Author's Note: This fic is part of our Kinship fanon in which Optimus and Sam share a brother bond. Details about their bond can be found in Kinship and its sequel The Tie That Binds, if you haven't already read them. However, this story should make sense by itself, too.

Also, it's undergone some revision since I originally posted it to bring it in line with some changes to our plans for future storylines. Hope you enjoy! ~ Eowyn77

Bumblebee and I cruised the streets of Mission City, and to any casual observer, we looked like we were aimlessly wandering. In reality, we were here as a favor to Major Lennox and Optimus. A "meteorite" had landed nearby, and it wasn't responding to hails. A NEST team – including Ironhide, Sideswipe, Arcee, and Ratchet – were in route from Diego Garcia to investigate, but with the 'bot making landfall so near Mission City of all places, the brass got impatient and Bumblebee was dispatched to keep an eye on things until the rest of them got here.

It had been seven years since Megatron attacked the city, and other than the Memorial Corner downtown, you'd never guess it had been ground zero for an alien robot battle. Funny how quickly we humans forgot these earth-shaking events and got back down to the business of living. Take me, for instance. I'd graduated just this spring with a major in Political Science and a minor in International Relations. When I graduated, Mikaela and I both moved back to California. My folks were Winnebago nomads, but her dad's shop was as much her baby as it was his. She'd moved across the country to be near me, so I figured it was only fair that I do the same for the summer at least. That was why Bumblebee and I were only four hours (at legal speeds) away from the unknown Cybertronian when he landed last night. When we finally got the word to go, we made it in two and a half.

"Finding anything?" I asked my friend.

In answer, his engine rumbled impatiently. Not yet.

We cruised for another ten minutes before Bumblebee suddenly changed lanes and made a left-hand turn. "Found him?" I guessed.

In answer, 'Bee ran the light as it turned red and raced down the street, quickly falling in behind a red-and-blue motorcycle. Something about the way the biker sat seemed off – too stiff, too straight – and I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The Autobots spent enough time with humans that their holoforms easily passed for one of us, but even if a Decepticon bothered with a holoform, I don't think the projection could ever quite blend in. The motorcycle leaped forward, and Bumblebee's engine roared as he gave chase. Not an Autobot, then. Slag.

The alt-form Decepticon wove through the downtown traffic toward the freeway, and the seatbelt reminder icon lit up next to the speedometer. Double slag! I braced myself in my seat just as Bumblebee hopped up on two wheels to squeeze between a cement retaining wall and a line of cars idling at the stop light. As soon as we passed them, Bumblebee flew out onto the highway.

Optimus felt my sudden adrenaline rush over our brother bond, his curiosity mingling with growing alarm. He was still on the other side of the planet, though, and our bond wasn't strong enough for us to actually hear each other while that far apart.

My phone rang, displaying Sarah Lennox's number, and I just about dropped my cell when I heard Optimus' voice on the other end. "What's wrong, Sam?"

Remembering that this was probably an open phone line, I said, "I'm having car troubles." My voice did a funny flip when Bumblebee abruptly changed lanes. "You know, big, nasty, evil car troubles."

"How big?" he asked, unable to hide his fierce fear.

"Well, not exactly car troubles, I guess. Motorcycle troubles. One motorcycle."

I could almost hear the gears spinning on Optimus' head as he processed this. Come to think of it, I probably could have heard it if Bumblebee's engine wasn't so loud. "Help will be there in approximately six hours."

"Six hours," I squeaked as Bumblebee cut off a semi, earning us a blaring horn and some rude hand gestures in the rear-view mirror. "Sit tight for six hours. Sure thing. I'll just sit right here and hang on for dear life. No problem."

"Red-and-blue motorcycle troubles?" Optimus abruptly asked, as though something had just occurred to him.

"Yeah. It's a big one, too, for a motorcycle. Maybe a Goldwing."

"Hold on, then, and remind our friend that this particular motorcycle is valuable. I'd rather not have it end up on a scrap heap." His alarm faded into something closer to frustrated worry, and it helped me calm down a little, too.

"Got it."

Across the thousands of miles that separated us, he wrapped me up in a hug of the heart. "Good luck, Sam. I will be there as quickly as I can."

"Bye." I ended the call and alternated between clinging to the armrests and bracing myself against the dashboard.

"Optimus says don't kill the creep," I said.

The furiously thrumming engine snarled once.

That was…edgy for Bumblebee. But it was probably just irritation with me, sort of a "Hello, what kind of 'bot do you think I am?" kind of thing. It was stupid of me to give him advice about hunting Decepticons. After all, he'd been at it since before great-grandpa Archibald was even born.

Besides, I had the distinct impression that Bumblebee wasn't going to let this one get away. The needle was buried on the speedometer and, according to the dial on the dash, the engine was starting to overheat. Was that thing really measuring whether Bumblebee was okay or not, or was it just a thermometer? And what was it about this motorcycle that made him so important? Even when we were facing off against Barricade, Bumblebee hadn't pushed himself this hard.

I didn't think it was possible, but we slowly gained on the motorcycle. By this time, we had left the interstate far behind. We were weaving through a canyon high above a little stream and there was no shoulder, no margin of error. A sheer cliff rose to our right and the earth fell away to the creek bed on the left. We were less than half a car-length behind the Decepticon when we rounded a corner and I saw the road sharply bank to the left. Even Bumblebee wouldn't be able to make that turn without slowing down. In the split second it took me to realize this, I resigned myself to us losing the Decepticon. In that same split second, I saw Bumblebee reach his arm out and grab the rear tire of the motorcycle.

I don't remember much of what happened next until the airbags deflated. Metal shrieking against stone, a really hard side-impact and a strange, dizzy feeling like I was falling but I couldn't tell which way was up. I think I blacked out for a while, too.

When I opened my eyes, I was face-to-face with a high, yellow sandstone cliff. Bumblebee was perpendicular to the road, blocking both lanes, and bits and pieces of a monster red-and-blue motorcycle were strewn on the road to my right. "You okay?" I asked him.

The radio sang, "And I'll admit I wasn't very smart."

I chuckled weakly and staggered out of the cab, making a note to myself to never get in a car wreck unless it was in an Autobot. At the speed we were going, I should have been dead. There were dents and dings all down the driver's side, and I continued to walk around the car, examining the damage. I just about fell to my knees when I saw green goo smeared all down his mangled passenger side. Energon. Autobot life-blood.

"'Bee!" I screamed, trying to find wherever he was leaking from so I could…I wasn't sure what I could do, but I'm sure I could have done something to help, if I could just figure out what was wrong. It looked liked the passenger side door had been t-boned, but even a human-built car would be drivable with that level of damage. I couldn't find any fresh leaks.

"You think this looks bad?" 'Bee quoted from a movie I didn't recognize. "You should see the other guys."

Oh. I sagged with relief as I realized where the energon came from. Walking down the road and looking for the rest of the Decepticon, I wondered if he would let me close enough to help before Ratchet arrived. I didn't need to worry. There wasn't a flicker of life in the entire, twisted frame.

Bumblebee had run down and killed the 'con. Bumblebee. Against Optimus' orders. This wasn't going to be pretty.

And then I heard the sirens.