*I don't own Transformers or anything affiliated with Transformers. I only own my original characters and plots. All rights go to Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg.*

The air around me was cool. I could feel that I was laying on some sort of cushion only I couldn't make out exactly what it was. My body was also sore but most of the pain I was feeling was coming from my left arm.

Voices could be heard around me as well and I recognized them as my mom's, my dad's and Ironhide's. Slowly, I opened up my eyes and looked around.

I was in some sort of bedroom it seemed like. It was very plain with its navy blue walls. There was a small dresser at the opposite end of the room and a desk sitting beside the entrance door. The window was a small circle, something of what looked like a porthole on a ship; this I was confused about. It didn't take me long to realize that the cushion I was laying on was actually a queen sized bed.

I looked down at my body to see that I was no longer wearing my blue tank and my jeans. Instead, I was wearing a plain black t-shirt and tight black pants. My mom must've dressed me.

I yawned and scratched my head. Ironhide sat on the right side of my bed while my dad and mom sat on my left. My mom smiled at me.

"And she's awake," she chirped. She got up from her chair and ran over to hug me. I squeezed her with my right hand and she let me go. "I'm so glad you're okay, sweetie."

I frowned as I remembered her reasoning for even being here in the first place. "I'm actually glad you're okay," I told her.

She gave me a small smile and sat back down. The two men remained silent.

My mind instantly flashed to the battle and to Optimus. Ratchet had knocked me out and Ironhide picked me up. The next thing I know, I'm here.

"Is it over?" I asked.

"Yes it is," my mom answered.

I sighed in relief. I didn't know what happened to Megatron or Starscream and I didn't care. I was just relieved that it was over. Sooner or later I would find out but now I just wanted bask in the glory of this amazing turning point.

"Thank God. I'm just about sick of all this alien shit," I exclaimed. Hide grunted and my mom got up from her seat.

"Where are you headed?" I asked her.

She walked over to the door. "Out for a bit."

My mind instantly reeled back to just before I fell asleep. I distinctly remembered Ironhide telling me I was in for it when this was done and minutes before that my dad had done a very good job at foreshadowing how much trouble I was in.

"No. Please don't leave me alone with them. They're going to yell at me," I whined.

She just smiled and shrugged before walking out of the room. I sighed.

1. .2. .3

"What in the hell were you thinking?" my dad chastised me.

"That I needed to help my friends and avenge my other ones," I replied calmly.

"Your stupidity concerns me ever so much," Hide retorted.

"You of all people should have known I was going to try to run. Maybe you should have put a padlock on my door. That might've been smart on your part," I chuckled. He rolled his eyes.

"We did this to protect you but you didn't care," my dad shot.

"I did care."

"Then why'd you run?" Hide asked me.

I sighed. "Priorities."

He face-palmed.

"Your aspiration to protect your friends and avenge Optimus and Braelynn was admirable but it almost cost you your life again, Azalea."

"But yet here I am," I chirped.

"This isn't funny, Lea. Why do you always feel the need to disobey someone when they specifically tell you not to do something?" my dad inquired.

"Well, because I'm nineteen years old and I can do what I want. Is that a good enough reason for you?" I sassed.

He shot me a hard look.

"Enough with the constitutional shit. When are you going to realize that everything the two of us do for you is to protect you?"

"I realized that far before I even knew who Ironhide was," I answered simply.

Hide groaned. "You sure do act like it."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for the sarcasm, Grumpshit."

"I just wish you'd listen when you're given an order."

I chuckled. "You guys honestly don't understand how much I wish I would have listened to you, but I needed to help my friends."

My dad sighed. "It always comes back to this. That was not your fight to help them with," he chided.

I narrowed my eyes. "It was. Did you not see my face flashing on that TV screen? Do you even know why Starscream wants me so badly?" I laughed.

"I haven't been informed on the specific matter. All I know is that he was after you and most likely still is," Hide said.

"Well then you're definitely going to hate this. Starscream wants to make babies with me. Isn't that fun?" I stated simply.

Hide stiffened up and my dad looked ready to vomit. I laughed at that.

"I felt the same way. Mudflap is convinced that he's like in love with me or something."

"Um, that's a pretty vulgar delusion," my dad said.

Hide groaned and put his head down on my mattress. "I'm going to kill him," he grumbled.

I pursed my lips. "I'll be waiting on the day you actually do it."

His head shot up. "Quit being a smart ass."

"Okay. I'm sorry, but now you know as to why I was being hunted. And I've already explained to you as to why I ran away. I honestly don't think you guys should be mad at me. I did what I thought was right," I told the two men.

Before either of them could respond, the door opened to reveal one of my dad's soldiers. My dad stood up and walked over to him. The man whispered in his ear and my dad let out a sigh before turning back to me.

"I'll talk to you about this later," he spoke and walked out of the door with the soldier. I heard Hide laugh and I frowned. He gave me a questioning look.

"Are you still angry with me?" I asked him.

He gave me a small smile. "Not as much."

I held my good arm out to him. "Then come here."

He laughed again and got up from his seat before sitting down beside me on my bed. He grabbed me by the waist and hoisted me up onto his lap, careful to avoid my injured arm which I now realized was wrapped tightly in several layers of gauze.

He sat against the headboard of the bed while I straddled his waist, my back up against his knees. This had somehow become my favorite position to sit in. Hide didn't like it much but since it made me comfortable, he was okay with it.

"I missed you," I pouted.

He smirked and patted my thighs with his hands. "I'm more than aware."

I rolled my eyes. "Jerk."

He chuckled. "I missed you as well, Azalea."

I smiled at him and wrapped my right arm around him in a hug. He held me protectively and lovingly. I felt an overpowering amount of relief inside my body. Just being right here with him was all I had been wanting for the past week or so.

"You smell like motor oil," I mumbled into his shirt.

He grunted. "Are you really that surprised?"

"No. I love the way you smell," I chuckled.

He began to play with my hair. "At the moment you smell like smoke, medication and gunpowder."

I sat up and took my hair in my hands. I brought it up to my nose and sniffed, cringing at the smell. It also felt as if it were becoming greasy.

"I need a shower."

"I can't argue with that," he teased.

I just ignored his comment. "Anyway. Where are we?" I asked.

"In the middle of the ocean."

My face contorted in disgust. Why weren't we on a plane? I hated planes just as much as I hated ships, but getting back home on a ship was going to take days.

"I hate ships."

He pulled me back to him. "It'll be okay. I'll keep you safe," he chuckled.

"I'm sure you will. I just can't wait to be back at school," I chirped.

"Speaking of school. ."

I sat up and looked him in the eye. "What about it?"

"I'm going back with you," he told me.

I smacked his chest and he frowned. "You made me think I got kicked out or something."

He shook his head at me but then it registered to me what he just said. I squealed in excitement and hugged him again.

"Are you happy about something?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm happy about you coming to New Jersey with me. The only question I have is why?"

He chuckled. "To protect you and also Sam if he just so happens to need my assistance with anything concerning a certain hazard," he answered.

I sat up again. "What about the Autobots and your job?" I snickered.

He rolled his eyes at me. "We're all being moved to the Washington D.C. facility. If they need my help with anything at all, I can be there in an hour. Your parental units are moving out there as well so Will isn't away from her all the time."

My mind instantly shot to my sister. Was she here? Was she okay or was she no longer living? Ironhide must have noticed the sad look on my face because he placed a hand on my cheek ad lifted my head up so I was looking back at him.

"What's the matter?"

"Anna. Where is my sister at?"

He frowned. "She's okay. She was over at your grandmother's house when Rampage came after your mother," he told me.

I sighed in relief. "Thank God. I honestly don't know how I managed to get myself into this."

"It might have something to do with you being my mate. It's quite hazardous to your health. I'm really surprised you haven't thought of leaving me yet. Most humans would have by now," he said.

I scoffed and hugged him again. "Yes. Being your mate is very hazardous to my health, but I don't care. It's more than worth it. I will gladly go to the ends of the Earth for you. I love you more than anything and anyone in the world, Hide. Like honestly. You mean so much to me. There's nothing in the world that I want more than you. I wouldn't know what to do without you. I'd be so lost without you in my life."

He placed a kiss on top of my head.

"And I feel the same towards you. I love you so much it frightens me. Imagining my life without you is nearly impossible. You're absolutely everything to me and I would happily do anything for you, no matter how much of an obnoxious, defiant brat you are," he chuckled.

I smiled. Words couldn't come close to describing how I felt about him. "Do me a favor please?" I asked.

"Hm?"

I sat up and looked him in the eye. "Don't find another love, okay?"

He smiled and pressed his lips against mine. I wrapped my good arm around his neck and melted into the kiss. Right here in his arms was where I belonged and right here is where I would stay. He was more important to me than anyone else, without the exceptions of course. I just couldn't ask for anyone or any bot better than him.

"Your kind claims that nothing is impossible but I believe they may be wrong. Never in a million years would I ever love any being as much as I love you, Azalea Lennox. You'd be wise to remember that, kid," he told me as he pulled away.

I leaned my forehead against his and laughed.

"Good. Because if I hear you spitting game from the grave, I'm coming after you."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Spitting game?"

I pouted. "I forget you're not very literate in the province of human slang. But, spitting game is using your cute little traits to let other girls know you're interested in them."

He grunted. "As foolish as that sounds, I can assure you that it won't be happening anytime soon."

I laughed. "Good."

He let out a huff. "Human males are appalling. There are very few that I can even tolerate. Why do they act the way they do?"

I laughed and shrugged.

"I truly wish I knew the answer to that question and believe me. They appall me too. All of them except my dad, Sam, Epps, Simmons, sometimes Leo, and then you have Zac Efron. I swear if that boy was a piece of cake, I'd eat it so fast."

He narrowed his eyes at me and removed me from his lap. I laughed.

"Hormonal teenage girl."

I smirked and laid down on the bed. "You really have no idea."

Suddenly he was hovering over top of me, his arms and his knee supporting his weight. He was smirking.

"You need to cleanse that lascivious head of yours."

I chuckled.

"It's impossible. I'm a nineteen year old girl. What do you expect? And don't even scold me. You're a bigger pervert than I am. I'm hardly ever corruptive," I retorted.

He just smiled and kissed my lips before getting off of me. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of bed. I stood there as he walked away to retrieve something. He came back moments later with a pair of black boots in his hands. I recognized them to be mine.

"Where did you get those?" I asked as he handed them to me.

"Bumblebee. Put them them on." I raised a brow but did as he said. With just one arm it was quite difficult but I managed.

"Where are we going?" I asked curiously.

He opened the door to my room.

"To see some people. And by the way, you can use your arm and you can also bend it as well. Just don't do too much with it or you'll loosen your stitches and possibly cause the bleeding to return," he told me as he grabbed my hand.

I nodded as he pulled me out the door, bending my injured arm ever so slightly to get the feeling back into it. Remaining useless for hours caused it to swell and stiffen, both of which hurt like a bitch. Hopefully this would heal soon. Right now it just served as a reminder as to why I was here.

*Please vote and comment. It'd mean so much to me. I wanna know what you guys think.*