A/N: Not much to report here, just thought I'd give a bit of a wrap-up, since, you know, my brain refuses to co-operate on the 'soon' I promised with Sideswipe/Steeljaw

The house was silent, and Jack would have to strain his ears really hard to hear his mother's soft snores across the hall. His door was always opened now; Jack couldn't stand it being shut, it reminded him too much of…that.

Had what not happened, just happened, Jack could almost swear they were lovers basking in the afterglow. But that's not what this was at all, it was a horrifying parody of it; his skin crawled as Knock Out wrapped his arms around Jack's body and held it close to his chest, servos grazing down his back.

Jack didn't have the strength left to fight anymore, and he hated Knock Out all the more for not leaving him after he was finished. He didn't want the Autobots to find him like this, to see the Decepticon holding him so gently and even for a second think Jack went along with it.

Jack hissed when one of Knock Out's servos began rubbing his lower back; he was sure when he got a look at himself, he'd see nothing but scratches along his thighs, and bite marks littering his neck and shoulders. His dress skirt was torn to shreds, with bits and pieces strewn underneath him and his top likely had tears from where Knock Out's digits scraped down his body, the sharp talons so easily sliding through the fabric.

"Leave." He found himself saying, his voice hoarse and tired.

Knock Out chuckled, still sounding so full of energy. He pressed his lips to Jack's temple, who could only manage a slight flinch, but it sent a shot of pain up his spine all the same. "You're in no position to give me orders. In fact, I dare say you lack even the power to stop me from having my way again." His chuckle turned dark. "You certainly didn't in the first place."

Jack frowned as he glared into the Decepticon's red optics. "Would saying please make a difference?"

Knock Out looked contemplative, but Jack didn't get his hopes up. "No." he said eventually. He continued kissing down Jack's face to his neck, lips pressing against the base of his throat before kissing one of the bite marks. "Not unless it's 'please don't stop'. Such a shame all you could do was scream and cry."

Disgust churned in Jack's stomach, and he wanted so much to puke. He gritted his teeth as he felt a servo adjust his backside on the pillow Knock Out had placed under him. "I hate you."

No amount of 'comfort' Knock Out had bothered with could ever take back what happened, and it made Jack sick to even wonder if the 'concern' was even genuine. He'd given him the pillow to let up the bleeding, had covered him up with a clean sheet and turned up his own heater to keep Jack warm.

When the Autobots finally arrived, Jack couldn't even gather the strength to yell at them, to demand why they hadn't found him sooner, why they didn't save him from Knock Out, why they had brought his mother. Jack couldn't even look at her as she'd gazed down at him, tears pooling in her eyes as her hands came over her mouth, a gasp escaping.

Now, Jack understood why, but then he had been too terrified and scared to think about the Autobots reasoning. He'd just known that they brought his mother to see the most awful moment of his life. His mother was the only medical personnel they could find at such short notice to assess the damage, as none of the Autobots, or humans for that matter, could have guessed what Knock Out was going to do to him.

Jack certainly hadn't realized it until it was too late.

June did a brief examination with shaking hands and barely restrained sobs, before she had went about patching him as best she could for the time being. Jack knew it was his mother touching him, but he hated himself for flinching every time thinking it was Knock Out.

Jack sucked in a breath when his mother removed the sheet from his lower half, her eyes widening in horror. Her expression crumpled as the tears finally spilled down her cheeks. Jack closed his eyes as he wished he could make this all go away, go back to the moment he met Knock Out in Sierra's form and tell him to fuck off.

"I-I-I need to turn you over," June whispered, "to bandage you up."

Jack's face scrunched at the thought of rolling over, but he was going to be moved eventually. "Okay." He said quietly. "When am I getting out of here?" he didn't ask about the Autobots; he was still too shaken at catching even a glimpse of them outside the window.

He wanted to believe they weren't listening, that they weren't relaying to Fowler about his injuries and how gently they'd need to move him.

"It's going to be okay, Jack." His mother said as she tried to sound reassuring, but she still looked so shaken.

Jack though wanted to believe her, if for nothing else than that he was just so tired.

When he'd woken up, Jack was immensely relieved to find himself in a military base hospital than a regular one. At least here, he wouldn't have to hide the truth, but in the same breath, he'd have to tell the truth. Examining him probably gave confirmation while Jack was still asleep, but repeating what Knock Out had done to him was like having his fingernails pulled out.

The only bit of relief that came from it was the doctors had held off the officials from questioning him until they found him well enough to hold a conversation.

Relief quickly turned to agitation, which turned into a festering annoyance the longer he found himself in the base. Jack couldn't stand looking at anyone, knowing that all he'd see was thinly disguised pity, for having the dubious 'honor' of showing that not all the Decepticons thought humans were disgusting pieces of carbon.

Jack certainly thought Knock Out was disgusted by his body's functions, as the image of the medic's face when he'd made Jack bleed. In the same, terrifying turn though, Knock Out's optics gleamed when Jack had screamed as the digit edged in deeper.

Bile rose in Jack's throat as he glared hard at the ceiling of his room. Yes, Knock Out found him repulsive despite his assurances he felt something for him, but there was nothing good about being the mech's exception. Jack forced the bile back down as he reached for the glass of water on his nightstand.

Jack had been allowed to leave the base after a week, so long as he met with one of their shrinks. Jack hadn't been terribly fond of the idea, but he'd agreed just to get home faster and be back in his own room. It was safety, comfort, and he barely left it.

June had wisely kept the Autobots at bay, and only relayed that they wished he was well and Arcee promised that Knock Out would pay. Honestly it had made Jack feel a bit better that his guardian had his back, but it didn't stop the resentment that she hadn't been there for him.

None of them had.

"Hey, Jack."

He froze, his fists clenching as his breathing picked up. Jack couldn't handle this; if he didn't want to see the Autobots, why did Miko think it was a good idea he wanted to see her? The answer came just as quickly: it was Miko, she never thought things through. "What are you doing here?" he asked without looking up from the plate on his lap. The sandwich had once looked appetizing but now his stomach was in knots.

He caught Miko walking along the edge of the room through his peripheral vision, her gazing anywhere but on him too. "I just…wanted to see how you were doing."

"Well you saw me, has your guilt eased?" It was harsh, and Jack felt bad about it, but still-saying it felt so good.

Miko jerked back, but her posture turned defensive just as quickly. "Why would I feel guilty? Knock Out's the one who kidnapped you." She gripped her pigtail, pulling as she groaned. "Just because he beat on you doesn't mean you should spend your life cooped up in this box."

Jack froze again, this time from incredulity. Beat on him? Was that all Miko thought Knock Out had done? "Did anyone tell you what happened?"

Miko paused. "No, but what other reason would there be? You've missed two weeks of school, shouldn't you have healed up by now?"

The tightness in Jack's chest lessened, but only a little as he realized with a start that of course no one was going to tell Miko or Raf about what really went on. Now that the damage had been done, it was too late for Jack, but the other two children could still be shielded.

Jack's fists clenched on the sheet underneath him. Even if that wasn't the thought process, he still couldn't let it go. "Miko, do I look injured too you?" he asked tersely, and finally allowed himself to look up.

Miko frowned as she looked at him too. "No," she sounded confused, "so why are you still here?"

Jack remembered what Miko said about her life back in Tokyo, and knew she could never understand him. Quite frankly, he didn't want her to understand, to know the horror of what he'd gone through. He'd still wake up sometimes in a sweat as he could almost hear Knock Out whispering in his ear. "Forget it, it's not important."

Miko's frown deepened. "Jack, you can't let that 'Con win." She said fiercely, and Jack looked at her startled for the tone alone. "He's still out there, fighting the Autobots and trying to destroy them-and us. None of us can just sit around and not do anything to help!"

"I know that, Miko." Jack said tiredly. "I just can't afford to see the Autobots right now because…" They remind me of him, they weren't there to save me, how can I look them in the optics now, he couldn't say any of it, at least not to Miko of all people. "I just can't, okay? You don't know what I went through, but I hope you never have to, so can you please just drop it?"

Miko blinked as she jerked back, but she snapped at him just as quickly. "You don't think I know? We get nearly attacked all the time!"

"Only because you get us into the mess in the first place." Jack muttered.

Miko scowled at him. "So this is my fault? You're blaming me for what happened to you?"

"Yes!" Jack stiffened immediately. He didn't mean for it to come out, to sound so harsh, but he couldn't stop once it was said. "If you had listened to me and we stuck together this wouldn't have happened. Knock Out wouldn't have been able to put his plan into motion, and I'd see Sierra with her squad. You just couldn't help yourself and left me, you weren't there-none of you were there!"

Jack breathed in deeply, but even as shock crossed Miko's face, he found the rest of the tightness in his chest unwinding. He couldn't believe he'd just come right out with it, and could already imagine this incident being something his therapist would bring up.

When Miko's expression started to crumple, guilty replaced any euphoria he had. "Miko-I-I-"

"Don't you think I know that?" she asked. "I had to hear your mom calling about where you were, that you missed curfew. And then I hear you yelling over the phone about Knock Out kidnapping you? I get it! I really do get it," she repeated more softly, "and what happened to you-whatever it was- don't think for a second that none of us feel like we could have done better." Her eyes hardened. "But you can't just let this control your life. Knock Out left you alive, what if he comes back to finish the job? Are you just going to let him?"

Jack felt fear grip him, his stomach churning as he could very well see Knock Out doing just that. He hunched over, closing his eyes as he gritted his teeth. No, he didn't want that, not in a million years did he ever want to see Knock Out again.

Despite how truly out of the loop she was, Jack had taken Miko's advice to heart. Day by day he tried to get out more, even if it was just to take the garbage to the road. And just as little by little, he thought he could get through this.

Even when the flashes would come and set him back, he refused to break. Even when he remembered Knock Out's parting words.

"I can't wait for next Halloween."