It's… the final chapter… I'm gonna miss this story so much.

As for the dance that Talida and Josh do, remember the contemporary routine Aly Raisman and Mark Ballas did during week four from the previous season of Dancing With the Stars? That's the one they do.

REVIEW REPLIES!

grapejuice101: oh boy, here comes the heartbreak! Im going to cry in the next chap. I cant wait for the sequel so plz update really soon

How does the same day sound?

Luna Uchiha666: I gotta say; last few updates of this has my own spark rate going up with suspension! And I've already watched all three season! But, any type of fall dealing with Optimus always makes me feel like that. Keep up the good work and I hope to read another chapter of this soon and I know Talida is going to be one depressed technorganic.

Yep.

haloangel21: Oh. Sorry about that. xD I'm still wrapped around the ending…well, I'll say no more. Just to not get you crying as it did to me. :'( Still, this was a good chapter.

Thanks!

Awesomo3000: (from chapter 43) No problem. J As for the chapter, another great job!

Thanks!

(from most recent chapter) Wow, that WAS fast. I would've reviewed the last chapter quicker, but I was in bed over here in the UK. And please take your time with the next one. Can't wait for Fading Suns! :) Please update when you can!

I'll try my best.

Also…I have no clue how a dance competition works. So I made one up.

Transformers: Prime rightfully belongs to Hasbro and The Hub.

© Talida and other OCs rightfully belong to me unless I say otherwise.

Titanium rightfully belongs to David Guetta and Virgin Records (or EMI Records, depending on what record label released it where).

Now… ladies and gentlemen… for the final time…

ENJOY!

"Arcee!" Jack cried in relief as he raced forward.

"I was really worried, Bulk!" Miko gasped.

"You alright, Bee?" Raf asked worriedly.

"Where's Dad?" Talida demanded.

Nobody would ever forget how her voice cracked when she asked that question. Nobody would ever forget how afraid she looked to hear the answer. Especially after Arcee glanced at her daughter, looking so apologetic and heartbroken.

"Is he…?" Ratchet trailed off nervously.

"Dead?" Arcee finished knowingly, shaking her head.

"But he looked straight at us without recognizing us. Not even his spark mate. Pit. He didn't even know his own name," Bulkhead told them.

Ratchet hummed sadly before telling everyone what he knew had happened,

"When Optimus surrendered the Matrix of Leadership, he lost more than the collective wisdom of the Primes. He lost his own memories."

"No!" Talida choked.

"Tally…," Arcee began gently as she stepped forward.

But Talida wouldn't hear any of it.

She ran.

"Talida?"

Talida jumped slightly as she turned away from the mirror to face Josh. It was only him.

The day they realized that Optimus was gone was only the previous day. Originally, Talida didn't want to do the dance competition because he wouldn't be there. But Arcee convinced her to, saying that she could do the dance for him.

And that was exactly what she was going to do for him.

She was going to put her heart and soul on the line and perform the dance for him.

"Yeah. Sorry. Got a lot on my mind," Talida apologized, fiddling with the red dress she was wearing.

"You've been zoning out a lot lately," Josh observed, "You sure everything's alright?"

"Yeah," Talida nodded.

She couldn't tell Josh the truth. She couldn't tell any of the dance team the truth. For one thing, Britney would never let her hear the end of it for the secrecy. Also…they'd be put in too much danger if the Decepticons found out about them and she couldn't bare that.

She already lost her father to the Decepticons. Specifically, to the sick twisted mind that rightfully belonged to their lord, Megatron. She couldn't stand losing her friends.

"Hey!" the stagehand barked, arriving in the dressing room, "You two are up next. Line up."

"You ready?" Josh asked her gently.

"Yeah," Talida nodded nervously.

"Let's go," the stagehand said, already dragging them towards the wings of the stage.

The competition the dance team was taking part in was a new competition. They'd have the group dance at the beginning of the competition and at the end of the competition when the top three teams were chosen and they were competing for first place, second place and third place. Then it was the duo dance where two dancers from each team would perform together and then the two dancers chosen for the duo section had to do a solo.

"Performing Titanium from the Jasper High Primes, Josh and Talida," the announcer introduced.

Josh and Talida got into position. Talida sat in the centre of the stage while Josh stood in the wings. Glancing at the audience, she saw her fellow teammates, their coach (who only showed up for competitions and no rehearsals) and her family. June. Jack. Miko. Raf. Even Fowler showed up. In fact, he was videoing the dance. But more importantly, the Autobots were there.

They were all sitting in the audience in the holoform to support their family. Arcee had Bulkhead and Bumblebee sitting either side of her in comfort and Ratchet sat next to Bumblebee. Optimus' absence was what she noticed the most. Tears brimmed her eyes as she realized that this could be one of first dance competitions or shows he'd miss.

"This is for you, dad," Talida whispered.

She didn't have much time to ponder on the absence of her father. The DJ nodded to her, indicating he was ready to play the music.

When the piano started, she began moving.

You shout it out.
But I can't hear a word you say.
I'm talking loud. Not saying much…

Josh appeared from the wings behind her, looking emotionally torn like her. Grabbing her arm, he placed it around his shoulders before grabbing her waist and lifting her up.

To the audience, the contemporary routine appeared more of a piece of art. They were all moved. The Autobots especially.

Because they knew, deep down, who she was doing it for.

I'm criticised.
But all your bullets ricochet.
You shoot me down. But I get up…

The story they were portraying about the dance was how she was the underdog. How she had the chance to do something that was amazing and fantastic and yet, nobody believed that she had the talent and capabilities to take the opportunity. Josh was symbolizing the negative force that was holding Talida back physically.

And it was a beautiful portrayal.

I'm bulletproof. Nothing to lose.
Fire away, fire away.
Ricochet. You take your aim.
Fire away, fire away.
You shoot me down. But I won't fall!
I am titanium…
Shoot me down. But I won't fall!
I am titanium…

There was this beautiful moment in the dance where Josh would force Talida down before he pulled her up over his shoulder and carried her with her performing these perfect, barefoot kicks.

It was beautiful to watch. And it had tears streaming down Arcee's face.

I am titanium…

She would then slide down Josh's back and performing a back stand to her feet. Running away from Josh, Talida performed a gymnast's leap before turning doing a series of three consecutive backflips perfectly to the loud applause to the audience.

You shoot me down! But I won't fall!
I am titanium…
Shoot me down! But I won't fall!
I am titanium…

As the soft drums kicked in, Talida went to walk away from Josh. But he wouldn't have it. He grabbed her ankles, trying desperately to hold on and drag her down. However, she kept fighting. She saw her father standing there. She knew he wasn't really there. But her heart was telling her otherwise. She tried to reach towards him. In the end…she succeeded.

She walked away, leaving Josh a crumbled mess on the floor.

Their dance received a standing ovation unlike the other dances preceding them. Everybody was moved by the emotion they portrayed during the dance.

"Tally!" Arcee smiled as she hugged her daughter when they met with her after they took a break for the judges deliberation.

"You were awesome out there!" Miko gushed.

"You did good, kid," was all Fowler said.

"I danced for dad," Talida confessed, "And I saw him at the end of the routine. I know he wasn't there. But it felt like he was. He was telling me to fight. He was telling me to keep going."

"Your foresight can sometimes cause hallucinations in times of great distress," Ratchet said sympathetically.

"Ratchet, whether my foresight caused me to have a hallucination or not doesn't matter. It reminded me of something," Talida began, "I'm going to get Dad back. We're going to get dad back. And I don't know about the rest of you guys. But…I'm not going to stop until Dad comes home."

It was a promise she made that day.

And it was a promise she intended to keep.

Even if she died trying.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the end of Strange Beginnings!

I'll begin working on Fading Suns right now as well as the sequel to this. I'm gonna do a system where I update Fading Suns then I update the sequel to this.

BYE!