Just another one-shot involving some brotherly love between Sam and Lennox after the battle of Mission City. NO SLASH!

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or anything affiliated.

It's three AM when Will Lennox's phone blares some obnoxious ring tone. The man, ever a soldier, is out of bed before Sarah and his baby girl will wake up. He snatches the cell phone from the bedside table and strides down the stairs of his house, out onto the back patio.

"Hello?" He doesn't look at the caller ID.

"Lennox?" The voice is young, and so scared that Will barley recognizes it.

"Sam?" Panic squeezes Lennox's heart. He's only ever heard Sam sound so scared during Mission City. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?" He demands, hand clenching the black device pressed to his ear so tightly he thinks it might break, and forces himself to let up on the hold.

"Um. Nothing is happening, I just…" Sam suddenly feels embarrassed, sitting out in Bumblebee with tears trailing down his cheeks and a man he barely knows on the phone. "Did I wake you up?" He asked, sniffling as Bumblebee vibrates under him, probably his way of being calming.

"No, I was awake already. What's wrong, Sam?" Lennox snaps. It's true, he rarely ever sleeps anymore. He just…can't.

"I had a nightmare." Sam sounds so young, suddenly. Like he's ten, not eighteen. Lennox sighs softly and sits down on an uncomfortable metal chair, relief making him relax. "I mean, it's the same nightmare, and I have it every night, but…" The boy trails off, swallows. Lennox allows him time to gather his thoughts. "Will…" His name is spoken like a younger brother speaks his elder brother's name before asking him to clear the closet of any monsters. But Sam's closet has far too many monsters in it, and Will is thousands of miles away. He suddenly feels like a failure.

"When I was ten, I fell out of a tree." Will starts speaking. Sam falls quiet on the other end, the only indication that he hasn't hung up his ragged breathing. "And couldn't get my dad or anybody's attention. I thought I was going to have to lay there forever, until they finally realized I was gone." He went on. "My brother came to find me after only ten minutes, though, and carried me back to our house. I had a broken leg, and was in a cast for six months." Will licked his dry lips and leaned back in the chair. "When I got into high school, my brother moved away to go to college. I was a sophomore when I experienced my first break up, and I didn't know who to go to. So, I called my brother. He couldn't do much, since he was across the country, but he stayed on the phone with me until I felt better." He explains. Sam sniffles. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that there's not really much that I can do, where I am. But you can always call me, Sam, and I will pick up every time. That's a promise." Will assured. Sam sniffled again. "Consider me your pseudo older brother. I'll always be here for you. Even at three in the morning."

Sam hears the smile in Will's voice and can't help but give a small one of his own, holding the warm phone to his ear and listening to the soldier talk.

"Listen, in Mission City, when I told you that you were a soldier…" Will trails off and Sam swallows. He's known that he hadn't performed his duties to the best of his abilities, and they almost lost because of it. "I'm sorry, Sam. That was a pretty awful thing to say." Sam's jaw drops open. He's taken aback.

"What?" He asks, dumbfounded.

"You're just a kid. That was unfair of me to put that on you." Will admitted. "It's been bugging me since we parted ways. So, I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. You were just doing what had to be done." Sam replies, shaking his head even though he knows Will can't see him. "Honestly, I'm actually pretty grateful for it. There's no way I would have done any of what I did without that push." A yawn caps the end of his sentence and Will smiles.

"Go to sleep, Sam. I'll talk to you soon." The soldier promises, hearing the teenager grumble in sleepy agreement.

"Thanks, Will. For everything." Sam says through his sleepy delirium.

"Anytime at all, Sam."