*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 ride back to Washington D.C. was nothing short of annoying. I was happy to finally be going home, but long car rides were my enemy and it was a good ten hours back to Washington; it was actually five considering our Autobot companions, but either way I hated the long distance.

We had left about half an hour after the battle officially ended. Many of the Autobots required medical attention, especially Optimus, and most of the soldiers had too, and considering that Chicago was literally in ruins, they wouldn't be finding any help any time soon. The best option would be for them to return back home so they could receive proper medical attention.

I really just couldn't wait until I was home. The battle had left me completely filthy, not to mention I was exhausted and was already sore from head to toe. I had been through more in the past two hours than I had been through in the past for years, physically at least. I was still surprised I hadn't injured myself in some way, just like I was surprised Sam and Carly were still in one piece; the three of us had almost died, after all.

At the moment, I was laying in the backseat of Ironhide's cabin, staring down at the floor. It had been a pretty silent ride and that was only because as soon as I hopped into his cabin, a dead feeling overwhelmed my body. I was exhausted yet I couldn't sleep at all, so I had really just been in a daze for the past five hours or so. The only thing I was aware of was that we had entered Washington D.C. about five minutes ago. This caused me to remember that my car was at Sam's and I raised my head up slightly to look at the dashboard.

"Hey, Ron."

"I beg your pardon?" he responded.

I chuckled when I realized what I had just called him. "Sorry. But, can you stop by Sam's house so I can get my car?" I asked him.

"Are you sure you're in any condition to drive yourself home?"

I just shrugged and laid back down. "I guess we'll find out."

He grunted and came to a stop. I shot up instantly and saw that he was parked in front of Sam's apartment, directly beside my car.

"That was fast," I claimed.

"I was only a block away when you asked me. Washington isn't that big, Azalea. Now get out, kid," he instructed me.

"Sure thing, Rusty Rockets."

He just chuckled and I pushed the back door open before climbing out. I walked over to my car and pulled on the door. To my surprise, it was unlocked. I felt under the seats to see if Sam had been smart enough to leave them there and I smiled when I finally came across the cold metal. I pulled the keys out from under the seat and got in the car, wasting no time in starting it. Ironhide made a move to head out, but I quickly put my car in gear and sped passed him, a laugh escaping my mouth as I heard a low growl outside my window. He was definitely going to chew me out when we got back home.

I pulled onto the busy streets, Ironhide on my tail. Instead of bothering to pay attention to the speed limit, I sped down the street and soon enough I was pulling into my apartment complex's parking garage. Ironhide was semi correct. I really was in no condition to be driving, but it didn't make any difference. We were home now. .thank God. I pulled into my original parking spot and turned my car off, Ironhide parking closely beside me. .too close might I add. I groaned and crawled over to the passenger's side, grabbing my purse before getting out of the car. I slammed the door shut and heard a laugh. Ironhide's lesser form appeared and and I glared at him before walking towards the elevator.

"You are such an asshole."

He pressed the elevator button and the two of us climbed into the small space. "Maybe next time you'll think before cutting me off," he chuckled.

I just shook my head and wrapped my arms around his waist, closing my eyes in content. It had been too long since I was in his arms.

"I've missed this. I thought I was never going to have this again after I watched your ship blow up, you jack ass," I exclaimed.

He laughed and squeezed me tightly. "I apologize for putting you through that, Lea."

The elevator dinged and I pulled away from Ironhide before stepping out. He immediately grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hallway with him.

"It's okay. I'm sorry that your home got destroyed," I said softly.

He squeezed my hand. "The fault isn't yours."

We soon approached my apartment door and I twisted the handle, pushing the door open. The sight in front of me nearly caused me to faint. Leo and Adalyn sat on my couch, their eyes darting over to the two of us as the sound of the door closing echoed throughout the small area. A look of relief flashed across Adalyn's face and she ran over to me, squeezing me in a tight hug. I hugged her back, but I was more than confused about everything going on here, so I quickly pulled away from her.

"What the hell? How'd you two get in here?" I inquired.

"You never lock your door!" she exclaimed.

"But, why are you here? I thought you weren't coming for a few weeks," I claimed.

Leo appeared behind her. "It's not everyday that you see one of your best friends running through the ruined streets of Chicago during the alien apocalypse. We got here as soon as we could," he said to me.

Adalyn's eyes shot to Ironhide who stood beside me. "And you, mister. I thought you died. I saw your ship blow up," she yelled as she hugged him tightly.

He chuckled and hugged her back. "Obviously not, considering you're squeezing the life out of my form at the moment."

She immediately pulled away from him and looked back at me, a disgruntled expression on her face as she studied my appearance. I frowned. I knew I looked bad, but she didn't need to make me feel like shit about it.

"You look like you could use a shower," she said, a shift in her tone. I couldn't quite decipher it, but I decided against further worrying about it.

"I know that. I'm about to go take one and then I'm probably going to go to sleep for the next three days," I replied tiredly.

She gave me a small smile. It was almost like the atmosphere inside the room had shifted and honestly, it made me uncomfortable. It wasn't a feeling I particularly liked.

"Alright, well hurry back. I have something important that I need to tell you," she said, her voice cracking ever so slightly, but she attempted to cover it up with a cough.

I just gave her a skeptical look and ran up the stairs to my bedroom. I smiled as I took in the familiar features of my bedroom. Everything looked just the way it had when I left almost three mornings ago. Quickly, I walked over to my dresser and began rummaging for clothes to wear. After a few minutes of searching, I picked out a pair of black jean shorts, a black and white t-shirt and my red converse. It was about time I ditched the heels. I would not be wearing mine any time soon.

After gathering my clothes, I headed into the bathroom and turned the shower on immediately before I stripped off my clothes. They were destroyed to the point where I would have to throw them out. The only thing that really survived were my shoes and I didn't understand that considering my feet had been involved in most of the work done in the battle, but instead of reeling over something of little importance, I stepped into the shower, the warm water feeling good on my skin.

I worked as fast as I could to scrub the soot and other dirt off of my body and out of my hair. It only took about six lufas full of body wash and three handfuls of shampoo and conditioner to finally get clean. The downside to this was that I was in desperate need of a trip to the store. I no longer had shampoo, conditioner, or even body wash for that matter.

Once I was finished, I turned the shower off and got out. It only took me about two minutes to dry off and before long I was dressed. I left my hair down to dry and exited the bathroom, throwing my towels into their designated bin before heading downstairs where Leo, Adalyn, and Ironhide were sitting on the couch. My footfalls caused them to look up and I sat down in the chair across from them, bringing my feet up with me.

"So, what's up?" I asked Adalyn.

She sighed and leaned forward.

"So, Leo and I arrived here yesterday, but your apartment was not our first stop. No one could get ahold of you, so we went over to your parents' house to see how everything was. Your dad wasn't home, of course, but your mom and Annabelle were," she started.

I shrugged. "So? What does this have to do with anything?" I asked her.

She looked to Leo for help and Leo leaned forward as well. Ironhide just sat back and listened as he spoke.

"I really don't even know how to say this, but it was almost as if they were attacked from what I could make of the scene. There was blood everywhere, Lea. We found Anna laying in the kitchen and your mom was in the hallway. I don't think it was just an ordinary intruder either. I think it was a Decepticon or at least a holoform," he said to me.

My eyes widened. "What the hell? Are they okay?" I asked frantically.

"They were barely alive when we got to them. We called the ambulance and everything. They're in the hospital right now, but I've told them to keep me updated, but nothing is looking too good. The doctor told me there was about a twenty percent chance in them ever waking up," Adalyn told me, her voice cracking.

By now I was having trouble breathing. "Why didn't anybody tell me?" I yelled as I got up from the chair.

Just when I thought things were going to get better for me, I was wrong. Even with the Decepticons gone, they still managed to rip my fucking life away from me.

"You didn't have your phone and I thought Ironhide blew up so I couldn't contact him. I couldn't exactly reach you or even your dad for that matter. There was too much going on," Adalyn said as she walked over to me. I could feel the tears welling up inside my eyes.

"What hospital are they at?" I asked.

She sighed. "MedStar," she answered.

That was all I needed to know. I quickly ran over to grab my purse and keys, but as I was about to walk out the door, Ironhide called my name. I turned around to face him, waiting to see what else he had to say.

"I'll take you. You don't need to drive like this," he told me.

I just threw my keys to the floor and ran out the door, not caring who took me to the hospital. All I wanted was to see my mom and sister.

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