Finally, the FINAL CHAPTER! Again, sorry about the hold-up. I work more hours now at my wildlife rehabbing job and it tires me out. At least Ratchet is proud of me! Anyway, I'm happy/sad to say that this fic is now officially over, after this chapter of course. But fear not! This story was sorta the missing piece for my OC so you will see more Starscream and Jade later, when I decide to post up more stuff. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: No, Transformers do not belong to me. They're Hasbro's property. Damn you, Hasbro. DAMN YOU TO HELL!

Chapter Nine – The End?

They stood face-to-face in the driveway, letting the lights from the front porch and vehicles behind them to illuminate their expressions. Nothing was said and the only sounds in the night were the constant chirping of crickets and the comforting rumble of Autobot engines.

But after moments of stunned silence, Jade wrapped her stiff arms around her mother and sobbed into her shoulder.

Her mom was quick to follow suit.

They remained that way for a long time before Jade finally pulled away, showing her mother the massive grin on her face.

Mom wasn't smiling. "I thought you were…dead," she muttered through tears. "I didn't think my baby girl was going to come home."

"I'm home now."

"That's not the point, Jade!" she whispered unhappily so that the people behind her daughter wouldn't hear. "Do you know what it does to me to see you drive off with them?"

Jade knew exactly who she was talking about. She sighed heavily, forgetting about her broken rib as she inhaled. A flinch flitted across her face but immediately vanished. "The Autobots saved me. Don't blame them for everything I do with Sam. We saved the world, Mom. We saved the whole world."

After a few hesitant seconds, Ms Bryant said, "I knew you'd do great things, Jade." She joined in with Jade's smile.

The nineteen-year-old was finally home. After thirty-six hours of being locked up in an old hangar with nothing but a corner to piss in, Jade was finally back in the comfort of those who loved and cared about her.

Lennox told they were going to the hospital, but Jade's refusal eventually swayed him to bring her home.

Her joints would be sore for while, Ratchet had told her on the ride there, and the pain in her shoulder from a previous injury might take a little longer to recover. The Energon within her system would, eventually, breakdown until nothing was left. When that would be exactly was beyond the medic's guess.

For the first time in days, Jade wasn't hungry. At first, when Colonel Lennox ordered the girl to eat something from the Subway they came across during their trip, Jade refused. The thought of food made her weak stomach flip. But once she had a whiff of the sandwich, the foot-long was demolished in mere minutes.

Now all that was left was seeing her spotted feline.

Jadeance turned to those behind her and gave Sam and Lennox a hug for each of them. There was no way she could say thank you enough times, so she didn't try. Everyone knew she was glad to be home and safe.

However, she did thank Optimus Prime.

"We followed a Decepticon energy signature and found you," he said through his radio. "While I am appreciative of your kindness, Jade, thank the one who gave away your position."

Screamer, Jade mused. Guess that'll be our little secret.

Once the hugs and handshakes were finished, once a few thank-god-it's-over laughs had been made, everyone cleared out. Sam was reluctant to do so, but Jade finally convinced him that she'd be fine tonight, especially with Sideswipe in the garage beside the house.

"Keep an eye on her, Sides," Sam said.

The silver Corvette Stingray rumbled loudly, which meant of course he would.

"Thanks, Swipe, but don't be too protective. I don't want you crashing through the garage, cannons blazing, shooting at my house." Jade cocked a brow at Sam.

"Hm, that situation sounds familiar." He turned to glare at Bee, who whined in return. "So are you sure you don't want Bee and I to, I don't know, camp out here tonight?"

Jade's eyes bugged. "No, Sam! I'd be paranoid of being watched. It's bad enough I already have that now."

"Well, if you need anything…"

"I know. I'll call you, but not until I sleep for a good twenty-four hours first."

"You would, too!" joked Sam. "Fine. See you whenever you decide to wake up then."

Jade nodded and gave her friend one last hug before they split. Her mom guided her into the house saying,

"Someone's been missing you in here, and I don't mean me."

A fuzzy tan creature greeted Jade as she walked through the door. She scooped it up and molested it with tearful kisses. "Hi, Kiba," she whispered, squeezing her tightly with hugs.

The young cat mewed and fought very little to escape. Instead, the Bengal-looking feline purred against Jade as the human closed door behind them.

"I'll go fix you up something to eat," Ms Bryant said happily and disappeared into the kitchen.

While not actually hungry, Jade loved the thought of having a mom-cooked meal. Her stomach growled with anticipation.

With her cat in her arms, Jade smiled at the situation she currently found herself in. She was home. Her home. It wasn't a hangar where she waited for Starscream to fetch her for Megatron's sick torturing sessions. It wasn't the dry, monotonous Nevada desert. It was home. While she wasn't quite free of the hangar incident yet - Lennox would have to brief her as soon as she was up to it - Jade wasn't concerned.

As the door shut behind her, Kiba's perceptive ears swiveled at the sound of something outside. Unbeknownst to her, it was an approaching F-22 Raptor. It passed overhead and faded away into the night, leaving no evidence of it ever being there.