JustinTheSpider: :)

Skyshadow54: I'm so pleased.

Pixiv Fantasia: :)

king rockerith: :)

Rebask: Thanks.

Elesem: I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Airachnid's POV

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

A voice I hadn't heard in millenia reverberates through my audios. My helm rests on jade shoulder plating, and my optics meet vivacious, crimson ones. I'm frozen for a moment as all my systems simultaneously crash before I throw myself at Wildclaw. We hit the ground together and my arms encircle his neck. I feel lubricantes streaming from my optics, but I don't care!

"Can't say I'm disappointed by your greeting," my brother laughs lightly. I try to speak, but my voice box doesn't produce anything coherent. Wildclaw chuckles as he wraps his arms around me, and pulls me close. It takes me some time before I can form intelligible thoughts. It is an old habit of mine to always be aware of my surroundings, and though I never want to take my optics off my brother again, I look away.

We lay in the shade of a white oak, sunlight peeking through its strong branches. The tall grasses are flattened from our fall, and patches of wild flowers are scattered about. Despite it all, there is no sign of wildlife. No birds. No insects. No spiders. The severe lack of life forms puts me on edge.

"Where are we, Brother?" I question, "Is this the All-Spark? Not quite what I imagined, but it can't be the Pit. Especially not if you're here."

"What makes you think you're dead, Sister?"

"What…?" I mumble, unable to process his words.

"You're dreaming, Sister."

I press my faceplate against his chassis, and my audios are met with silence. Not that I expected a sparkbeat. Tears form in my optics again and threaten to overtake what little rational thought I have left, but this time for a completely different reason. I feel like I've been gutted. "So… this isn't real," I whisper numbly, "You're not real."

"Well, I never said that," Wildclaw smiles gently, "Dreams have a funny way of uniting realities."

"If this is a dream, why did you tell me to 'wake up'?"

"I suppose that was the wrong word choice," he mumbles sheepishly, "Sorry about that."

"I don't understand," I sputter, "Why is this happening?"

"The autobot femme, Arcee, healed the pain you've been carrying for millennia, but your spark remains conflicted. It is up to you how you proceed."

"I want to stay with you, Brother," I say firmly.

Wildclaw tilts his helm away from me, and shuts his optics, "Please reconsider."

"You can't possibly be asking me to willingly leave you," I snap harsher than I meant to, "Not when I've only just found you!"

"I'm not asking you to do anything but consider all sides. Arcee cares about you so much. You bring out the best in each other," Wildclaw meets my gaze and I see the indecisiveness in his optics. "I just want you to be happy."

My mind reels as I take in my predicament. Life or death? Arcee or Wildclaw? It's too much, too sudden! There's no way I can possibly make that choice! I know Wildclaw doesn't want me to abandon him. I feel it in the way he holds me, as though he never wants to let go. I hear it in the words he leaves unspoken.

A servo cups my faceplate as rouge optics find my own. "You're over analyzing it, Sister. Choose Arcee," Wildclaw murmurs, "She needs you just as much as you need her." I nod slowly in confirmation, no longer able to form words.

A weightless sensation comes over me and I glance down to see my frame becoming translucent. A strangled sound escapes my voice box, but Wildclaw's servos are steady, "Don't worry. You're waking up."

"Not yet," I exclaim, "It's too soon! There's so much I want to tell you! I'm not ready to say goodbye!"

Wildclaw smiles softly, "This isn't goodbye. We'll see each other again someday, but promise me that you'll never try to force that day to come sooner than it inevitably will." He gives me a stern glare and I wordlessly agree.

The world around us fades out of sight, and I cling tighter to my brother. My frame is almost completely transparent now. "I love you, Wildclaw, with all my spark." Then, Wildclaw, too, disappears. I am left in an inky void holding air, but his words remain.

"I have never regretted pushing you out of the way of those blaster bolts, and I would do it again in a sparkbeat. You are my beloved sister, Airachnid."

... ... ...

Voices stirr my conscious from the dark oblivion, and I gradually regain my senses. I force my optics open, but for a few seconds all I can see is a mishmash of bold colors. My optics clear and I realize that most of Team Prime is in the medbay. Ultra Magnus is the only one absent.

It, then, comes to my attention that I'm resting in Arcee's arms, my helm still on her shoulder plating. "Thank you," I whisper in her audio as I return the hug, "For giving me a chance."

The motorcycle femme's frame goes ridgid with surprise, but relaxes a moment later, "You're awake," she blurts, "I'm so glad!" Arcee lowers her voice conspiratorially, "You were drooling all over my shoulder."

"I most certainly was not," I deny as I self consciously cover my lips with a servo.

"Okay," Arcee admits with a laugh, "Maybe you weren't, but that's what you get for scaring me so bad."

A wave of exhaustion floods my circuits, but pain does not accompany it. For the first time in hundreds of centuries my spark is whole.

Ratchet approaches wearing an utterly bewildered expression. "How are you feeling?" he asks me gently.

"Never better," I answer truthfully. Bulkhead gives a throaty chuckle and claps me on the shoulder and almost sends me careening off the berth and into Bumblebee. The scout laughs and helps me steady myself. Optimus smiles softly and that haunted look has fled his optics, at least, for now. Miko places herself at my side and radiates cheerfulness.

We stay like this for quite some time just conversing. Miko maintains a steady stream of babble that I try to follow, but the human girl speaks so rapidly and switches between so many topics that I am quickly lost. It is some time before I realize that Arcee is being unusually quiet.

I glance her way to find the motorcycle femme staring off into space. Her arms are crossed and her digits drum rhythmically across her plating.

"Is something wrong, Arcee?" I frown slightly.

The motorcycle femme jumps when I call her name. "Well, um," Arcee mumbles with uncharacteristic nervousness, "I was just wondering if you would be inclined to join Team Prime now… as my partner."

Shock ripples through my spark and is swiftly replaced with sorrow, "I can't. Jack is your partner."

The motorcycle femme looks uncomfortable, but my attention is promptly drawn away. "We've talked it over," Jack says calmly, speaking for the first time, "And since my own combat skills are rather lacking, I want Arcee to have someone capable watching her back."

"Jack will still be my partner," Arcee supplies hurriedly, "But you would be too."

"You do realize that the term 'partner' no longer applies in this sense, right?" I tease.

"Stop being technical and just agree to it already," the motorcycle femme rolls her optics, but can't stop herself from smiling, "And Optimus has granted you a clean slate, ensuring you safety from Ultra Magnus."

One by one I meet the optics of the people I've come to regard as close friends and family. Bumblebee… Ratchet… Bulkhead… Raphael… Optimus… Miko… I pause as my gaze finds Jack's. He gives me a solemn nod of approval and my spark soars.

Finally, I glance back at Arcee. The motorcycle femme's optics are alight with a childish hope, an expression I've never seen her wear before. I disappointed her once before. I can't do it again.

My servo drops to my decepticon emblem, "Ratchet, I'm going to need you to change this for me."

The End

(And so Broken Mind has come to an end, and I hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it. The inspiration behind this story comes from the fact that humans are a very judgmental species. I, myself, am definitely guilty of making assumptions about others and first impressions are a powerful thing. But we never know what others are going through in their lives and so, as of late, I've been trying to be more open-minded. I have always wondered what could have happened to Airachnid to send her over the edge, and through writing I have learned that redemption is very important to me. Thank you again for reading, and have a good day.)