On the Value of Pets

Chapter 1: The Worst Thing That Could Happen

Disclaimer: Hasbro owns Transformers, I don't, or make any money from them.

Pairings: SamxBee, Mikaela and Optimus, Mikaela and Starscream, Soundwave and Barricade.

Acknowledgements: To LittleMewLugia for Beta-ing, for the idea of Barricade as a Musician and Composer, for saving this from being a one-shot: own characters of Rian, Sunblazer and Fiona used by permission. To P.A.W 07 for inspiration of Sam being comforted by Bee's hologram after a Nightmare.

Characters: This chapter: Sam, Bumblebee, Mikaela, Will and Sarah Lennox, Optimus, Ratchet, Ironhide, Miles, Hound, Mojo, Mason, The Twins.

Rating: T

Summary: After a battle where Mikaela goes missing Sam tells Bumblebee to leave.

"She's gone! This would never have happened if I hadn't met you!

Go! Get away from me! I'll find myself another car!" Sam had said. And a clod of Earth from Ron's much-punished lawn had come flying onto his yellow paintwork as he'd high-tailed it out of there to the Autobot base.

Ironhide was on the gate again. He felt it his duty to guard the base from Decepticon attack whenever he could, and the Decepticons had been attacking a lot lately. They seemed to find it "funny" to cause freeway pile-ups involving the Autobots then retreat in hit and run attacks, so he was looking more battle-scarred than ever.

"Ironhide - let me in - I have to see Optimus - and Ratchet!"

It was Bumblebee.

"Come in. Go ahead." said Ironhide.

The yellow scout had been shaking and had looked beat up as a car, and it continued when he transformed. Shaking all over, and cycling air through his vents fast, his round blue optics widening and contracting with a mixture of emotions. He had dirt and scratches on him as well.

Their leader could probably help, but as he'd mentioned him Ironhide commed his friend in the Med-bay.

:Ratchet, Bumblebee's coming in to see Optimus, he seems pretty choked up, I thought I'd let you know.:

:Thanks, Ironhide, I'm just finishing up on Cliffjumper here, I'll see him next. : : said Ratchet, grumbling "Why they don't come to me first I'll never know." under his breath. He sighed through his vents.

Bumblebee sent his designation at Optimus's office door.

"Come in!" called Optimus.

The door slid back. Optimus stood there with an arm out. Bumblebee ran in and hugged him.

"Optimus Prime! Sam doesn't want me any more!"

Optimus hugged him.

"Oh no. I'm sorry."

He took in the battle damage, that was still healing.

"You're hurt."

"So' re you. But we fought them off!"

The other arm, the cannon one, was in a sling. Will Lennox, who'd

come in with Ironhide, was sitting at the desk(not Optimus's side) in a tall but human-sized chair with a drink.

"Me n' Ratchet rigged that up for him. The cannon's a bit heavy if the arm's healing. Ironhide would need two." He chuckled lightly at the idea of Ironhide with 2 great crutch-arm support sticks for his cannons, then swallowed hard, audibly, because he would not have liked to see his Autobot friend so injured.

"You called me in sir?" said Bumblebee standing at ease.

"Yes. I needed to know how you were and I need you to help decipher coded messages, but if you're needed at home -"

"It's just - Mikaela?"

"Ah yes. She cared about all of us. When I last scanned for her, she was alive. Just she couldn't get back to us. She came over to my side of the freeway to see if there was anything she could do, and I blared my horn at her to keep back, and she stepped back and fell over the crash barrier down the bank and into the river. At least she got away from the Decepticons that way. Another young human female was killed."

"Yes," said Bumblebee, "He thinks - well we all know she's missing."

"He thinks that's her. Maybe I should have gone after her."

"No." said Will, "You were right to stay with the troops. We were in battle - though it would look to any one else like just another road accident."

"And I had to get Sam out of there, and home," said Bumblebee.

"Well I guess when I know how we stand I can go. Or we can have a search together tomorrow, but the police are looking for her tonight. But you know you have to go back."

Bumblebee's optics widened.

"When he doesn't want me?"

"When you first came, did he want you then?"

"No, but - he didn't know me then."

"It does not matter." said Optimus Prime, looking the yellow scout square in the optics although Bumblebee was trying to look down.

"He was the only one who held the key to the location of the All Spark. You had to protect him and try to make contact."

"Yes but - I have to go back and protect him in secret?"

"Yes."

"If he doesn't want me to?"

Optimus nodded. "Yes. And no. It's up to both of you, as a freedom issue, but he is young."

Will, sipping his beer, turned and put a word in here.

"So Bumblebee - you have to protect someone who does not want to be protected. Many soldiers have that."

"Yes, but their governments send them out."

"Yes, you don't have that. But I think you have something else."

Bumblebee looked at Optimus.

"Sit down," said the Leader, waving at a chair.

Bumblebee sat, gingerly, in a chair on a level with the desk for him. Optimus sat opposite him in respect.

"And however pissed Sam Witwiky may be," continued Will, "I don't think he'll be throwing stones at you. Or firing a machine gun."

"You're right," said Bumblebee, thumping his hand on the desk and denting it. "I have to go back. I guess he won't be able to get another car if he can't trade me in." This last bit he said in a very sad voice.

"You don't know - has he said that?" said Optimus.

"You had a row." said Will, spreading his hands and shrugging. "Ironhide and I are always having rows". He gave a wry chuckle at the shocked look in Bumblebee's wide blue optics. "Yes, really, sometimes it involves Sarah, and we've had to work through all of them. My country could send me away any time, and he could not be here when I got back. Although he's much bigger and stronger than me, I guess he could go like any one else!" He growled and thumped the table as Bumblebee had, but shook it and swore because its metal surface just hurt his flesh-and-blood fist.

He looked down so they could not see the mixture of emotions in his face.

Optimus realized he did not need sympathy right now.

"You will get him to go to Ratchet after this, won't you?" He said in concern.

"Yes, he comes off duty soon, and if I can't make him, Sarah can." Will smiled, taking his cell phone from his pocket with his other hand.

Optimus rose to indicate that the interview was at an end and helped Will down from the chair, turning to the yellow scout as he'd had to come round to that side of the desk anyway.

"Bumblebee, we may have lost the All Spark, but the Decepticon threat is still great."

"And they're bigger than him" added Will, in a loud voice, from the floor, putting his cell phone to his ear.

"Yes. I will go back. There's the family to think of, and with Mikaela gone, I should be there for him. Only…" He stood up slowly, optics pressed tight shut.

The door swished open, and Ratchet came in - Will stepped nimbly aside, involved in his call.

"Ah, Bumblebee, I'm glad you came in. If you weren't here, I'd have come out to you."

He took a step closer.

"Now where's the pain?"

"All down my back from my left shoulder to there" - Bumblebee pointed to his central neural node below his door-wings. "Down the left leg and some of the right, I can hardly feel my toes, but my feet can still walk. Sometimes it goes down my right arm and up to my head. Sam was going to take me to the garage."

Ratchet made a huffing noise of disgust through his vents.

"Fragging garages! As a car, you look O. K. apart from the odd scratch or dent. They don't see the robot parts. You were right to come in." He put a hand out to gently hold Bumblebee's shoulder.

"But I should go to Sam… shouldn't I?"

"Not yet. Not like this. Come with me, I'll realign you."

"Oh pulleeeese!" Bumblebee leant against him.

"Optimus, I have to take him now, this is serious!"

"Go on, we'll finish up here, this'll keep."

Optimus looked at the paperwork on his desk, then at Will. The army paid them for work, regarding defending themselves and the humans as part of defending the country, but they wanted hardcopy reports. The general situation was getting serious too. Will hadn't just come in with Ironhide for the ride. He smiled and gave them the thumbs up from the floor.

Ratchet picked Bumblebee up and took him straight to the Med-bay.

There he off-lined him and re-aligned his back, then re-on-lined him.

"Shouldn't I at least let them know I'm here?" asked Bumblebee.

"Optimus tried, pretending to be a local garage, but it wasn't what they wanted to hear, so he got cut off. Basically they're just waiting for the police to call if they've found her, and we must leave it up to them. Cliffjumper and Bluestreak are on patrol and looking, and a watch will be kept on the house for safety anyway. Now, you must recharge."

Bumblebee had to be satisfied enough with that and let himself be put in for recharge.

When he woke up, Hound was also there, waiting to go on duty, and doing the "breakfast run."

"I'm on base maintenance at the moment," he said. "Here, have some energon." He handed over a cube to Bumblebee.

"There, Ratchet, there's yours too. I 've go to take Optimus his yet, then I'll be back to see you for further orders."

"You're O.K. Take as long as you like."

"It won't take long. But I hear there's a plan afoot." He smiled, flashing his optics.

"O. K. now?" said Ratchet, pointing Bumblebee to a computer screen where lines of code were being analysed. "Optimus would probably show you this later, but that's the code we're trying to crack at the moment."

"I'll take a look at it," Bumblebee sipped his energon and looked at the screen.

While they were receiving messages, Ratchet got one to his personal com.

:"Earth calling Autobot alien base, is there anyone alive there?": For Bumblebee's sake Ratchet replied aloud, he knew this one, he put it on speaker.

"You have reached the Med-bay of the Autobot base. Hello Miles. Yes, we're alive, this is Ratchet, nice of you to care. What is it?"

"I know I was only given this number for emergencies, but it sort of is now. We were taking Mason and Mojo out to the Look-out for a walk -"

"Is your pet O. K?." asked Ratchet.

"Who, Mason, yes he is, a police officer caught him and Mojo will probably just have his leg in plaster again but -"

"Where's Sam?" Bumblebee grabbed Ratchet, his optics going wide.

"In hospital, with me, but he can't come right now."

"How is he?"

"He's alive. Just hurt."

"Oh no, this is my fault."

"Is that Bumblebee? No, it's mine, my old junker car's taken a ding and I didn't see someone coming in time."

Ratchet took charge. "Miles, in an R.T.A. the driver's usually hurt worse than the passenger, what happened?"

"That red car came out of a junction to the right so fast and hit us-"

"I knew it ! Swindle!" said Bumblebee, making a fist.

"You think so? I feel awful, but look, this is my last nickel, I know you and Sam have had a bust-up but can you or someone come and see us and take me home? Only Mason can be a bit of a handful without me, I have to collect the dogs from the pound, and without Mikaela, Sam…"

"Miles, of course I'll come. What hospital?"

Miles gave the hospital name and ward number but the call was cut off.

Bumblebee thought about it till Hound came back and picked up the empty cubes.

"Hound, what was the number of that botanical specimen retail outlet you found for Rian's flowers? I've got to make a hospital visit. Is that O. K., Ratchet?"

"I suppose so," growled Ratchet, "You're O.K. now, we can deal with the code. I'll check it with Optimus - Yes, you shoot off, but if you want to track down Mikaela, check in with us again."

"I just want to see Sam."

"If you get a chance, bring him back here will you? I'd like to see him, we all would."

"Sure thing!" Bumblebee slid down from the recharge berth.

"Just don't lose touch."

"I'll do my best."

"I know you will. Don' t worry, we'll find her, and he'll be all right. Miles wouldn't want to come home otherwise. See you later!"

Bumblebee turned and looked up at him, hope burning fiercely in his newly widened optics. "You mean that?"

"Yes." Ratchet nodded encouragingly. He liked hopeful patients: they were more likely to return alive than hopeless patients/soldiers who were just serving out of a "sense of duty". On the whole. Bumblebee probably still cared for Sam, no matter how much Sam cared for him, more than he did for himself. Which might mean he still might end up dead. He added in his usual gruff voice: "Be seeing you!"

"I'll see you later!" Bumblebee ground out in the grittiest voice he could do through his vocal processor.

"I bet you will!" If there was one thing Ratchet could rely on in his life, it was 'bots coming in for repair. Like those coming in now.

"Ah, here come two of my regular customers!"

As Bumblebee went out, the Twins came in.

"What's goin' down Ratch? Starscream-" said Sideswipe.

"No, of course it wasn't Starscream if you've just tackled him here"

"Never said it was!" The red Lamborghini Reventon had heard the raised voices and noticed Bumblebee's determined stride and burning optics. "I was just givin' you my report! Just he was dazed, confused and pissed as all Pit! And we gave him a little something to remember us by!"

"It was Swindle if you must know!"

"So that's who's got the little guy all fired up!"

He turned to his brother "Figures!"

"Yeah, one of the usual suspects!" agreed the yellow Lamborghini Murcielago grimly. "Wonder how bad he's damaged Sam?"

"Harumph!" Ratchet huffed through his vents and ran a practised optic over their damages, doing a deep internal scanfor serious injuries at the same time. Dents, scrapes, gashes, some leaking energon, scratches and patches of bare steel, nothing more.

"Worse than you, I'll be bound! But you two look as slagged up as fraggin Pit! Hop up here!"

He tapped the operating table and they sat on it leaning against each other, laughing. "You can check these cans of paint I got in match your sorry hides!" He passed them two cans of paint.

Sides just checked the dab on the tin and grunted comparing it to his paintjob before passing the tins to Sunny who was the expert on paint, and held it up to his brother's skin.

He checked the contents inside as well as out, opening the tins with a stick.

"Heh, that'll do for him, but that's not my yellow!"

Ratchet sighed testily through his vents and passed him another pot. "Try this one then!" He murmured almost under his breath: "Fraggin' nuisance!"

He compared it as the other one. "That's O.K!" They chuckled together. Ratchet said: "You first, Sideswipe!" and fired up his micro laser.

Hound went out with Bumblebee to give him the gate code number, which they changed regularly, and report on the perimeter scan figures from the gate.

Meanwhile, Mikaela was in a river.

She'd fallen in it, which was why she couldn't get back in contact with them. She was swimming diagonally against the current to try and get back to the shore before hitting a waterfall, or rocks.

She remembered how she'd been the first to get out after the accident, saying to Sam "I might be able to help!" He had said "So could I!" and she'd called "Stay with Bumblebee!" as she ran for Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet. Bumblebee had called Sam's name -Had he called both their names? Now she thought of it, yes he had, and though being behind the biggest robots had been the safest part of the battle she'd hated being separated from them. She'd have gone back had she not slipped over the edge and rolled into this damn river. If she got out she'd be nearer the Hoover Dam than Tranquility.

At least it was paying off, she could feel gravel beneath her feet. She grabbed some reeds close to the shore and pulled herself into a little shingle beach. Perhaps she could get on the road again. But she was quite a way down and didn't know where she was. She'd be hitching in damp clothes, not a good pickup.

Something big was coming her way. She heard the transforming sequence, felt the earth move with impact tremors. A pair of lights was coming too, well high off the ground. Pulling herself up on the beach, feeling twice as heavy as usual and weak as a kitten, she looked at a pair of robot feet.

Unfamiliar robot feet. She'd made a study recently and these weren't any she recognised. She looked higher.

They were topped by a pair of red eyes and an evil grin.