Hi!
Let me just say that I AM SO SORRY!!! I can't even believe this update is so late! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! I've just been so busy! I've had my Italian classes start, and the Mock Trial competition started (we got third place! That's practically never happened! A public school with Trial as a once-a-week-club, coming in right behind the two school that have practice every school day!) and that took up so much time, and I've had work, and my birthday was yesterday too.. (eighteen! I'm legal!) and school and doing the Canadian passport paperwork, and hockey games (went to one yesterday! Such a hockey girl :D ) and all that… and I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!

And by the by, about where I get the phrases and stuff- someone asked- just make em up and use random astrology things I know and go on from there!

I sure got a lot of reviews last chapter… thanks! And that makes me feel so guilty for taking forever with this…. SORRY!!!!!

Enjoy! Last chapter! :D

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It was like watching a whole world of possibilities being born. Sam had never felt anything so completely, never felt so absolutely entranced, struck by the sheer awe. It was seeing the one thing in the world that could change everything. What he was seeing, he realized with an all-consuming wonder, was his and Bee's whole world.

The tiny bot reached towards him, eyes lighting up like she already knew just how much they loved her.

"She's beautiful..." Bee breathed, as Sam cradled her in his arms, "absolutely beautiful. Can you even believe it?" Sam couldn't speak, just nodded, eyes welled with tears. The sparkling made a happy whirring noise.

"Hey, Bee." Sam said softly, "remember when I said that you're the most amazing bot in the world?"

"Yeah?" Bee lifted his optics from their sparkling to Sam, but Sam was still staring down at the tiny bot in his arms, completely spellbound.

"You've got competition." Bee laughed. It didn't escape his notice, however, the way sorrow twinged Sam's smile.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, "please." He always knew, Sam realized, wondering how he'd ever thought Bee might not notice, because he always knew.

"I just..." Sam drew in a slow breath, looking up at Bee, "I haven't thought about it in a while, but now, with her... I really wish my parents were here. My mom was always so excited about having grandchildren..." he leaned into Bee's embrace, "I wish she was here. I think... I think she'd love our baby."

"She would" Bee said softly, putting his arms around Sam, "I know she would. And I know that wherever she is, she does." He kissed Sam softly, held him tighter, "I know it was hard to decide to become a bot, Sam, but you being here right now... it's everything I ever wanted. You mean the world to me." He smiled when Sam did, "just like our little one."

As if she somehow knew she was the most amazing thing both Sam and Bee had ever seen, the tiny sparkling smiled, bright like her own name.

"Illumina," Sam whispered to the sparkling that had brightened even the darkest corners of their shared past, and she smiled.

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Sunstreaker was slightly terrified.

He was standing before Prime's desk, head hung, waiting for whatever lecture he knew he'd somehow earned. As Optimus talked to Ratchet in the corridor, Sunstreaker was running through a list of what he'd done recently. He doubted Ratchet-targeted pranks would warrant a private lecture, same with the Wheeljack-lab-redecoration he'd done with Bluestreak. He hadn't burned down anything recently, nor had he been the direct cause of any explosions. Of course, his worst, most irreversible mistake was the most present in his mind, but he couldn't image Prime lecturing him on that. Prime only lectured when Sunstreaker needed to be shoved back into line, and that only happened when Sunstreaker let himself get out of hand.

With Sideswipe, he hadn't meant everything to escalate into the sparkbreaking misery it was now, and he was fully aware he was the only one to be blamed. He didn't need to be retold what he already couldn't forget. It was his fault, and that was burned into his mind every time he saw his sparkmate. Sunstreaker was familiar with mistakes. He'd just never thought one could ruin everything he'd ever lived for.

"Sunstreaker." Prime's voice made him flinch, nearly fall against hte chair standing behind him, "you're probably trying to figure out why you're here."

"Yeah," Sunstreaker admitted, gaze falling to the floor.

"I'm not going to lecture you. You didn't do anything against any rules, but I feel that maybe you need some... guidance."

Guidance? Sunstreaker thought, gaze fixed on the floor, it's too late. If I could apologize and take it all back, I would, I swear to Primus I would because I've been so wrong and it's my fault, all my fault, but it's too late.

"Jealousy is one of the most fatal things in any world." Optimus's words made Sunstreaker's gaze jerk up from the floor, optics wide. "And pairing that with protectiveness is a hurtful mix."

"I'm not-"

"Euclid?"

"Of a sparkling? No," Sunstreaker snorted, "why would I be?"

"Because he's everything to Sideswipe." Optimus watched him for a moment, and Sunstreaker wanted to protest, wanted to insist that he wasn't, but the words refused to be spoken. Lying to Prime had never been possible. Sunstreaker collapsed in the chair behind him, head in his hands, the locked-up truth spilling from his lips.

"I didn't want to hate him! I didn't! But since the moment he existed, he's been hurting Swipe! That's all he's done, I could feel it! That was all he did before he was even sparked, just hurt Swipe so so much, and I can't stand it when anything hurts him, and I couldn't do anything! I just had to live with it, and I hated that, I hate letting anything hurt him, because I love him! And I couldn't do a single thing! And then- then he was born and even though all he'd done was hurt Swipe, Swipe loved him! I couldn't stand it- this little thing had been killing him, the whole entire time, and he loves it when it's here?!" Sunstreaker tried to catch his breath, couldn't, Prime just watching him calmly, "And yeah, maybe I'm jealous, because I had to earn what he got! He hurt Swipe and hurt him and hurt him, and instantly, Swipe loves him? I hurt him too, a long time ago, so much, and I proved to him that I didn't mean it, I didn't screw with him so much he couldn't see it was hurting him! He deserves better than to be tricked like that! That sparkling's hurting my sparkmate, and I can't do a thing to stop that!" He cut off abruptly, and still Prime said nothing.

"Bots have a different sort of connection with their sparkling," Prime said quietly, "They say it's impossible not to love something so incredibly close to their spark. And Sunny... right now, the only thing hurting Sideswipe is you."

Sunstreaker said nothing, forcing away tears and hating himself more than he'd ever thought possible.

"But Sunny, listen." At the firm tone, Sunstreaker lifted his head reluctantly to look at Prime, "Mistakes are inevitable. They vary in degrees of how grave they are, but they are always inevitable. It only becomes a true mistake when it is not righted," Prime said, "I think you'll find that Sideswipe is still willing to forgive you. And if you could forgive Euclid, I'm certain he'll still be ready to love you."

Sunstreaker said nothing, but the look on his face said quite clearly that he didn't believe it.

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"Again! Again!" Euclid shrieked, clapping his hands. Wheeljack grinned, and Sideswipe groaned.

"Don't listen to him." He surveyed the charred wreck inside the lab, the remains of whatever Wheeljack had been working on. Wheeljack laughed.

"He's your sparkling, all right. Coding for disaster."

"Just wait until he gets old enough to wreck havoc. Like when he learns to actually walk."

"Like we need another walking danger around here..." Wheeljack returned to his lab to clean up the mess, giving a theatrical sigh and muttering about bots that enjoyed explosions too much. Sideswipe continued on to the rec room, where, upon seeing Illumina with Sam and Bee, Euclid started squirming and babbling. Jazz and Ironhide were nowhere in sight, Sideswipe noted with amusement; no doubt they were off somewhere together. He'd been hearing Jazz start to mention sparklings, and while Ironhide had cowered at the idea at first, he seemed to be taking to the idea. Anything to make Jazzy happy, he'd said when Sideswipe had asked, but the smile had said that Ironhide would love to have a sparkling too.

"Pretty!" Euclid chirped, pointing towards her, "pretty, pretty! Play?"

"Illumina's too little, Euclid." Sideswipe said, depositing him on the couch. "Later."

"Lumina?" Euclid repeated, sitting still for once, mesmerized by the sparkling, "Lumina pretty! Play? Pretty Lumina play?"

"Primus, Sides," Bee grinned over at him, "he's too much of a sweetheart to be yours." Sideswipe rolled his optics.

"So I hear. How do you know I'm not secretly very nice?"

"Because you're a sadistic con artist" Bee grinned brightly, as Sam laughed.

Within half an hour, Euclid was yet again proving himself to be every bit Sideswipe's sparkling; while Sideswipe was talking to Ratchet, he'd started chewing on a wrench, making Ratchet sigh heavily.

"He's eating my wrench," he said stonily, looking pointedly at the berth. Sideswipe shrugged a shoulder.

"Least he's not hiding it from you."

"I wouldn't put it past him..." Ratchet muttered, "I bet anything he'll be playing hide-Ratchet's-tools as soon as he can walk." He rolled his optics, turning back to his charts. "So... how're things with Sunstreaker?" Sideswipe glared in silence. "I only ask because I'm worried about you, so quit with the growling. Caring for him has taken a lot out of you, and you know it'd be easier on you if he was around."

"Obviously," Sideswipe snapped, "but I'm doing fine and so is Euclid."

"I know that," Ratchet said, placating, "better than any of us thought you could do. I'm just saying that you deserve to have it a little easier."

"I'll live," Sideswipe crossed his arms over his chest, gaze moving to Euclid, "and he doesn't know any different. He's barely even met Sunny-" he turned away from Ratchet, as if he could hide the way the words made his voice tremble.

"It's not your fault," Ratchet placed his hand on a shaking shoulder, "there's nothing you did that's making him act like this. And the way you're taking care of Euclid is incredible. You've done nothing wrong."

"That doesn't change anything," Sideswipe said quietly, "because he's still not here, and I still love him."

Ratchet couldn't find anything to tell him. What can you do? he thought, watching Sideswipe pick up Euclid and leave the medbay, when it's your sparkmate that's gone? It's like taking away the whole world.

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Sunstreaker had never been much good at apologizing. He'd set out with every intention to, but upon arriving at their quarters, it had become impossible. He remained just inside the doorway, silent. Sideswipe was already asleep, as was Euclid, and Sunstreaker couldn't find it in himself to wake up his sparkmate just to find that an apology refused to come to him.

How do you apologize for destroying everything? He couldn't see any way to. None at all. There was too much to be sorry for to express it, too much to take back, too much damage done. And despite everything, some part of him still insisted that Sideswipe and Euclid were better off without him.

He was thinking of leaving when Euclid stirred, whimpering. The little sparkling rubbing his optics with little fists, whimpers louder. He looked up at Sunstreaker, and his face registered nothing, then looked around for Sideswipe.

"No. "Sunstreaker frowned, as the sparkling reached tiny hands towards Sideswipe. "Don't start fussing. Don't. You'll wake him up" Sunstreaker's frown deepened, "you've disrupted him enough." He crossed the room quietly, even as his mind offered up nothing in the way of how to quiet the sparkling.

"No, no, no," Euclid's optics welled up with tears.

"No, stop that." Sunstreaker picked him up, lifted Euclid up against his shoulder, as the sparkling started sniffling, "he hasn't gotten to recharge in ages, because of you."

Tears filled the bright optics, as Euclid hiccupped and squirmed to get back to his sparklinked bot.

"Just stop-" Sunstreaker scowled when Sideswipe almost stirred, "please, just let him have this. Primus, is he the only one in the universe who can make you be quiet?" Euclid seemed to be proving that exact point, starting to whimper. "Don't do that. Don't. What, is it because he's sparklinked to you? Is that it? That means the whole world to you, doesn't it?" Sunstreaker dismissed his own sympathetic tone, "Just because you're sparklinked doesn't mean you get to take my sparkmate all the time. I had him first, and I need him too, okay?" Why did he forgive you? You've wrecked so much… "Know what? Fine. Have it your way. But I'm not doing it for you-" at the harsh tone, Euclid started to sob, "I'm doing it for him." Quite against his better judgment, Sunstreaker lowered the guards against his own sparklink with Euclid, unblocking the connection that established himself as the other half to Euclid's very spark.

Euclid's cries quieted, sobs fading to hiccups.

"You needent make it so obvious that you're this easy to quiet down." Sunstreaker watched as Euclid cuddled up against him, placated.

Maybe he forgave you because he could tell you love him, Sunstreaker thought, staring down at the sleeping sparkling. "Do you do this for anybot?"

"No." Sideswipe's sleepy voice made Sunstreaker look over, to see his sparkmate half sitting up, smiling like the sunrise had brought a perfect world. "He won't." He crawled across the berth, snuggling up against Sunstreaker. "Just you and me."

"Why?"

"Because. He knows who loves him." Sideswipe hugged him tight, "I'm so glad you're back, Sunny. I've missed you…"

"I've been here." Sideswipe completely ignored his words, lie that they were.

"I thought you'd never come back to me, Sunny." And the way he looked- Sunstreaker understood. Hated what he'd done, and understood.

The only thing hurting him is you.

"I'll never leave you again," he whispered, "I'm sorry, Swipe, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't think- it just seemed like all he did was hurt you and I couldn't stand it, and you still loved him even though he did all that and I hate seeing you hurt and I just- I couldn't do anything…"

"You could," Sideswipe said softly, one hand stroking Euclid's cheek, "all you had to do was be there and it would have been so much easier…"

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't… shouldn't have…"

"You shouldn't have," Sideswipe agreed softly, "but you don't have to stay like that." He met Sunstreaker's gaze, "I never stopped loving you."

"Swipe…" Sunstreaker drew in a breath, "I didn't stop either. I promise. I couldn't." Sideswipe was watching Euclid, the way the sparkling was so placidly sleeping in Sunstreaker's arms.

"I missed you, Sunny," he said, holding onto him tight, "he was never hurting me. I promise. If you knew him, you'd love him too. Give him the chance?"

Never leave me again, Sunstreaker could sense Sideswipe feeling, feel it like they were his own emotions, and in a way, they were, stay with me?

"Yes," Sunstreaker promised, to both the spoken and the unspoken, "I promise. You mean the world to me." He kissed Sideswipe gently, "You and Euclid."

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"Bee…" Sam was trying to sound frustrated, but he just sounded excited, "Can I open my eyes now?"

"Just a second." Bee scooped Illumina out of Sam's arms, laid her down in her tiny cradle. She giggled, reaching for what he held.

"Ooooo…" she chirped, and Bee grinned.

"Don't tell him what it is, sweetie," he cooed down at her, and Sam made an exasperated noise.

"Tell me! Tell me!"

"Shhh," Bee smiled down at the sparkling, "it's a secret. Don't tell Sam."

"Shhh" She echoed his shushing, "shhh-shhh-shhh!"

"Not fair!" Sam whined. Bee turned back to him, practically vibrating with excitement.

"Okay, you can look!" He held out the datapad, and grinned at Sam's curious look. "It's a phrase book. Of all the bot phrases you don't understand. We can keep filling it out together," he said, as Sam read through it with wide optics, "It's so you really feel that you're one of us, because you are. And I want you to be a part of our whole world, including the stuff we say. I want you to understand it, because then… then you'll feel like you're home. When I did that with your human phrases, it felt like I could understand you more, and I want you to feel like that too."

"Bee…" Sam breathed, looking up at him, "this is amazing." Bee blushed pink and smiled. "They're all bot phrases?" Bee nodded. Sam looked back down, skimming back to the last one. "Even this one?" He pointed down at it, "I know this one!" Sam said, optics bright.

Oh, Sam, Bee thought, holding back tears of joy, you haven't smiled like that since you were a human.

"You do?" he asked, and Sam nodded.

"You mean the world to me," he said, "I know what that means. That's you, to me."

"How do you already know that one?" he asked, as Sam fit into his embrace.

"Because," Sam whispered, "we share that phrase." Bee held him tight and kissed him.

"We share more than that, Sam," he murmured, "we also share the love behind it."

You mean the world to me: when someone means everything to you, and you couldn't live without them, because they mean more than anything to you. The world is everything there ever was and ever will be, and holds all hope for the future- This is when someone is even more than that. The world is a constant, and without it, there is nothing. Stars live and die, and even planets fall away, but this love is forever.

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Hope everyone liked that!

Again, I'm so sorry for the wait!
Please please review!

Thanks for reading!
Love ya,

Sunshine

~The End~