For what seemed like a long time, I felt nothing but an intense desire for something. As time went on, I realized that something was Energon. I wanted it so badly; no, it was more than that. It was like I needed it. I could feel the time pass, even though I was in darkness. Desire turned into hunger, hunger into desperation. Eventually, I felt pain. Like my body was being crushed under a rock. I knew it had to do with my new parts, and my most recent exposure to Dark Energon. It felt terrible, and it seemed to last a long while.

Then came the fulfillment, the relief. Something filled my body, taking the pain away and giving my strength back. After a few moments, I knew it had to be Energon. It felt amazing, but at the same time, I felt awful. I disliked my new need for it, wishing I didn't have to take the supply. My body took it, nonetheless, and soon I found myself drawing closer to consciousness.

Light entered my eyes as they fluttered open slowly, and I felt the my head start to ache. I groaned quietly, my vision still blurry. I could feel that I was in bed again because of the softness of the blankets. I blinked a few times, seeing a figure standing over me. Who was it..?

"-ylor? Taylor?" I heard a voice whisper gently. I hadn't realized that all had been silent up until now..

I blinked again and saw that it was Nurse Darby. Her eyes were bent with worry and she was reaching for my face with her hand. Her fingers brushed some bangs out of my eyes when she saw them open. She smiled slightly when I turned my head to see her.

"Hey, there," she said, her voice sweet and concerned. "How do you feel?"

I swallowed, my mouth feeling dry. "Better.. what happened to me?" I asked weakly, shifting my weight to my arms. I slowly pushed myself up, and thankfully my body didn't ache.

She rested her arms on my shoulders, signaling for me to take it slow. "We weren't sure at first.. you were out for a good while."

I sighed, leaning back on the rail of the bed. "Oh..." I quickly remembered what had happened previously. The Dark Energon volcano, the earth quakes and total waves... the revaluation of Unicron himself being the earth's core. I shot up quickly, looking for the others. The children were all standing off near the monitors, Jack looking at something in his hand longingly. Bulkhead was leaning on the wall in the hallway, his optics distant, arms crossed. Bumblebee was slouched next to Arcee, who also had her arms crossed. The two were having a quiet conversation, none of which I could catch. Ratchet was at the monitor, but he wasn't typing, over even looking at it. He was leaning on the rail with his back to me, helm down. Agent Fowler was on the phone with someone, his voice agitated. Each and every one of their faces were solemn, and Optimus was no where in sight.

"Is something wrong?" Nurse Darby asked, noticing the worry on my face.

I turned to her, my head down a little. "..Is something wrong?"

She cringed, her eyes starting to water all of the sudden. Her hands left my shoulders and fell to her sides as she stood up straight. "No.. and yes. We defeated Unicron, with the surprise help of Megatron."

I jumped. "Megatron helped us?"

She nodded, her eyes hard. "He didn't want to bow down to the dark lord, so he helped us locate where he was. Optimus had the only thing that could stop him, the Matrix of Leadership."

I nodded once, having heard of it from my guardian. Nurse Darby blinked in surprise before continuing.

"...they did it. They put Unicron back in stasis, together. I heard they made quite the surprise team." She paused, taking a deep breath. "But there was a cost."

My body went tense. "What happened?"

She took a shaky breath. "Optimus... he lost his memories. He went back to his previous life, Orion Pax. Megatron took him aboard his warship.." she stopped before her voice could crack.

I was stone still, letting it sink in. Optimus was gone, with the Decepticons. I could hardly believe it. No, I didn't believe it. No matter what happened to him, I could never imagine him on the side of evil. I suddenly realized why everyone was so quiet and upset, and swallowed a sob. I couldn't cry, or I would feel worse, and no doubt make the others feel that way as well. I sat up straighter and looked over to where Ratchet was slumped.

Without a second thought, I swung my legs over the bed and stood up. I wobbled, and Nurse Darby stepped over, arms out to stop me. I held up my hand, unwilling to lay back down. I gave her an apologetic look before unsteadily running away. I passed the kids, each of them shooting me a relieved and confused look. I waved briefly to signal I was okay, still running. I nearly bumped into Agent Fowler and waved at him, too. He shot me an upset glare but said nothing. I stopped at the rail, where Ratchet's backside was leaning, and looked up. His helm was indeed down, and I could almost feel the despair rolling off of him. I couldn't blame him; his best friend was in the hands of the Decepticons. I reached up slowly and patted his warm metal back.

He jumped at my touch, looking over his shoulder plate. When he saw it was me, he turned slowly, his faceplate a little relieved. He knelt over, his faceplate close to me.

"Taylor," he said simply. I saw the sadness in his optics, my heart breaking.

I leapt forward and hugged his faceplate. "I'm sorry," I whispered into him, my face suddenly feeling hot. "Mrs. Darby told me what happened... are you okay?"

He blinked in surprise, and I thought I felt a little heat from underneath my hug. Hesitantly, he reached out and hugged me back gently with one servo. "I'm alright. Are you? You wouldn't wake up again.."

I shook my head. "I'm fine," I assured him. "But I don't know what happened to me.." I let go and gave him a puzzled stare.

He sighed, straightening a little. "I wasn't sure at first either.. but I eventually gave you a full Cybertronian scan, and found something.. unsettling."

I shuddered, knowing what he was about to say would be a blow. "What is it?" I asked quietly.

He gave me a pitiful and apologetic optic. "You required Energon." He paused, taking a vent. "As it turns out, you can no longer function properly without it, now that your systems know how to use it."

My eyes went wide with shock, and I couldn't stop the tears from rising. "So.. I need Energon to live now?"

He nodded solemnly, glancing away. "Yes, that is correct. I am sorry."

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. It's not that I despised it, but.. I felt like I was slowly losing my humanity. And now I would be taking the source that kept them alive, lowering their own resources... I felt terrible, and swallowed the nausea away.

"No, I'm sorry," I muttered, trying not to show the shakiness in my voice. "I'm gonna be taking from you now..." I looked down at the floor, hands behind my back.

It took him a couple moments for him to realize what I meant. He narrowed his optics, and in one swift movement, scooped me up in his servo. I stumbled and plopped onto my behind with surprise. He stood straight and lifted me up, his optic ridges furrowed.

"Don't blame yourself," he told me sternly. "What happened to you isn't your fault." He paused, thinking for a moment. "If anything, it will hardly affect us. You're a human, so you're conservatives would only be a small amount."

I blinked, watching him in a sitting position. He was standing up for me, telling me it was fine. Once again, he was making my heart flutter involuntarily, and my chest go tight. What was this?

He noticed that I wasn't saying anything and frowned. "Are you listening to me? I don't want you thinking it's your fault, alright?"

I stared at him for a few minutes more, before a bubble of laughter left my chest. He really did care, but it was funny to see the way he expressed it. I stood up, still giggling a little despite myself and hugged his digit.

"Okay, okay, I heard you," I chuckled. "I'll try my best."

He blinked, before smiling warmly. "Good," he said, lifting me up and placing me by his shoulder plate. I sat down with a smile, my face hot. His smile was making me feel strange... I couldn't identify what it was.

I sighed and leaned on the shoulder plate. "Don't worry about Optimus too much. He'll be okay." I found myself hoping those words were true.

He was silent for a moment, before his smile grew broader, his optic ridges raising slightly instead of the usual furrow. He lifted his servo and nudged me with his digits. "Thank you. I appreciate that." He bent his helm, using his servo to push me gently.

My eyes widened as he cuddled me with his helm, his digits nuzzling me gently. Normally, I was the one to hug first, but this time, he had forced me into his own kind of cuddle. My heart stopped in my chest and I let out a shaky gasp, my face and neck red. As he continued for a few moments more without the others noticing, I slowly realized what this feeling was. He let go, shooting me a slightly embarrassed grin, before turning to the monitors to work on something.

I stared straight ahead, not believing myself. It couldn't be.. and yet it made perfect sense. But how could I..? I didn't know why, but these feelings had grown.

I'm... in love with my guardian?

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😏😏😏😏 wheeeeeeeeee

FINALLY I'M HERE!!!!! I've been waiting to get to this part forever, so that I can do the other ideas in my brain.

Btw, this is the last chapter of this book. 😏

*waves*