Author's Note

Disclaimer: I'm only going to say this once, I do not own anything Transformers, just my OCs. Oh, and I got the idea for my title from a song called "Move Along" by The All-American Rejects.

To friends of old: If you were hoping the next thing I was going to do was a sequal to my Rise of the Guardians fic Snowfall, then I am sorry to disappoint you. I blame all of the Transformer fanfic I read over the summer. This plot has been bugging me for the longest time and my brain just won't let me ignore it any longer.

To any new readers of mine: Hello! :D

A warning to all: THIS MAY BE SET IN THE 2007 MOVIE BUT IT IS VERY, VERY, MUCH AU!

Okay, so like I said, this plot has been bugging me for a while. I already knew I wanted to do a SideswipexOC story cause I just love the twins. I remember watching the cartoons when I was little, although I admit, I was so little I don't remember all that much, but the twins have always been some of my favorites and that love was renewed when I was reading Transformers fanfic over the summer. What further led to this story was my dislike for Sam. 1. He's a wuss. 2. He went from not being that bad in the first movie, especially with the whole "Fifty years from now, when you're looking back at your life, don't you want to be able to say you had the guts to get in the car?" thing and he seemed really excited about being apart of everything and being able to keep Bee as his guardian in the end, then in the second movie he wanted nothing to do with them and wanted a normal life (I was like "What the slag are you doing?! I would give anything for the kind of opportunity you had!"), and then in the third movie, all of a sudden, it was like he wanted back in. Yeah, just all of that really irked me. And 3. Well...Sam is a complete wuss. So I decided he needed to go.

Since I decided to get rid of Sam and put in my own OC in his place it left me with many opportunities to change things which I will now list here:

1. The main character's home life is VERY different. She has a dad but the mom is gone. And her dad isn't so nice. I left names the same, but personalities are going to be different. Everything with her great great grandfather finding Megatron and stuff is going to be the same though.

2. No Miles

3. No Mikaela

4. Sides and Sunny show up in the beginning for the first movie

5. No Bumblebee (Sorry Bee fans, but since I wanted SidesxOC I decided to completely replace Bee with Sides and Sunny. I promise he'll show up by the time I get to the section with the second movie though. Basically he'll show up when Sides was supposed to.)

6. Number 1 is going to affect where she ends up after the first movie

7. She's going to become very close to Lennox cause he's awesome :)

8. Fun with Allspark stuff, and I promise, the ideas I have for the Allspark have not been done yet

With all of that said here is the Extended Summery I promised:

Ari Witwicky is an only child living with her divorced father. He's cruel and an alcoholic, making her life very miserable. All Ari dreams of is the day she can finally get away. She gets her chance when the car she buys turns out to be a robotic alien by the name of Sideswipe with a twin brother, Sunstreaker. From there her life turns into a roller coaster ride with Ari finding out she is the only one who can help the Autobots. And maybe they are the only ones who can save her. SidesxOC

Now, I do plan on going through all of the movies, although I'm debating on not doing the third one at all since my OC is going to end up in a very different place than Sam did by then and just skipping to doing my own thing, but I figured I'll just play it by ear and see what happens. I'm also not sure if I'm going to keep it all together or put it into separate stories but I'll let you guys know when I decide.

Anyway, enough of me blabbing. Hopefully you guys aren't now deterred from reading my story. I promise, you won't regret it!

Now, without further adieu:

Onward!

The Tugging of Destiny

Ari tries to get her tired body to move faster as she cleans off the last few booths at Hal's Diner, mechanically picking up abandoned dinner plates and wiping the linoleum table tops as clean as they're going to get. The time is reaching 7 at night. She's been working since 6 am and Saturday has always been one of their busier days. Ari wants nothing more than to pick up her paycheck and go home. The thought of going home doesn't even scare her at the moment. This is the last check she needs, after almost an entire year of working at Hal's, before she will have a total of $4,500 saved up, enough to get at least a fairly decent used car.

After depositing the last of the dishes by the kitchen sink Ari wipes her sweaty brow with the sleeve of her white long-sleeved t-shirt she wears underneath her blue work shirt, hangs up her apron, and then approaches Hal, a heavyset fellow with thinning black hair, a bit of a stubble on his chin, and the owner of the classic 70's style diner. The man notices her and turns away from the register to face her, check already in hand.

"Heading home, Ari?" he asks.

"Yep, just need my paycheck," Ari replies with a polite smile as he hands her the slip of paper. "So, are you going to be needing any help for the late shifts on weekends?"

Hal sighs in exasperation, "Look, Ari, I already told you. You may be one of my hardest workers but I don't like the idea of you taking the bus home at ten 'o clock at night."

"I know, but with this paycheck I'll be able to afford a car now. Hopefully I can get it tomorrow on my day off. Then I won't have to take the bus anymore."

"If you can afford a car now, then why are you asking for more hours? What else could you possibly be saving up for?"

Ari rolls her eyes. "College doesn't pay for itself, Hal. I may only be at the end of my sophomore year but I got to start saving up now if I'm ever going to afford it."

He raises a brow. "What, the old man won't pay for it for you? You said you dad's a banker or something, right? He should have plenty of money to send you."

She inwardly winces but keeps her face neutral and voice even. She lies automatically, well practiced and without flaw. "Yeah, he does work over at the bank, but paying for college by myself is something I want to do." The first part is true. The last, not so much.

Hal laughs and shakes his head. "That's mighty responsible of you, kid. Alright, since you'll have your own car I'll let you have the extra hours on the weekends. I might even give you some weekday ones once school lets out. This is the last week coming up before summer, right?"

She gives him a rare grin that, for once, reaches her pale blue eyes. "Thank you, Hal! You're the best!"

Hal reaches out to give her a pat on the head but Ari unintentionally winces and takes a step back with averted eyes. Hal just shakes his head again in confusion. Every time someone tries to touch Ari she shies away. No one really knows why and she's determined to keep it that way.

Hal clears his throat in an attempt to clear the sudden tension. "Well, have a good night, Ms. Witwicky. And good luck tomorrow."

She nods, expression passive. "Thanks." Ari then grabs her messenger bag, waves her boss goodbye, and heads out the door.

The warm Nevada night enwraps Ari like a fleece blanket, her long-sleeved shirt making her almost overly hot. She's tempted to roll up her sleeves in order to let the gentle breeze help cool her skin, but she dares not. Too many people are still wandering around the streets and the setting sun casts too much light. The shadows stretch out to greet her, but it is not enough. Someone may see. And if someone sees, then her father, Ron, will find out. And if Ron finds out she will be lucky if she survives the punishment.

Ari approaches the bus stop just in time to catch the 7:15 bus. She climbs aboard, pays the fare, and settles into one of the plastic seats for the fifteen minute ride to the stop just two blocks from her house. The distance would normally take her a good two hours to walk and she can't wait until she has a car to drive herself with seats far more comfortable than what she sits in now.

Too bad she still has so much more to endure in order to get it.

Everything is quiet when Ari enters the two story suburban house her and her father live in. The lights are off and there is no car in the driveway, which really isn't surprising. Ron is still probably at the bar. As she picks her way across the floor, which is littered with beer bottles, she wonders if he will be coming home tonight, both hoping so and dreading it. The thing is, if he doesn't come home tonight, then she probably won't be able to go get her car tomorrow. The only reason she needs him to go with her at all is because she is only sixteen and can't sign for the car title without an adult to cosign with her.

When Ari reaches the stairs to head up to her room she notices a bra, not her own since it is larger than her small A cup, hanging on the banister, probably "accidentally" left from the girl Ron brought home the night before.

Oh how she can't wait for her eighteenth birthday when she'll be a legal adult and can get away from this place.

Once in her room Ari places her bag on her desk chair and plops down on her bed lying on her back so she's staring up at the ceiling. It's a fairly plain room, twin sized bed with silver and blue bedspread along one wall underneath a window that overlooks the backyard, dresser and vanity mirror on the right against the same wall as the door, desk on the left underneath another window that looks out at the space between her yard and the next with a fence dividing them. Very few personal items, just a laptop, some books, and a picture of her mom that are kept stored in her closet out of sight. She learned long ago that anything precious to her is likely to be destroyed if left out in the open.

Ari's not sure why she keeps the photo of her mom, a vibrant woman with big eyes and reddish-brown hair, the same hair Ari inherited. Her mom, Judy, left ten years ago. Just packed her bags, kissed Ari on the head, and left her daughter and husband behind. Divorce papers were sent in the mail not long after. Her father then turned to alcohol to drown out his sorrow. Ari was too young at the time to understand what was happening. She remembers going up to her father one night, who was lying on the couch surrounded by bottles, and asking why her mom hasn't come home yet.

That's when Ron realized the drinking wasn't enough to mask all of the sadness and anger. He needed something else to take it all out on.

He hit her, shouting that Judy left with another man because she was ashamed to have such a disgraceful daughter.

How much of that is true, Ari doesn't know. Every time she tries to ask it sets her father off. She rolls up her sleeves looking at the black and blue skin of her arms. Not a day goes by that she doesn't have at least a dozen fresh bruises covering her body, forcing her to constantly wear long sleeves and jean pants, no matter the weather. There are even a few scars from when Ron used a knife a few times.

Ari sighs and gets up, grabbing her laptop so she can start on her homework. It's not much of homework, really, just mostly studying. Exams start this week and she's not sure how much studying she'll be able to do after tomorrow. It all depends on Ron. As she waits for her computer to boot up she pulls out her phone and uses her bank app to deposit her check into her bank account so that everything is ready for when she writes out the check to pay for her car tomorrow.

It'll be worth it, she tells herself. No matter what he dishes out, it'll be worth it. With a car I'll have more freedom. Things won't be as bad.

After about two hours of studying Ari hears the front door slam shut causing the house walls to reverberate with the force. She winces. It's only 9:45. He's home early. That's both good and bad. Good because it means she can talk to him now about going to get a car tomorrow and he will refrain from getting himself plastered before they head out to the dealership. Bad because it means that he struck out with getting a girl tonight and/or got himself kicked out of the bar. He's going to be in an even fouler mood than usual.

Ari takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly and slightly shaky.

"Arianna Samantha Witwicky, get down here right now!" Ron calls, the volume and anger of his voice scaring her.

Well, best to get this over with. I already know he is very capable of breaking down my door when he wants to.

Ari exits her bedroom and heads downstairs to find her father, a short man with balding brown hair and a large beer belly, standing in the middle of the living room looking around at the floor at the dozens of beer bottles scattered about. He sways on his feet slightly from his night at the bar, almost slipping on the glass containers beneath his feet. It's a miracle he didn't crash on the way home.

"Did you need something?" Ari asks, her voice hollow and emotionless.

"Yeah," Ron says with a slight slur as he points a finger at her and continues to tilt back and forth on his feet. "Clean up this mess you made."

She sighs and does as she's told, grabbing up a garbage bag and clearing out all of the beer bottles. When she returns from taking out the garbage she finds her father sitting on the couch watching some random sitcom with another beer in his hand. She stands a few feet away from him unsure as to how to start this conversation.

Ron glances at her out of the corner of his eye. "If you have something to say, say it."

She bites her lip. "I've saved up enough money to buy a car. You promised that when I do…you will go with me to buy one, so…can we go tomorrow? It's Sunday."

His brow furrows in concentration, his drunken mind struggling ever having such a conversation. After a few moments his face clears and a devilish smile graces his lips. "You remember your part of the bargain, right?"

Ari gulps. "Y-yes."

"And you plan on upholding your part of the bargain, correct."

She nods, not trusting her voice anymore.

Ron nods triumphantly. "Then yes, we can go get you a car tomorrow. Be up by ten. I want to be at the bar by happy hour but I still want to be able to take my time with you."

A shiver runs down Ari's spine as she heads back to her room.

Tomorrow is going to be a very long day.

The next day, Ari and her father drive up to the used car lot they had discussed getting her car from all those months ago. It's not the best selection in the world but so long as it's got four wheels, an engine, and won't give out on her right away she'll be happy.

Ron, dressed up in a collared shirt and slacks, always looking the presentable, accomplished head of his family and responsible father when around others, goes up to talk to "Uncle Bobby B" while Ari starts to browse the cars. Most of them look like crap. Then she starts to feel a weird sensation in her chest, almost like tugging. She wonders if she's imagining things but decides to follow it anyway to be sure.

What she finds takes her breath away.

It's a red, sleek, old-fashioned sports car with black racing strips zipping from the hood to the bumper of the car.

Ari already knows it's perfect.

She opens the driver's side door and sits behind the wheel, the plush leather seats seeming to mold perfectly to her body. After closing the door she grips the steering wheel. She notices a strange insignia in the center of the wheel on the car horn, an odd, geometric-looking head. Before she can wonder too much about it Ron comes up beside her and looks in through the open window.

"Nice," he says, sounding impressed. "This is a 1989 Corvette Base Hatchback. Haven't seen one of these in a long time."

"Yeah…Hatchback…," the car dealer says absentmindedly. "Yeah, what is this? What the heck is this? I don't know nothing about this car!"

He argues with his associate about the seemingly random car in his car lot but Ari interrupts him. "How much?"

The dealer looks back at her, shrugs his shoulders, looks over the car, and then looks back at her. "Five thousand."

Ari curses under her breath. "I can't pay much over four thousand. Can't you go a little lower?"

"Sorry, kid. Can't help you if you're going to be a cheapskate. It's five thousand or no deal."

She sighs heavily and gets out of the car. Running a hand longingly along the hood she goes to follow the dealer and her father to look at another car. The disappointment settles heavy in her chest. There is just something about that car that feels…special to her. Like it's destiny.

Suddenly a high-pitched wailing sounds from behind them. They all turn to see all of the cars' glass explode. Ari yelps and ducks, covering her head with her arms to protect herself from flying shards. When the sound stops they look around, dumbfounded. All of the windows in all of the cars are completely shattered.

All except for the Hatchback.

The car dealer turns to her, holding up four shaking fingers, "Four thousand."

Driving her new car home is like a dream. The purr of the engine is so smooth Ari knows there is probably a really nice piece of machinery underneath that hood, although it's not like she knows enough about cars to be able to tell the difference anyway. Just everything about the Hatchback seems so much nicer than what it looks like on the outside.

"Maybe I should think about putting some money aside for a new paint job," Ari says to herself as she pulls into the driveway next to Ron. "Then you'll look really beautiful."

A pleasant heat and electrical charge vibrate the steering wheel and into Ari's hands, almost as if the car really is purring. Almost as if the idea of a new paint job is something the Hatchback is excited about. But before Ari's mind can question what just happened Ron yells at her to get in the house and he turns to head for the front door.

She gulps as she takes the keys out of the ignition. "I really don't want to face him." She looks down at the wheel, stroking the strange insignia with her forefinger. "But if I don't he'll take you away from me."

Ari leans forward to press her forehead against the top of the wheel with a heavy sigh.

What if she turns the car back on and peels rubber out of the driveway right now, leaving this house, her father, and her miserable life behind once and for all? She wouldn't have to put up with him anymore. Not the abuse. Not the cuts. Not the touches to her body. He's never done much, not even going beyond the barrier of her clothes, but they have started to become more and more frequent the older she gets. It's starting to scare her. Especially the nights when he fails to get a girl.

And she promised him that he can do whatever he wants to her if he helps her get a car. Punch her. Kick her. Slice up her skin. Anything, so long as she doesn't need to go to the hospital afterwards. And she won't protest. She won't struggle. She won't cry out. She'll just lay there and take it, allowing him complete domination.

But he really wouldn't do anything like…that…right? She's his daughter, no matter how much he seems to hate her. It would be incest. Certainly that fact disgusts him as much as it does her. It'll keep him from going too far.

Right?

"Arianna Samantha Witwicky, get in the house! Now!" Ron cries from the doorway of the house.

Ari sighs one last time and exits the safety of the Hatchback to go meet her fate.

Sideswipe watches his charge enter the house with worry flowing through his circuits.

He and Sunstreaker arrived on the strangely beautiful planet just yesterday. The plan had been to simply follow her around and make sure the Decepticons didn't try anything before the other Autobots arrived, but when they found out she was going to buy a car the twins decided it would be easier if one of them posed as her new car.

Unfortunately, the place she went to get her new car from was a complete dump.

They argued about it for a while and in the end Sideswipe relented to scanning a beat-up car to become her Guardian. He hates all of the dirt clinging to his frame and the fading paint. And this form definitely can't go as fast as what he would like.

He's sure Sunstreaker is parked somewhere nearby in his sweet Lamborghini Gallardo alt mode laughing at him right now.

But there is nothing Sideswipe can do about it now. Sunstreaker never would have agreed to become the girl's car. Not only would transforming into a piece of crap car kill him but he finds the very idea of a "dirty, slagging human" riding in his interior disgusting. All Sideswipe can do now is wait it out and, as soon as he can, choose an alt mode so sweet his brother will be forever jealous.

In the meantime all he has to do is protect his new charge. Ari. Arianna, that man had called her, her parental unit, her "father" as humans call them. It's a very beautiful name. Sideswipe wonders where her "mother" is. And why was her father so mad at her? And why did she not want to go face him?

"Hey, Sunny?" Sideswipe calls out through his sibling bond with his twin.

"What did I say about you calling me that, Sides?" he brother grounds out a moment later.

Sideswipe chuckles. "Oh, come on, Sunny, you know it doesn't really bother you that much."

Sunny growls. "Whatever."

"Anyway, I think something might be going on here," Sides says seriously.

"What, is there a Decepticon? Do you need backup?"

"No, it's not that. It's just that Ari was saying to herself how she didn't want to go face her father, her parental unit."

"Oh, great, the slagging human we have to watch is crazy."

"Sunny," Sides says disapprovingly. "She's not crazy. It was more like she was trying to talk herself into doing something she really doesn't want to do. Like she was scared to face her father. What would make her scared of her parental unit?"

Sunny is silent for a long time. "I don't know. Could be anything. Just keep a close optic on her.

Sideswipe sighs. "I will, although it's not like I can hear much of what is going on inside the house."

"Well, so long as she doesn't scream or anything then chances are she's fine."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Alright, I'm going to go see if I can find a secluded area for when I send out the beacon to Optimus tonight. You going to be good here?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. How long will it take the others to get here again?"

"About a couple of Earth days. No more than three."

"Okay. Good luck and call me if you run into any 'Cons."

"You too."

Author's Note

Yay, first chapter done! As you can see, things are very different for Ari than they were for Sam. Yes, her dad abuses her. I warn you now, it's going to get pretty bad. I didn't say anything in the other Author's Note cause really nothing happened yet and I wanted it to be a surprise, but from now on when she gets abused, for those of you who may want to skip over those parts, I will place a warning in the Author's Note at the beginning of the chapter. Again, things are going to get pretty bad for Ari so I'm warning you now. No, it won't be as bad as what she fears most, but it gets...close. *sigh* What can I say, I'm very mean to my characters I've made Ron one sick dude.

Oh, and just to let you guys know, I am in school and my school work takes priority, so I'm probably only going to update once a month unless I get pretty far ahead of myself. I'll try to keep it consistent, updating around the last week of every month. Just thought I'd let you guys know.

Alright that's it for now. Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW (I really want to know what you guys thought of this), and see you all next time!