Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers: Animated. OC is mine.

Not Quite an Imaginary Friend

Starscream had given his perfect creations a chance to become more acquainted with themselves and life in general. However, they must return to the Nemesis by midday tomorrow. He figured that would give him enough time to come up with a plan to foil Megatron's plans and take over the Decepticons.

All of the clones had looked at each other before the femme snorted and took off in one direction across the moon. The others had followed.

"I'm going to stay right here," White declared then sped off toward the crashed ship. Yellow followed White and left Blue and Purple standing alone. Blue said nothing as he started to go his own way.

"No, wait!" Purple cried, leaping and latching on to Blue's legs. "Don't leave me alone!"

"Get off me!" Blue shouted and kicked Purple off. He then flew away before the other could reattach himself. Purple was left on the ground, shaking so bad that his armor plates clanged together. He looked around the cold, barren surface of the moon. There was nothing to do and he was too scared to do anything.

However, because of his own clattering, he didn't hear angry footfalls come up behind him.

"Will you stop that racket and go somewhere else!?" Starscream yelled and gave purple a swift kick in the aft. Purple jumped up and screamed. "Preferably someplace far away so I can hear myself think!"

Purple nodded quickly, rubbing his backside, and took off in a random direction. His aft hurt and he had no idea of where to go or what to do. That's when he remembered the blue planet that the moon orbited around. Maybe he could find somewhere to hide down there until tomorrow.

-x-

But it wasn't Detroit where he ended up at.

He had found his way to a place called Austin, Texas, not that he would know this. All he knew was that he liked his hiding place. It was a deeply eroded runoff creek bed. The creek was currently dry and he had moved the rocks there to make a more comfortable place to sit. His back was against a crudely constructed bridge made of two large concrete pipes with their ends stuck into the ground and frame made up of iron girders that held wooden planks to make a nice, sturdy little bridge.

"Ah, this is nice," he said to himself with a sigh, shifting a little to get a little more comfortable. It didn't take long for him to fall into a state of recharge. Hence, he wasn't aware of bicycle tires coming down the gravel driveway that the bridge was attached to.

-x-

Jemma McCarthy was riding her Goodwill-find red bike down the steep hill, the gravel crunching under the tires. She was going to check the mail at the end of the near quarter-mile driveway. The wind whipped her short blonde hair as she expertly steered her bike down the hill. This was something she did on a daily basis since purchasing the bike with her allowance. Going down the hill was so much fun, but going back up was another story. She sighed to herself as she reached the bottom of the hill and started peddling as she began to lose momentum.

"What the...?"

The fifteen-year-old girl was getting close to the bridge over the creek that ran through the family's property when she saw something strange. A long black thing was sticking up from the dry creek bed. It had a purple stripe running down one side of it.

She slammed on the brakes and placed a foot on the gravel to steady herself. She stared at the black thing for a while, not sure if it was safe to approach. Deciding the thing looked like it was made of metal, she parked her bicycle against a tree directly beside the driveway, walking slowly and quietly toward the bridge.

Jemma took her first step onto the first wooden plank and crept to the edge. Her mouth hung open at the sight. There was a big, black and purple robot with wings sitting in the dry creek bed.

"Holy crap!" she hissed and backed away. She had seen fish and crawfish in the creek, she had seen snakes in the creek, she had seen turtles and even an alligator snapping turtle in the creek. She had yet to see an actual alligator in the creek, but never had she ever in her wildest dreams thought of seeing a giant robot in the creek. She turned ran. She screamed for her mother and made a break for her house.

Her screaming woke it up and it looked around wildly. It saw her running and she looked back. They made eye contact and they both screamed. It ducked down behind the creek walls, shielding its head with its hands and shutting its optics tight.

The girl reached her bike and looked back again, but she was confused that the monster robot wasn't chasing her. She waited and waited, but nothing happened. She could only hear the sound of clanging metal. Curious, she left her bike where it was and tiptoed back toward the bridge. She got as close as she dared to the bridge until she could see just enough inside the creek bed. She saw the robot's back and saw it was shaking terribly.

Now she was really confused. The robot seemed to be acting... scared.

"H-hello?" Jemma called quietly.

"No, no! Leave me alone!" she heard a muffled voice cry back.

"Are you okay?" she asked, coming a little closer. It chanced a glance and flipped around to face her, scooting away on his backside.

"Stay away from me! Please!"

"You're afraid of me?" she wondered, tilting her head and pointing to herself. Its back hit a drainage pipe that had been exposed by erosion. It cowered under the girl's gaze and it once again shielded its face with his arms.

"Please, don't hurt me," it whimpered. Jemma almost laughed.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she said. It peeked out at her from behind its arms.

"Y-you're not?" it asked, almost in astonishment. She offered as friendly a smile as she could muster.

"No, silly."

"Oh..." The black and purple robot looked down at its feet. There was an awkward pause before the girl spoke up again.

"So, what are you?" she asked. It hesitated.

"I'm a... I'm a Decepticon."

"A what?" She frowned in confusion, tilting her head the other way.

"A Decepticon," it- well, she supposed that it was a he, repeated and pointed to the dark purple masks on his wings. Jemma squinted, but couldn't see them very well (she wasn't wearing her glasses, again). She got down and swung herself from the bridge's edge and onto the nearest flat stone. She had done this many times before and turned back to face the Decepticon.

"Would you mind if I come closer?" she asked. He acted as if to bite its lip, but he wasn't sure. She held up her hands to show that she had nothing that she could wield as a weapon. "I promise, I won't hurt you."

"Promise?" he repeated.

"Promise," she verified. She came forward until she was between his knees and looked up at him. "Wow, you're huge. What's your name?"

"I don't have one," he answered quietly. He tapped his fingers together and looked away, almost shamefully.

"Are you lost?" she wondered.

"No."

"Can you fly?" She looked more closely at his wings. He seemed to puff up a little with confidence.

"Yes, I can fly," he answered.

"Can you take me flying?" she asked eagerly. He thought about this for a minute. He decided that he didn't see any harm in it, as long as he wasn't alone. This girl had been nice enough so far.

"Alright," he nodded and reached down to pick her up. She clapped her hands happily, but slightly shied away from his large clawed hand. She stiffened when he grabbed her, not used to being picked up in such a manner. He cupped her in both of his hands and stood up. She looked up at his face.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Um..." He hadn't thought of that. "How about... the moon?"

Her green eyes widened.

"I can't go to the moon! I'd die!"

"Oh." He bowed his head, thinking. He didn't know where to go. Maybe she would be happy if he just flew in a few circles. Without warning, he shifted into his black and purple jet form, slipping her into his cockpit as he did so.

Jemma screamed in surprise, shutting her eyes. When she chanced a peek, she saw that she was inside a plane cockpit. Dials, levers, switches, buttons, and gages were all around her and the sky was turned into a bright orange through the tint of the windshield. She barely had time to look around before he took off to reach a reasonable altitude. She gasped and gripped the armrests for dear life. It didn't hurt him, but he felt her grip.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his concerned and scratchy voice coming from seemingly all around her in the cockpit. The girl glanced around, trying to pinpoint the source of his voice. She nodded in answer to his question, unable to speak. Satisfied, he slowly banked left to begin the first loop. Having regained her composure, Jemma looked out the window at the acres of ranch and farmland below.

"Wow," she breathed. She had been in planes before, but the windows had been tiny and she could barely see anything through them. This window was huge and concaved all above her. She could see everywhere and the view was breathtaking.

"Where did you come from?" she asked the jet.

"Starscream built me," he answered.

"Who?"

"Starscream. He looks like me, only he's red and gray."

"Why did he build you?"

"He built me and the other clones because he wanted an army to defeat Megatron."

"Who?"

"Megatron. He's the leader of the Decepticons, but Starscream wants to be the leader."

The more answers she got, the more questions she had. Where did the Decepticons come from? Where was Cybertron? Who were the Autobots? Why didn't the government know anything about this?

Some questions he had the answers to, some he didn't. He found that he enjoyed talking to this girl. She didn't get mad and yell at him. She was kind and she wanted to stay with him. That's what he was really afraid of, being alone. He was glad that he had found someone to keep him company. For now, anyway...

"Why don't you have a name?" Her latest question cut through his thoughts. He paused.

"Starscream never gave us names," he finally answered. "He just called us by our colors. My color is purple."

"Do you want a name?"

To be honest, he didn't really see much of a point in getting a name. He was simply a clone of Starscream, though more unique from the other clones before him. Just like his 'brothers' and 'sister' were unique, but he also didn't see any harm in getting a name. Besides, this girl seemed a nice enough person to give nice enough name.

"Yes," he replied. "I would like one."

"Okay." She smiled and leaned back in her seat to think. She thought about the way the names of those he had told her about sounded. Starscream, Megatron, Lugnut, Blitzwing... She needed more inspiration.

"What can you do?" she wondered.

"Well..." He simply showed her. He activated his warp drive and, with a loud crack like thunder and a whirlwind of colors, they were back above the bridge.

"Whoa..." Jemma felt her stomach fill with butterflies and she lurched forward, doing her best to stifle a groan. "Don't do that again, please... What was that?"

"I warped," was all he offered.

Warp? Hmm... Now she had an idea.

"Okay then... how do you like the sound of 'Skywarp'?"

"Skywarp?" he repeated, testing out the new name. He said it again and again, all the more liking the feel of it. "Skywarp... Yes, I like it very much."

Jemma grinned, then remembered two things. One, she never told him her name. Two, she never got the mail.

"I'm glad you like it. Why don't you take me to the end of the driveway so I can get my mail and we can talk some more when I'm done, okay?" she said, indicating toward the road. Skywarp wasn't quite sure what she was talking about, but he did know how to follow hand signals. Transforming, he slipped her out of his cockpit and back into his hands. He stood up in the tall grass by the edge of the creek. She gasped when plopped back into his hands.

"Could you warn me before you do that next time?" she asked breathlessly.

"Sorry," Skywarp apologized, then walked to the end of the dirt driveway. He stopped at the barbed-wire fence and gently put her on the ground. She readjusted her clothing and looked both ways before she crossed the normally empty road. She strolled across the sun-bleached asfault and got the mail.

"Bills and junk," she muttered as she came back to the jet, sifting through the few envelopes. She neatly stuffed them in the back pocket of her worn jeans and looked up at him. "Do you mind if we walk back to my house?"

"No."

"'Kay, c'mon." Jemma motioned for him to follow as she started walking up the driveway toward her house. Skywarp had to take tiny steps to keep pace with her and he had to walk lightly so he wouldn't cause the ground to shake.

"I'm Jemma, by the way."

He nodded in acknowledgment. When they got to where she had left her bike, she asked nicely if he could carry it and herself up the hill. He agreed and when he got to the top of the hill, he set the bike where she specified and set her down by the porch steps to the side door of the house. She thanked him and went inside to give the mail to her mom.

Her mom was at the kitchen sick, scrubbing dishes. She was a little on the short side and her hair was long, wavy, and red.

"Honey," she said, not even looking up from her task. "Are the neighbors playing loud music or something?"

"No," Jemma answered slowly, setting the mail on the counter near the microwave. "Why?"

"Because I've been feeling vibrations like when they have the base turned up," her mom replied, setting some plates up to dry. "And did you see that jet flying over a few times?"

"Uh, yeah. I saw it," the girl answered, hiding a smirk. She had been inside it.

"It looked like an airforce jet. I wonder why it would be circling around here? Turn on the TV, there might be something in the news."

Jemma did as she was told, but knew that there wasn't going to be anything on. Setting the remote back on the coffee table, she called, "I'm going to play outside some more!"

"Okay, be careful!" her mother called back. Jemma skipped through the house toward the back door. She went down the steps and was greeted by Penny, one of their three goats. She petted the brown goat fondly behind her horns before making her way to the gate. Going through, she didn't see Skywarp where she had left him.

"Skywarp? Where'd you go?"

She then saw him peek out from behind the carport.

"What are you doing back there?" she asked curiously.

"Hiding from those creatures," he said quietly, pointing toward the yard. She looked, but only saw the goats. Their dog was napping peacefully in the shade of the elevated clubhouse attached to the jungle gym in the back yard. She looked back at the jet.

"From the goats?" she questioned. "They're not gonna hurt you. They'd probably run away from you if you came near the fence."

"Could we just... stay away from them?" he asked. Jemma gave the goats one more look then shrugged.

"If it would make you more comfortable." Her cousin had recently visited and had also been wary of the goats, especially Nathan. Nathan was the mean billy-goat that one would imagine, beard and all. Strange that his daughter Penny was so gentle. The girl shrugged it off.

"Let's go to back down to the creek."

"Alright." He sounded more relieved than anything else. Without even waiting for an inquiry, he picked her up and started down the hill. She made herself comfortable in the palm of his hand as he walked. She liked her new friend and wondered how long he was going to stay.

"Are you going to leave soon?" she asked, looking down at her dirty tennis shoes. Her tone took on a sad note. Skywarp looked down at her.

"Yes, tomorrow morning," he answered. "Starscream wants to make an attack on Megatron."

"Will you come back?"

"I might..." He honestly didn't know if he would be able to. She looked back up and green eyes met ruby red optical sensors. She was quiet before she continued.

"Promise you'll come back and see me?"

He gazed down at her in silence, even after he reached the bridge. Finally, he said, "I promise."

She smiled. He smiled back. They spent the rest of the evening together until Jemma had to go back home for dinner and then to bed. She opened her bedroom window so that they could talk more until she fell asleep. She was unaware that he stayed by her window all through the night until the sun began to rise.

He watched the sun with great sadness. He didn't want to leave his new friend, but he knew that he couldn't stay. Before he stood, he leaned toward the window, able to clearly see the slumbering girl in her bed. She was surrounded by stuffed animals and floral print sheets. Her hair was mussed up in an amusing way, but her face was serene as she dreamed.

"Thank you, Jemma," Skywarp whispered. "For being so nice to me... and for giving me a name. I promise that I'll come back to see you if I can."

With that, he flew off into the morning twilight. Jemma rolled over and smiled in her sleep, dreaming of flying the world with her new friend.

-x-

But he didn't come back.

Jemma waited and waited and watched for his return, but he didn't come back. For weeks, for months, she waited.

Finally, near the end of summer, she gave up hope. He had said that there was a war going on and she figured he must have died or been captured by the Autobots. To remember him, she painted a large stone from the creek black and wrote his name in purple letters. When it dried, she placed it outside directly under her window.

Her parents and friends had asked her about what the stone and the name written on it meant. All she would say was that she just thought it would be a nice way to remember him. When questioned about who 'he' was, she would never tell.

-x-

Five years later, Jemma's family was getting ready to move to Florida. They had to sell their goats and rehome the dog, which had been very hard for Jemma. She missed her pets terribly, but knew that there would be no place for goats in a subdivision in the bustling city of Orlando.

Everything was packed and being loaded onto the moving truck her family had rented. They were going to leave that night and she had decided to take one last hike around the ten-acres of property. She ended her lonely walk on the bridge, looking down into the now trickling creek. The only time water ran through the creek was when it would rain, which it had a couple of days prior. The sun had disappeared behind the hills a few minutes ago and she watched the dirty water flow on its way. A few tears escaped her eyes at the memories that filled her mind. She and her brother and friends had spent a lot of time in the creek bed, catching crawfish and other small animals or just chilling, sitting on the larger rocks and letting their feet sit in the water and mud.

She was twenty now. She had matured into a fine young woman, her body tan and lean from hours spent outside. She had let her hair grow out to her waist and she had it in a ponytail. She had gotten braces last year as well, having gotten a part-time job and was able to pay for them herself.

Now that she was older, she had begun to think that Skywarp was just one of her last imaginary friends during her childhood. Yet, that afternoon had seemed so real to her... She had met him right here. She had scared him and vice versa. She had been inside him, looking out of his orange glass at the Texas ranch and farmland below. She had talked with him until she fell asleep...

Jemma turned to leave after glancing at her phone and seeing that it was now after eight pm. She flinched when she heard a loud crack like thunder or a gunshot and whirled around to look for the source. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart nearly stopped at what she saw on the driveway behind her.

It was him...

He stared at her. She stared at him. Neither said anything.

Finally, Skywarp broke the silence.

"Jemma?"

She nodded slowly, still shocked.

She had grown since he had last seen her. She was taller, slimmer, her hair was longer, and she had something on her teeth...

"Are you alright?" he asked with concern.

"Y-yeah..." she answered then regained herself, taking on an upset composure. "What happened to you? Why didn't you come back?"

"I'm so sorry," he apologized. "I got... distracted." He knelt down and gently scooped her up in his hands. She gasped at the slightly unfamiliar sensation.

"Distracted?" she repeated and looked him over more carefully. She saw traces of what she thought might be cement all over his armor and he was scuffed up and dented. "What happened to you?" she demanded again.

"One of Megatron's mechs got me and Blue with quick cement," Skywarp explained. "And then we got lost out in space. Blue was caught by the Autobots, but I escaped by warping here."

"Oh..." She gazed up at him like the child she used to be, then hugged his thumb. "I thought you might have died. I even began to think you were just a figment of my imagination... I missed you."

"I... missed you too," he replied softly. He held her closer to his face as if hugging her back.

They went quiet and simply relished in the others' presence. Skywarp couldn't begin to count how many times he had thought of her. He hadn't told anyone else about meeting her. Jemma too had thought of him countless times as the years passed. Where was he? What was he doing? Was he alright? Had he even been real?

She might have fallen asleep in his hand if she hadn't heard her dad shout her name from the top of the hill. Skywarp tensed.

"What was that?" he asked, his voice anxious. She smiled. He was just like she remembered him.

"That's just my dad," she reassured her larger friend. "I have to..." She trailed off, suddenly remembering that she was about to leave with her family. "...go" She ended with a depressed note and looked down. He was confused and held her away from his face to see her clearly.

"Go where?" he wondered, tilting his head to one side.

"I'm moving away with my family to Orlando, Florida," she explained sadly. "And we won't be coming back to this place."

Skywarp wasn't quite sure what Orlando Florida was, but he could tell that Jemma was sad that she was going there.

"Would you feel better if I came with you?" he asked. After all, he himself didn't have anywhere to go now. Starscream was dead and the Decepticons had scattered with the defeat of Megatron.

She looked up at him, her shimmering green eyes lighting up with happiness.

"I'd like that," she replied, smiling softly at him in the starlight.

-x-

And so, Skywarp was introduced to the rest of the McCarthy family and was allowed to follow the moving truck from the air. What happened to him after that? Well, if you're lucky, you just might spot a black jet over Disney World or the beaches or wetlands the next time you vacation in Florida. Or, for those of you that live in the sunshine state, you have been warned.