Chapter 3: Never Be The Same

A/N: Hi guys! Sorry it took so long. :/ I've been working twelve hour shifts the last couple days PLUS online schooling. I. Am. Beat. Buuuut, I had some extra time during work (retail, no customers, nothing really to do.) So I decided to crack out another chapter! Hope you guys enjoy, and thanks so much for all the reviews I loved them all!

Reviews:

Chippr: I'm glad you think so! Well then I guess now is your chance to find out! :) Thanks for reviewing!

Bee4ever: Yeah, I really liked how it turned out. That chapter pretty much wrote itself lol. I hope you like this chapter just as much as the last!

Yellow Camaro14: Wow…thanks so much. I am so sorry about your father…that must be so hard. Thank you, we'll find out later if it's true or not. Lol I love him too, I hate that they didn't put him in the movies. :( Thank you! You have no idea how much it means to me to hear that. More is on the way and I've got a new inspiration! You! :) Thanks for reviewing!

Elita-2: No it isn't. Yeah I wish I could put that in there, that's a very wise saying. Stinks that Amber doesn't know he's an alien robot yet. :/ Thank you! :)

Guest: I knoowww. :( Hopefully he won't have to go through too much torture… Thanks for leaving a comment!

Invader Ivy: Lol yes! And here's another one! I KNOW RIGHT? *Beats up block* Thanks for reviewing!

Autobot-Bre: Thanks you very much! :D More has arrived!

Sunnysides: I think so too, I hope that the people who read this find a little comfort for their own tragedies… Thanks for reviewing.

VioletDawn00: Lol I am so happy you like it! Thanks so much! If I may ask, which is your favorite? :)

CrAsHqUeEn18: I updated as soon as I could. :) Glad you like it!

Lights. Camera. ACTION!

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There's something different about him, she just knew it.

Amber lay in her bed, pondering the day's events. Sideswipe was unlike any other person she'd ever met. He was very open and honest, even though she was pretty much a total stranger. She couldn't believe he actually told her about his brother, it was…totally unexpected.

The things that really bewildered her though were his eyes and his "codename." She could understand him having an undercover name, but Sideswipe? What kind of soldier had the name Sideswipe? Why would he have a name like that? Was he like an expert swordsman or something?

No, she dismissed the idea. This wasn't the 18th century, they were passed using metal sticks to defend themselves. So what else could it be? She was at a total loss.

And what about his eyes? She swore they were glowing and to be honest it kinda creeped her out. No one had eyes like that, no one. The idea of him being an alien drifted through her mind a few times, but she knew that wasn't possible. Science may say that they were not alone, but she didn't believe that, not one bit.

'I'll just have to ask him about it tomorrow.' She mused, then at the thought her heart sank. They were leaving tomorrow.

But why did it matter to her? She'd lived alone for a couple years now, so why did she suddenly want them to stay? Well, she really just wanted Sideswipe to stay since he was the only one she really talked to. He intrigued her, and she wanted to know more about him. Like, why did his eyes glow like some kind of extra-terrestrial being for instance?

She sighed and glanced at the clock. 2:41, read the luminous green numbers. "Shoot." The young woman muttered, she needed to get to bed. The horses needed to be worked and she had to get some time to talk to Sideswipe before he left.

But how was she supposed to sleep when she had so much on her mind?

These were the moments when she wished she had her mother. It would've been nice to be able to talk to her about this. She always felt an empty feeling when she thought of her mother. Her father had broke down and told her all about Maria once when she was fifteen.

'She was gorgeous, her hair was exactly like yours. I always loved running my fingers through it… Gosh, you look so much like her…'

Then he would get that sad and lost look she so often saw in his eyes. The teenage girl would always ask him what was wrong, even though after awhile she already knew the answer. He missed her mother. The only reason she'd ask was to hear her father mention her. He almost never did, and that bugged her. It also bugged her that he was almost never present during her childhood years. Not that she'd complain, no, she was actually quite happy growing up. Her uncle had become the "father figure" in her life, and she had many fond memories with him. He never married, so it was always just the two of them. That was probably how she became the tomboy she was. Her uncle always treated her more like a son than a daughter, taking her on fishing trips and showing her how much fun it was to go mudding. She never quite fit in with the "girly girls" at her school, much preferring to hang out with the guys and talk about football. Al though when she went on dates and things she did like to look her best. In high school her uncle would always look surprised and joke that she actually did have a feminine side. Then she'd sock him in the arm to remind him that she still had her boyish strength.

The memories brought a smile to her face. The tomboy missed her uncle dearly, what with him traveling the world and all. It would've been nice just to chat with him about her crazy night, but since he was somewhere in the Sahara Desert she didn't think he had a phone signal. Living alone had it's perks, but it also had it's downsides too. Especially living out in the sticks, a girl could get pretty lonely out her sometimes.

Maybe that was why she wanted to get to know Sideswipe, she mused. No one had come to her doorstep other than the mailman for quite awhile now, so it was nice to be able to spend time with another human being. She missed a lot of that from her years living in solitude. Now it was all staring to catch up to her. Not that she needed to talk to other people. In all honesty she liked not having to make small talk or deal with people knocking on her door all hours of the day. Some would say she was weird, not wanting to gossip or talk to totally fake people about unimportant topics, but she could care less. This was her life, she'd live it the way she wanted. Sideswipe was different like that, he wasn't fake at all. That's what she liked about him, he was real with her.

As the tomboy closed her eyes to fall asleep, she couldn't help but feel excited about talking to the young man again.

Amber awoke the next morning completely exhausted. She couldn't even get out of bed until 5:30, and even then it was met with a few choice words and a lot of groaning. Once she was up and mostly decent she tiptoed downstairs and quietly went into the kitchen. Surprisingly none of her house guests were up yet. She figured they'd be getting ready to leave by now, but looking at them made her realize why. They were probably just as tired as she was. Suppressing a giggle at some of their faces she poured herself a big cup of coffee and went to get her running clothes on. Since they were still asleep she figured she could go for a morning jog. Once the first cup was downed and the second following soon after she headed outside.

The tomboy always loved this time of year. The sky was just getting hues of pink as she got warmed up. To the West you could still make out a few stars in the darkness, and the birds were just getting up for their morning song. It was all very beautiful to her, and it never got old. This was the reason why she lived here, to be able to see things like this.

As she walked down her drive she searched to find Sideswipe's Corvette in the driveway. She still didn't understand why anyone in the military would have a car like that, but there really wasn't much she knew about the military anyways. Still, it all seemed pretty odd to her, but she just shrugged it off.

'He must still be sleeping.' She thought. That was good, they all needed their rest. They were out defending their country, never knowing which breath would be their last. It made her sad to know that they thought like that. She wished she could to something more for them, but what could she do?

She was just a civilian.

As Amber broke out in a run she thought about the time when she wanted to get involved in the army. For years as a teenager she wanted to be in the Air Force. Then as she got older, and saw just how horrible war could be, she thought better of it. Now here she was, running through a beautiful trail in harmless North Dakota, while the men residing in her home put down life and limb to ensure that she got to do this sort of thing every day without even a thought of her safety. Honestly, it made her feel like a coward.

Her pace quickened as she pushed the thoughts away. It didn't matter now, at least she could give them someplace safe to sleep, even if just for one night. They chose the path they walked on, just as she chose hers. Theirs may be more difficult, but it was still a choice.

She ran and ran and ran, well into the morning light. It had to be almost seven by now, she needed to turn back. Just as she reached her end point a car horn sounded behind her, nearly making her jump out of her skin. She stopped and took a few deep breaths to calm down, glaring at the sheepish looking Sideswipe in his Corvette.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" She screeched as he pulled up beside her.

He rubbed the back of his neck and offered her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He glanced her up and down. "You look exhausted. Get in." With that he opened the passenger door for her.

The young woman mulled it over then thought better of it. She shook her head and gestured to herself. "No thanks, I'm all sweaty. I don't want to get in your car like this…"

Sideswipe grinned and motioned for her to get in anyways. "C'mon! I'm sure you don't sink that bad."

"Hey!" She socked him playfully in the shoulder. Groaning in defeat she walked over to the other side of the car and hopped in, closing the door behind her.

As they drove Sideswipe made a show of pinching his nose. "Whew! Guess I was wrong, you reek!"

That earned him a harder blow on the arm which of course only made him laugh.

"You would too if you ran ten miles!" Amber muttered defensively.

Sideswiped glanced over and rolled his eyes at her annoyed expression. "I know I know I was just messing with you!" He reached over and ruffled her windblown ponytail. "Lighten up will ya?"

Amber huffed and turned to look out the window, choosing to ignore him. Obviously he didn't like that so he pulled over to the side of the road. "Amber." He said, a little more gently. "I was kidding. You really um…don't smell that bad! I promise!"

At his pathetic attempt to smooth things over she burst out laughing. Sideswipe looked a little confused, but chose to go with it and smiled back at her. "What's so funny?" He asked, a little bewildered by her actions.

The tomboy wiped away a few stray tears and tried to answer him. "You!" She chortled. Finally calming herself down she added, "I know I stink, and I'm sorry I reacted the way I did. I guess I'm just tired."

The soldier hummed in understanding. "Yeah I totally get it, it's no big deal." He said and got back on the road. "Look, how about I take you home so you can take a shower then we go on a drive, just you and me. Sound good?"

She looked over at him in confusion, "But I thought you were leaving this morning?"

He grinned and shrugged, "Yeah, later. But if you make it quick then we can have an hour or so to hang out."

She nodded, happy about getting the chance to talk with him again. They rode the rest of the way home in silence. Sideswipe regarded the human femme through his rearview mirror in curiosity. He hadn't gotten a chance to really look at her yet. Now as he did he realized that he was correct about his earlier assumptions. She was pretty, for a human. Not entirely gorgeous, it was more of a hidden beauty. He liked that, how she didn't flaunt how she looked. It made her even more appealing somehow, even in her sweaty and flushed state. She was different than any other femme he'd met. He didn't quite understand it, but there was just something about her that he was drawn to. Maybe it was what she'd said about Sunny last night. That had really amazed him, how she had so much sympathy for someone she didn't know. Her words truly did give him a renewed hope about finding his long-lost twin. No one had been able to do that for vorns, and even then he'd never encountered a being who had said anything remotely like that to him about Sunstreaker. Even other humans who knew about his twin had come up short compared to her.

Speaking of said femme he came to the conclusion that she was alright, for a human. He really just wanted to understand her. That was why he got up from staisis early, so he could talk to her.

They reached the house and Amber dashed out of the car as soon as they hit the pavement to go get a shower. On her way upstairs she shouted a quick 'hello' to the soldiers sipping the coffee she left out for them. Once in the bathroom she stripped and got in for a super fast scrubbing.

In all honesty Sideswipe was a little shocked to find her strolling towards him seven minutes later. She was clean, had fresh clothes on, and her hair was tied up in a perfect bun. It astounded him how the little changes in her appearance had made he look so different. Once she was close he got out of his alt form and opened the door for her, a playful smirk on his face.

"My lady." He said cheekily, and gestured inside.

Amber stifled a giggle and rolled her eyes. "Why Sideswipe, aren't you a gentleman?" She offered him a quick curtsy and got in.

He chuckled at her antics and follow suit, peeling out of the driveway at lightning speed.

"Woohoo!" The young woman squealed with glee.

Sideswipe grinned and revved his engine, going even faster.

Amber laughed and shouted, "We're probably breaking every speed limit there is right now but I don't even care!" She laughed again and turned on the radio to her favorite station.

Cowboy Casanova blared from the loudspeakers and she sang right along with it.

The Autobot couldn't help himself from staring at her, mouth hanging open in astonishment. She was fragging amazing! Her voice rivaled any great female singer he'd heard on this planet. It was clear and strong, but could become soft and sweet for certain parts of a song. It was a voice that he never wanted to stop listening to, so he was a little disappointed when she finished.

"Holy slag! That was awesome!" He said to her in amazement.

Amber blushed at his praise, but was a little bewildered by his remark. "Holy slag? What does that mean?"

He mentally cursed himself for his slip up and floundered for a good response. "Um…it's-it's…it's just a word we soldiers use. Yeah its ah, a different language…"

She tilted her head in curiosity. "Oh really? What language?"

"Um…" Slagit all! What was one of those fragging languages Ratchet had talked about? His eyes brightened when he finally remembered, "It's Italian."

"Italian." She stated disbelievingly. "What does it mean in English?"

He was on a roll now, "It has a lot of different meanings, but it's pretty much a cuss word." He said easily.

Amber thought about it for a moment, then nodded slowly. "O…kay. Gotcha, Italian it is."

At her acceptance Sideswipe visibly relaxed. He thanked Primus she didn't ask anything else. "So…where do you want to go?"

Forgetting her earlier suspicions a small smile emerged on her face. "Just keep driving, I'll let you know when to turn."

He nodded and set his holoform's gaze on the road. Through the rearview mirror he watched her silently. She was a little miffed about his slipup he could tell. Hopefully she wouldn't think too much about it. He didn't know how she would react if he told her he was a robotic alien from outer space. Or that it was a translation of a word they used on his home planet. That probably wouldn't end well. It made him feel guilty that he wasn't being completely honest with her regarding his form, but it is what it is. She probably would be scared of him, or go tell other humans. He was a little skeptical about the latter, she didn't seem like the type of person to do that. No, he was almost sure that she wouldn't do that. Still, she probably would get scared, and he didn't want that.

So caught up in his inner musings he almost didn't hear Amber tell him to turn here. Pulling himself back to the present he did so sharply so they wouldn't miss it. He smiled to himself when she threw her hands up and squealed enthusiastically while they swerved to the right. Oh yes, he liked this femme, she loved speed and adrenaline just as much as he did.

"Faster Sideswipe!" She shouted over the roar of the engine. Then followed with a lot of whoops and hollers when he happily complied.

They were coming up on their destination, and fast. Suddenly Amber had an idea. "Okay! We're almost there! When I say stop, you gotta slam on the brakes alright?"

At her plan the mech grinned excitedly, she knew his style. He went even faster and readied himself for her signal. Amber sat in anticipation, eyes glued to the windshield. Finally she saw it, and with a screamed, "STOP!" Sideswipe braked hard and did a 360 on the pavement. Amber hollered and squealed until they came to a complete halt. Both panted heavily as adrenaline rushed through their systems. They sat like that for a few minutes before grinned at each other with exhilaration. "That. Was the funnest thing I've done in my ENTIRE. Life." The tomboy exclaimed. "You're car is freaking amazing."

Sideswipe couldn't help but feel a little pride at her statement. Even though she didn't know he was the actual car, it felt pretty damn good to be complemented like that. "Well thank you, I think my driving skills were awesome as well."

Amber smirked and in turn got out of the care so she could find her trail. "You are so full of yourself." She called out over her shoulder as he followed from behind. "The car did all of the work. I would do almost anything to make that sexy piece of metal mine. Can I have it?"

Making a surprised sound Sideswipe felt heated energon rush to his holoform's face. She thought he was sexy? "Um…no. The car is only partly mine…it's the military's as well. So, wherever I go, it goes."

Amber found her hidden path and peeled the branches aside for her companion to go inside. Feigning disappointment she fell in step beside him. "Aww that's too bad. That car is one of a kind, finest piece of machinery I've seen in a long time. Are you sure you can't at least let me borrow it?"

'Slag, does she even know what she's doing to me?' He thought. Yes, he may be vain about his appearance, and he knew he was all those things she said he was. But…he hadn't been complemented like that by a femme of any kind in awhile. He almost didn't know how to react to it except to thank her. It made him wish that he could tell her what he truly was, but it really didn't matter as he thought about it. He was leaving soon, and probably would never see his newfound friend again. That made his Spark sink a little in it's chamber. He'd had a lot of fun with her the past two days, and he would be lying to say he wouldn't miss her, even if just a little bit. So, he kept his mouth shut and silently followed her to wherever she was taking him.

They walked like that until an opening in the trees was spotted up ahead. Amber took his arm and pulled the surprised mech into the place she wanted to show him: her secret meadow.

"Woah…" Sideswipe murmured in awe as he came into the sunlight…

A/N: Annd I've got to stop there! Aww man! Sides' is leaving soon! :( Don't worry, the story won't end there I assure you. These couple chapter are kind of the prologue into the real story. It just shows how they meet and lets you get to know Amber a bit better. There will be a TIME SKIP after chapter four so we can get into ROTF. I'll explain that a little more when the time comes. Sorry about the abrupt ending! I needed enough material to write the next chapter before the big time skip. :/ But anyways, tell me what you think? Love you all and see you soon!

~Court