When Arcee woke, she was in the medbay. She looked around, and spotted Airachnid staring at the wall, with Bulkhead aiming his blaster at her. Arcee got up, and walked over to Bulkhead. 

"Hey, Bulk", she whispered to him. "I'll watch her from here."

Bulkhead hesitated but at the cutting stare from Arcee, he complied. Arcee waited until he left before she spoke.

"Why?" she asked simply. Airachnid glanced over at her.

"You're going to need to be more specific than that, Arcee", she said quietly.

"Why did you decide to become a Decepticon? Why didn't you come find me and tell me what happened?"

Airachnid closed her eyes. "When I was finally.... settled in this form, Megatron was there. If I didn't join him, he would've killed me. And you thought I was dead. You said so yourself when you told Ultra Magnus. It would have hurt worse if I came back, looking completely different, and said that I was the femme you saw taken by the one Decepticon that everyone feared besides Megatron. You would have said I was crazy, and that Elita-1 was dead. So it was easier to pretend that she was. Because in a way, Elita-1 was gone. I rose to take her place."

Arcee was quiet as she processed the information. "That doesn't explain why you killed Tailgate."

Airachnid sighed. "I was angry. I was angry that you didn't even try searching for me. That you said that I was dead without even making sure that I was. So when I heard that you had a new partner so soon after losing me, I lost it. I know that's no excuse, but it's what was going through my head at the time. I was angry with myself after I killed him. He was my friend, and I killed him in cold blood. And I hate myself for it. I hate that I've hurt you so much. And that I keep doing it. No matter what I do, I just make things worse for you."

Arcee was quiet. They both sat in silence for a while until Arcee thought of something to say.

"Why did you try to kill Jack?"

"I had a reputation to uphold. I knew you would never forgive me for what happened, and I figured I may as well play the part. Stupid of me, I know. Like I said, I just keep making things worse."

Arcee opened her mouth to say something, but Ratchet and Optimus came in. "Airachnid... I think I may have found a way to reverse what happened to you. But there's a chance it won't work. I found traces of the formula Shockwave gave you in your energon, and I think I might have found the reversion formula. It will still hurt as much as the other formula did."

Airachnid smiled sadly at them. "It's a risk I'm willing to take. No matter what happens, I just want to be out of this form."

Ratchet nodded, and glanced at Arcee. "Do you want to stay?"

Arcee nodded, and watched as Ratchet administered a pinkish formula. She watched as Airachnid started writhing around, biting back a scream. Arcee winced when a scream did finally escape the spider-femme's mouth. Arcee watched as things started changing on the femme's body. Halfway through the process, Airachnid stopped screaming, and Arcee grew worried. She watched as the colors and body shape changed back to femme Arcee once knew. She rushed to the femme's side, and grabbed her servo, staring in concern. She looked at Ratchet, and the medic scanned her. He sighed.

"The formula worked", he said. "She's back to her true self. But there was one risk that she knew of from the previous formula. I'm sorry, Arcee. There was a chance she would die during the procedure, and I'm afraid that she wasn't lucky enough the second time around."

Arcee stared at him before she glanced back at the femme she grew to love. Tears dripped from her eyes and she started crying. Optimus and Ratchet left, leaving her to grieve in peace.

~~~~~~

Arcee stared at the second, large pile of rocks that was next to the one burying Cliffjumper's horn. She closed her eyes, and gently rested a servo on both piles. "I've lost everyone, haven't I? I just can't keep those I care about alive... First I lost Elita-1... then Tailgate was killed, and then you were killed too, Cliff... Then I found Lita again, though not how I expected. And then I lost her again. What am I doing wrong?"

There was no answer, and Arcee cried started crying softly as she knelt between the two piles. She hugged herself, and screamed at the sky. Arcee was alone once more.

A hand gently pressed against her leg, and Arcee looked down to see Jack. He was staring up at her with worry, and Arcee stared at him gratefully. She wasn't alone. She never has been. There will always be someone there to help her, like Jack. He helped save her back in the forest with Airachnid. She also has the other Autobots, and she knew that if she asked, they would help her. She smiled at Jack, and stood up, walking over to the edge. Jack followed her, and together they looked out across the desert that they had spent many adventures in, and would spend many more adventures in.

~~~~~~

Elita-1 laughed as Tailgate swung her around. She hugged him tightly, as well as greeting many more friends she had made before she was changed into Airachnid. Once the initial greetings were done, she and Tailgate wandered away to where they could watch what was happening with their living loved ones. As they watched Arcee grieve, Elita-1 spoke quietly.

"I'm sorry for everything I did as Airachnid", she said softly. Tailgate merely chuckled and nudged her.

"Don't worry about it", he grinned at her. "Arcee's forgiven you for it, so I will too."

Elita-1 looked at Arcee, who was now standing on the edge of the plateau, Jack next to her. She smiled. "She's happy now, even with neither of us there."

Tailgate nodded. "She's strong. Always has been, and always will be. I hope she'll find someone to call her partner again."

"She will", a new voice spoke. Elita-1 glanced behind her to see Cliffjumper. "She'll find someone, and she'll be happier than ever. I just know it."

Elita-1 smiled, and went back to watching Arcee. She missed her, but she knew that when the blue and pink femme joined the Allspark, she would be the first to greet her. After all, she was destined to be the femme's sparkmate, wasn't she?