Autobot, and Bumblebee turned his helm, gasping as the faceplates of his savior came into view.

"Firewarp?" He asked gently, standing up as the young Seeker offered him a servo.

"You okay?" Firewarp asked, wings twitching in anger as he stared at Starscream struggling to stand up.

"Yeah, thanks for saving me," Bumblebee said, giving a small smile to the ex-Decepticon in front of him.

Starscream let out a feral growl as he regained his balance, metal crunching beneath his pedes. "You!" He pointed a digit at Firewarp, blood-red optics narrowing in pure hatred. "I never thought you would betray us, Firewarp. Or should I even call you that, traitor?"

Bumblebee glanced at Firewarp, who took a few steps forward, servos clenched tightly. "I'm not going to take orders from you 'Cons any longer," Firewarp hissed, "I want to be an Autobot."

Starscream shook his helm, chuckling darkly as he charged his cannon. "Bad move," he said, before firing his weapon. Both Bumblebee and Firewarp dove out of the way, tumbling on the cement.

There was a sharp sound of metal grinding and hissing as Starscream transformed into his alt form, shooting off into the sky.

"That fragger!" Bumblebee yelled, firing his cannon at the Decepticon, but missing as Starscream disappeared from view.

"I can go after him," Firewarp said.

Bumblebee gave him a pat on the back, smiling gratefully. Firewarp gave a nervous nod, before he backed up, jumping into the air. Within seconds, the small form of Firewarp was replaced with an F-22 Raptor fighter jet, taking off into the sky with the roar of its engines.

Bumblebee turned in the direction the previous Decepticon had disappeared, and took off at a sprint, dodging abandoned cars and pieces of buildings that had been blown apart.

It was time that they saved the city, once and for all.

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As you can see, Firewarp is back! I really love him, if only he was a real Transformer xD I'm not the best at writing action scenes, and it feels a bit rushed to me, but I just needed to get it out of my head and onto a document.

Although I can't promise any updates soon, I'll definitely try my best to update this story more than just once a month! All of you who are patient deserve it :)

Please leave reviews, as I love to know your thoughts/opinions on the story so far!

(Credits to Bonnie Tyler and her song 'Holding Out For A Hero' for the title of this chapter)

– SapphireSpark