*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.*

Waking up at noon actually felt so good to me. Although my neck and knee were killing me, I was just happy that I didn't have to get up at six o'clock in the morning just to go to school. I grabbed my phone off my bedside table to check and see if I had any notifications. When I unlocked it I saw that I had one text message from Braelynn.

'Where are you?' it read.

Damn it. Now I'll have to cancel our plans on Saturday. I texted her back quickly.

'An accident happened. I'll be out of school for the next week or so. I'll also have to cancel on our plans for Saturday. Sorry girl,' I responded.

She texted back almost instantly.

'Oh, okay. And it's totally fine. I understand. You can tell me about it later. I have to go. Feel better, Lea!' she sent back.

I smiled and locked my phone before laying it back down on my bedside table.

Getting out of bed was a challenge but after a few painful twists and turns I eventually managed. I took a couple pain pills and then hopped over to my dresser drawers to get something to wear. I looked in the mirror that was hanging above my dresser. There were finger sized markings around my neck. Most of them were tender to the touch and very painful. I sighed and continued looking for something to wear. I was still wearing my dress from yesterday and I most definitely did not want to wear it again. I grabbed a pair of long grey sweatpants and my dad's favorite black army tank top. It took me a total of ten minutes to get changed and after that I hopped out of my room.

Facing the stairs was rather scary for me. One wrong move and I'd fall and besides, I wasn't even supposed to be doing this in the first place, so Ratchet would have my ass if I ended up injuring myself more.

I held on to the railing and carefully made it down the stairs. My mom was sitting in the recliner in the living room and Annabelle was sitting in the floor playing with something. I noticed that my dad and Ron weren't home. My mom noticed me and gave me a look as I went to lay down on the couch.

"What are you doing? And your neck looks awful, sweetie," she asked.

"Sitting and I know. ."

"You're supposed to be taking it easy, Lea," she scolded.

"I know, but I just don't feel like sitting up in my bedroom all day. It gets boring after a while," I told her. She sighed. "So, where's dad and Ron and shouldn't you be at work?"

"They're at the base and yes, but I took off until Monday to take care of you while they were off doing lord knows what," she said.

"Well, alright then."

"How are you feeling today?" she asked me.

"I'm feeling okay. I just hope that Trent knows I will kill him. This brace is so restricting, I hate it," I said.

She laughed. "Well, your dad or I weren't particularly happy with what happened and you should've seen Ron when he carried you in yesterday. He seemed ready to kill. It was a very good thing he showed up though. Who knows what Trent would've done to you," she explained.

"Yeah. I'm glad he was there," I told her.

"I'm just glad that you're safe now," she said with a small smile.

"Me too, mom," I replied.

Suddenly the sound of a jet engine rang through my ears. It sounded way too close to the ground. It was probably the same one from my jog about a week ago. I shook my head. Seconds later, I could hear several cars speeding down the road, their engines loud and rather throaty.

"What are they doing, mom?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "I have no clue. There's been so much crazy stuff happening in the military nowadays. You wouldn't understand. I myself don't even understand."

What she meant by that, I had no idea. But I just ignored it.

"That's just lovely," I responded sarcastically.

My mom chuckled. I could feel the pain pills beginning to set in. I was extremely tired all of a sudden. I yawned and settled back into the couch.

____________________

Someone was repeatedly patting my cheeks, I guess in an attempt to wake me up. I groaned and swatted their hand away. I don't even remember falling asleep. The patting continued but I paid no attention.

"Wake up, kid," a gruff voice said.

It was Ron.

"Leave me alone. I'm tired," I said and turned into the back of the couch.

Ron grunted and the next thing I knew I was being tickled. I squealed and turned to take a swing at him. I ended up punching him in the chest but it felt like I had just punched a slab of concrete. I withdrew my hand and held it to my chest. It hurt and I was most definitely awake now.

"Fucking hell," I seethed.

Ron just laughed and stood up. "That's what you get," he teased.

"Are you like made of steel or something? That hurt."

"Yes. Trilithium to be exact," he said.

I gave him a look and he laughed. "That would explain why my hand is probably broken," I stated.

"At least now you know better than to strike me again," he chided.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes at him before sitting up. He sat down on the coffee table. He quickly glanced at my neck, obviously studying the bruises. I heard a small growl come from the back of his throat and I sighed.

"Why'd you wake me up?"

"You need to eat," he said.

"But, I'm not hungry."

"Wow, that's something I never thought I'd hear come out of your mouth," my dad said as he walked into the living room. He sat down on the recliner and looked at me. "Is that my tank top?" he asked.

I quickly looked down at the black army tank top and smiled innocently.

"It might be," I stated.

"I've been looking for that, Azalea," he said rather annoyed.

I chuckled. "Well, you found it. Too bad you're not getting it back," I told him.

He rolled his eyes and focused on the TV. I cracked my knuckles and looked at Ron.

"What's up?"

"You need to eat," he responded.

"But, I don't want to."

"You're the most stubborn human I've ever met," he told me.

I smiled and laid back down on the couch and closed my eyes. There was a small knock on the door and I heard someone get up to answer it. The door opened followed by small chatter that I wasn't really paying attention to. Two sets of footsteps sounded and then there was a weight on my back. I shot my eyes open and looked up to see Braelynn.

"Hey, Lea," she greeted.

"Hey, Brae. Would you maybe get off please? You're crushing my pancreas," I told her. She laughed and stood up. "What are you doing here?"

"I brought you your work," she said as she picked up her book bag.

She took out a bunch of worksheets, along with my history book, algebra book, and english book. I groaned and I heard Ron and my dad chuckle. I sat up and took them from her before trying to get up.

"What are you trying to do?" Ron asked. I was standing up and already heading to the kitchen.

"I'm going to get a lighter and I'm going to burn all of this," I said as I hopped to the kitchen.

I heard Braelynn laugh.

"Oh my gosh," my dad mumbled.

Suddenly, I was pulled back. "Put me down," I told Ron.

"You're not supposed to be on it anyway," he told me as he laid me back down on the couch.

I groaned. "I don't like you," I said.

He chuckled and shrugged. He took the books from my hands and laid them down on the coffee table before going to sit in the love seat.

"Who's that?" Braelynn asked as she gestured to Ron.

"Oh, that's Ron. He's our butler," I told her and snickered. Ron gave me a look and Braelynn nodded.

"Hardly," Ron responded. I just laughed.

"So, care to tell me what happened?" Braelynn asked me.

"Long story short; Trent DeMarco is one vengeful little dick," I explained.

Braelynn's eyes widened. "He did this to you?"

"Precisely. I tried to fight him because you know he pissed me off. But, he freaking destroyed my knee with his boot and then he almost choked me to death. No biggie though," I told her. I heard someone growl and figured it was Ron.

"Wait, so how'd you get away?" she asked me.

"Him," I said and pointed to Ron. He looked at me and then turned back to the TV. "It was pretty funny actually."

"Well, what's going to happen to Trent?" she asked.

I snickered. "He's going to die. I already told my mom I was going to kill him. And I know just the perfect little Javelin I could use to do so," I told her. I heard Ron chuckle and my dad sighed.

"Azalea," my dad warned. I laughed.

"What's that?" Braelynn asked.

"A flamethrower. But, an MK forty seven could work as well. So long as he's gone. The world will be a better place," I said.

Braelynn laughed.

"OH. Guess what I saw today before I came here?" she asked. Her tone startled me.

"What?"

"Well, I was going to get something to eat with my mom and all of a sudden we round the corner and there's a giant robot in the middle of town square. It was at least twenty feet tall. People were running and screaming just trying to get away from it. It looked so evil. It had the reddest eyes and the biggest guns I've ever seen in my life. It looked like it was looking for something or someone, I don't know. The only amusing thing about it was that it looked like a giant dorito. Mom and I got out of there so fast," she said.

I raised a brow. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ron stiffen and my dad tense up.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, and the way he shrieked or spoke. It was almost deafening. I couldn't handle it. I think it was like an alien or something. It was way too human-like to be man made. I know humans are smart, but we're not that smart," she answered.

I chuckled. "But, how in the hell had I not heard about it? I'm almost positive the news or something would've reported it. Giant Alien Robot Stalks the Streets of Tacoma. It would be nice to know."

"Unless the government already knows about these things and are finding a way to keep them from getting out in the public eye," she explained.

Damn the government.

"That's interesting. I just really love the fact that there's evil alien robots running around out here and the government isn't doing a damn thing about it except for 'keeping them from getting out into the public eye'. People could die," I said. I looked to my dad who was sunk down into the recliner. "William!" I yelled at him.

He jumped, startled by my voice. "What?"

"Do you know anything about these evil alien things? I mean, you're in the military and all so I just figured you'd know something," I asked.

He hesitated before answering. "I've heard of them."

I raised a brow. He was a horrible liar but I just decided to play along. "Do you know if anything is being done to try and stop them?" I asked.

"I'm almost certain that the government is doing everything that they can to stop them," he explained.

I nodded and turned back to Braelynn.

"This just proves that my theory about aliens is true! I always knew that we weren't the only beings in the entire universe. I guess I just expected them to be more. .organic. You know, like martians. Only cuter though," I said.

She snickered. "Well, this one wasn't exactly the cutest thing in the world."

"There's no need to hate on it. I'm sure that his creators or whatever did the best they could do," I stated.

She laughed. "I'm just saying. It wasn't exactly my kind of eye candy."

"Oh, so just because he's a robot means he isn't good enough for you?" I teased.

"Not really," she laughed.

"What if he saw you on the streets or something and like fell in love with you? What if he met every single one of your little human standards and you fell in love with him?" I asked her.

My dad gave me a look but I ignored him.

"That's weird. It's a robot, Lea."

"But, you said it yourself. He was more human-like than anything else. Just because he isn't human doesn't give you the right to judge. You're just racist," I teased and busted out laughing when I realized what I was talking about.

She scoffed. "Well, what would you do?"

"I'd jump his circuits," I stated.

That received a dirty look from all three of them. I laughed harder.

"No, I'm totally kidding."

"There's still something wrong with you. Why are you even talking about that?" my dad asked. I giggled.

"I said I was kidding! And you never know. It could actually happen. There's a very low possibility but the possibility is still there. Some things just can't be explained, I don't know. I'm just saying," I explained. He shook his head at me. "Hey, at least I'm not racist."

"Maybe not, but you're certainly annoying," Braelynn remarked.

"Bite me, Stone."

"Shove it, Lennox," she replied.

I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"How long do you plan on staying?" I asked her.

"I really just came to bring you your work and tell you about that one incident. I was about to leave though. My mom is in the car," she told me. I sat up, my knee protesting at the small movement.

"Lora's outside?" I excitedly asked as I got up off the couch.

"Yeah, she is."

I hopped over to the front door and opened it. In the driveway sat the very familiar blue Chevrolet Impala. Braelynn's mom was sitting in the driver's seat staring down at her lap. I only assumed she was on her cell phone. Luckily, the windows were down so I yelled to her.

"Hey, Lora!" I called. She looked up from her lap and smiled at me before waving. Braelynn came up beside me.

"I've got to go. I'll see you sometime soon," she said as she began walking to her car.

"Okay. Text me!" I called as she opened the door.

"I will!" she said.

She got in the car. Her and her mom waved to me before turning out of my driveway and driving back down the street. After they were out of sight a very familiar greenish-yellow Hummer pulled in. It had 'search and rescue' plastered onto the side. It came to a stop and Ratchet stepped out of the driver's side. He turned and grabbed something inside of the vehicle and I quickly hopped back into the house, hoping he wouldn't see me. I wasn't supposed to even be on my knee. I awkwardly, yet quickly hopped into the living room. Ron and my dad were looking at me and it was rather uncomfortable. I sat down on the couch and looked back at them.

"What?"

"Why are you in such a hurry?" my dad asked.

"I take it Ratchet is here," Ron chuckled.

"Yes, and I don't feel like being scolded for hopping around when I'm not supposed to be," I explained.

They shook their heads at me and I laid down on the couch. As if on cue there was a knock on the door. Ron got up to answer it and sure enough Ratchet came trudging through the doorway.

"Good evening, Azalea. How are you today?" he asked as he approached me. Ron walked over and sat at the end of the couch.

"I'm alright," I responded.

"How did you get downstairs?" he asked.

"I slid down the railing." He raised a brow at me. "Okay, I'm mostly kidding. I honestly don't remember how I managed to get down here, though," I said.

He chuckled and moved down towards my knee.

"Well, I just hope you haven't been hopping around on it all day," he said. "May I?" he asked and gestured to my knee.

I nodded and he carefully lifted my pants leg. He began to unfasten the brace and I winced when he accidentally jerked my leg.

"Easy, Ratchet," Ron said.

"Sorry," he mumbled and removed the brace.

I stared at my knee in disgust. The swelling was making it look oddly shaped and it was bruised all the way around.

"I swear I am going to kill Trent," I exclaimed.

"Not if I get to him first," Ron grumbled. Ratchet shot him a look but he just rolled his eyes.

"You know that Optimus wouldn't approve of that," Ratchet said. Ron grunted.

"Oh. Is Optimus your boss?" I asked. Ron nodded.

That was a weird name.

"Your knee is no worse than it was yesterday. The swelling is just a result of your body trying to heal itself, as well as the bruising. I also believe that your ACL tear will heal on it's own unlike most people who require surgery to have the issue corrected," Ratchet explained to me. I nodded.

"It's so gross looking," I exclaimed.

He chuckled. "It'll be that way for a while," he said. I groaned. "Just make sure to get plenty of fluids and nutrients into your body. It'll help speed up the healing process."

"If only she would listen and actually eat," Ron remarked.

"I told you I wasn't hungry," I stated. He scoffed and I smirked.

"Your neck looks rather horrible," Ratchet said as he studied the markings on my neck.

"Yeah, but it's nothing a little cover up can't fix," I responded.

He grabbed my brace and began putting it back on. Ron aided him by slightly holding up my leg.

"I feel like a princess," I joked.

"Don't get used to it," my dad said as he got up and walked to the kitchen.

"Jerk," I mumbled.

Ron and Ratchet chuckled. I smiled at them and then looked at Ron.

"You know, I'm actually starting to get hungry. Would you mind getting me something?" I asked sweetly.

He gave me a look, but got up. He lightly pushed me back into the couch before walking past me and heading off to the kitchen. I laughed.

"Thank you!" I called after him. I heard him mumble something under his breath but then it was cut off by the kitchen doors closing.

"I must be off now, Azalea. Remember to take it easy. You'll be back to normal in no time. I'll be back to check on you in a few days or so," Ratchet said and grabbed his little box.

I smiled at him. "Thank you, Ratchet."

"You're most certainly welcome," he smiled at me and walked out the front door.

Moments later Ron came back into the living room with a plate in his hands, my dad following him.

"Here, kid," he said and sat the plate down on my lap before sitting at the end of the couch.

In the plate was a cheeseburger and some of my mom's homemade french fries. I smiled and sat up.

"Thank you," I told him. He just smiled at me and I began to eat.

"Ratchet leave already?" my dad asked.

"Yeah," I replied with a mouth full of hamburger.

He gave me a chastising look. "Don't talk with your mouth full. That's gross."

"Deal with it," I shot back.

He just rolled his eyes and put a french fry into his mouth. I finished the rest of my food and laid my plate down on the coffee table. Moments later my mom came through the kitchen doors with Annabelle on her hip.

"Hi, mother."

"Hello," she greeted and sat down with Annabelle in the loveseat.

"What's up?"

"Trying to get this one fed so I can go take a shower," she chuckled.

"Give her to me, I'll do it," I told her.

She smiled and walked over to me. I reached out for Annabelle and she placed her into my arms. I grabbed the bottle from her hands and held it to Anna's mouth who immediately began drinking.

"Thank you, Lea," my mom said as she ran up the stairs.

I cradled her in my arms. She was old enough that she didn't need me to hold the bottle for her but I did anyway.

"I refuse to burp her. So, in a minute one of you is going to have to make yourselves useful," I explained.

They gave me a look.

"I don't do children," Ron stated.

I snorted. "There's got to be a better way to phrase that."

He rolled his eyes at me and I laughed.

"Well, I'm still eating, so tough nuts," my dad told me.

I scoffed. "Well, your nuts were obviously tough enough to make another daughter so you should have no problem burping her," I said.

He nearly choked on his hamburger and Ron laughed. "Exactly."

Annabelle finished her bottle in about five minutes and thankfully my dad had finished eating before then. I handed her over to him and carefully got up off the couch.

"Where are you going?" my dad asked.

"To my room. I'm tired," I explained.

"It's only like six," he told me.

I just shrugged and trudged over to the stairs. "Tell my brain that," I said.

I hopped up one stair and then sighed as I looked up. This was going to take forever, I thought. I hopped up one more before I was scooped up into warm arms. I squealed at the unexpected action and heard a chuckle.

"Sorry," Ron said as he marched up the stairs.

I held on to his shoulders.

"It's fine. It was just unexpected," I laughed.

We got to my bedroom door and I kicked my foot out to open it. Ron gave me a look but I just smiled at him. He walked over to my bed and laid me down.

"Thank you," I told him.

He smiled at me. "You're welcome, kid," he said and turned to walk out of my room.

I stopped him though. "Wait. I need to talk to you," I said.

He gave me a questioning look and grabbed my desk chair. He sat it down beside my bed and sat down himself.

"What's on your mind, Lea?"

"Earlier when Braelynn was talking about those robot things," I started. He shifted in his seat. "When I asked my dad about them, he lied to me. Trust me, I can tell and he's a shit liar anyway. Can you tell me what the real deal is?" I asked.

He sighed. "I'm not supposed to talk about it. All I can say is that we're trying our best to get rid of them," he explained.

I nodded and realization hit me. He said them, meaning more than one.

"Wait, there's more? That one wasn't the only one?" I asked, fear seeping through my tone.

I know earlier I was joking about it, but I had only thought there was just the dorito one. I didn't know there were more of them.

"Yes, Azalea. But like I said we're taking care of it."

"But how is an army of humans supposed to take on an army of evil alien robots?" I asked.

"It's complicated," he stated.

I groaned. "So, are these alien things why you were assigned to be our guardian or whatever?" I asked.

He sighed and nodded. "Precisely."

"But how are you supposed to protect us from that?"

"Like I said, it's complicated," he told me.

I covered my head with my pillow. "We're all going to die," I mumbled.

"Your lack of faith in me is actually quite insulting," I heard him say.

I uncovered my face to see him looking at me with an amused expression.

"I'm just saying. I don't feel like being murdered by some alien robot," I said.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you," Ron stated.

I looked at him and smiled. "I really do like having you here," I told him.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. I feel incredibly safe around you," I told him. He grinned. "You know, I didn't like you at first, especially when you got mad at me for something as simple as questioning the name of the truck. But, it's okay. I like you now."

"Well, I thought you were the biggest brat and one of the most annoying human beings I had ever met. Not to mention, you were a huge smart ass," he laughed.

I pouted. "So, I'm not any of those things anymore?"

"No, you still are. I've just learned to tolerate it. In all honesty you're probably one of the most interesting humans I've met. There's just something about you that I like," he told me.

"Well, when you figure out what it is you should tell me."

"I might," he said. I chuckled.

An aching pain shot through my leg and I scrunched my face up. Ron noticed and gave me a worried look. I just motioned to the bottle of pills on the desk. He quickly got up and grabbed them before handing them to me. I unscrewed the cap and took out two of the pills.

"You're going to end up overdosing if you don't take it down a few levels," he laughed.

"Oh well. All is well that ends well," I replied.

He shook his head. I popped the two pills into my mouth before closing the lid and handing them back to Ron. He placed them on the desk and turned back to me. I cuddled down into my blankets.

"Thank you," I told him.

He chuckled. "You've been saying that to me quite a lot lately."

"Well, I wouldn't have to if you didn't do so much for me," I giggled.

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No. I didn't say that. I was just saying. I actually appreciate everything you do for me and for the rest of us," I said.

He smiled again. "Well, you're more than welcome, Azalea," he replied.

I yawned and he stood up.

"You're getting tired," he laughed. I was. The pills were kicking in much faster than I had expected them to.

"I am," I responded.

He laid a hand lightly on my forehead and I smiled at the gesture. I could feel fluttering in my stomach.

"Goodnight, Azalea," he said.

"Goodnight, Ron," I replied.

He ruffled my hair lightly before turning around and walking out of my bedroom. I reached over and turned off my lamp.

The darkness of my room surrounded me, only slightly illuminated by the evening light from outside. Numerous thoughts crossed through my mind and I eventually drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

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