Cross In The Light ✔️

Ch. 26

Drift POV
Optimus walks up the stairs, immediately sensing something is going on. I try to tell him I need to get to Jamie's dimension, but he believes she'll be fine. Optimus calls everyone to a meeting. Lightning is pissed we're talking about what happened today. 

Optimus Prime POV 
I'm troubled hearing about the events that happened today while I was out on a mission. I had good news to tell the others, but that can wait. Things get more troubling when Drift shows me a text, his hand shaking as I try to read the text. 

Jamie: I'm not coming back. The priority is to get everyone to trust Rangeblade. Tessa's right, and I know Lightning agrees. 

Crosshairs tells me Rangeblade believes Jamie should stay away for a while, but Hot Rod wants to deal with the issue if Jamie being mad at him.  
"Frag her!! How the frag has she been allowed in the team for thirteen years?!" Lightning rages. 
"Really, Lightning?" Rangeblade asks, "so you trust me — a former con — but Jamie's been on the team for years, and you're going to be furious at her? You're furious she's mad at Hot Rod for nearly killing Crosshairs, yet you're furious because you think she hurt Crosshairs?" 
Rangeblade goes to her room, closing the door behind her.
"It's different," Tessa argues, "Jamie is a bitch, the true con, and Rangeblade is a Cybertronian who ended up on the wrong side. Fuck her, start working on the trust exercises planned." 
Lightning goes to her room as Tessa goes downstairs; everyone is furious at her, even Vivian, who — like Lightning, Rangeblade, Hot Rod, and Tessa — doesn't know much about Jamie. 
"I knew letting a former con us would have challenges, but I didn't think a challenge would be everyone slowly not trusting each other," Bumblebee comments. 
"It's my fault; I'm sorry," Crosshairs comments before taking Drift by the wrist and leading him to his room, closing the door behind him. 
We know what he means and know he had good intentions, but sometimes good intentions don't turn out the way we hope. 

Crosshairs POV
I don't care that Drift sees me crying. He's feeling the same way about this. I didn't think he'd hug me as we sit on my bed.  
"I just wanted to protect Lightning and Jamie," I sob. 
"I know, and you know Prime wouldn't agree with letting Rangeblade stay if he felt we could be in any danger. She's like me; I Cybertronian realizing the cons have been wrong. It just took her a lot longer to realize that." 
"It's too late for Lightning and Jamie to be friends. I-I don't know if it's safe for Jamie to be here..." 
It's going to be hard for me to be with both of them, but I refuse to abandon my friend, my charge, to spend more time with my sister. 

Lightning POV
I open the door to see Crosshairs and Drift talking by Crosshairs' room.
"... I'll go back; it's going to cause more problems if you come with me," Drift tells Crosshairs. 
"That's not going to help-," Crosshairs tries to argue in a sad tone. 
"I know," Drift sighs, "but will Lightning attack Jamie again? She'll definitely be furious if you come with me," Drift hugs Crosshairs before opening a portal. Crosshairs sits on the floor and cries once the portal disappears. 
I sit next to him and hug him. 

Third-person POV
Bumblebee, Cade, Hound, and Hot Rod talk about how displeased they are with this situation while Optimus is in his room, trying to think of what to do next to remedy the never-ending list of issues while avoiding new issues from arising.  
"Is there even a way to deal with all this scrap without someone else getting hurt?" Bee asks. 
"I don't know, I don't think even Prime knows," Hound replies in a sad tone. 
"The issues have been resolved," Tessa comments, standing behind the sectional, "the problem left, and Crosshairs realizes he's been worried about the wrong girl." 
She says this with a confident smile as if she won a debate. This infuriates Bee. 
"YOU THINK YOU KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT JAMIE WHEN YOU HAVE NO DRAGGING CLUE!!" He tells us the other three mechs try to keep Bee from getting to Tessa. 
"WHAT'S THERE TO KNOW BESIDES YOU MORONS PUT HER FIRST BEFORE RANGEBLADE?!" 
Shane comes running in, picks up Tessa bridal style, and walks out of the room as Tessa fights him. 
"PUT ME DOWN, SHANE!! I'M NOT DONE!!"  
Cade isn't sure what to do as Bee walks out of the room via the hidden hallway. 
"He's not going to fight Tessa," Hound assures Cade. 

Two hours pass before Optimus calls everyone for a meeting.  
Crosshairs discovers Lightning has fallen asleep.
Do I dare wake her up since Jamie will likely be one of the topics? He questions. 
He covers her with his trench coat before leaving the room. 

"Is she not coming?" Rangeblade asks. 
"She's asleep, and if we're talking about Jamie...."
"I'm sorry," Rangeblade apologizes before running down the hall and stairs; Crosshairs runs after her, trying to get her to stop until she runs out of the house. 

Rangeblade POV 
I tried to get to my bipedal mode in the barn, but Bumblebee stops me. 
"Aren't we supposed to be meeting with Optimus?" He asks. 
"No, I'm leaving," I reply as tears roll down my face, "Crosshairs and Jamie were almost killed. Friendships are destroyed-." 
"It's only been two months-." 
"ONLY TWO MONTHS?!" I yell, "YOU'RE NOT DOING A GREAT JOB CONVINCING ME TO STAY!!" 
"Please come to the meeting and talk to Prime," Bee insists. 

I go with him, knowing the others will insist I stay, but it's hard to agree knowing in two months' time Crosshairs, and Jamie could have been dead. Friendships have been destroyed, adding to our list of things to deal with. 

Neither Drift, Jamie, nor Lightning is at this meeting. I find out Jamie left, Drift went to her dimension soon after, and Lightning is asleep. Crosshairs and I are quiet while the others debate on the best way to deal with this scrap. It has to hurt Crosshairs hearing Bee, and Hot Rod claim Lightning will likely try to hurt Jamie again, and worse than today. Even though I suggested to Crosshairs Jamie stay away for a while, I regret I said that. Even if it's safer for her. 

Optimus says we'll continue without Jamie, and he got the same response as the day he said I can stay. I watch Crosshairs walk out of the room.  
I'm probably going to regret this, but...
"I'm sorry, sir, but you said she's an important part of the plan. Now you believe we don't need her?" 
I walk away before I can get scolded. 

Crosshairs left the door to his room open. He's sitting at the desk, looking at the picture on the desk and, I'm guessing he's looking at a picture on his phone. 
"Everything will be back to normal soon," I say. 
"How do you know?" 
"Because I just disrespected Prime and will likely be told to leave." 
I turn to leave the room, but Crosshairs stops me. He asks me to repeat what I said.
"Ok, maybe how you said it wasn't right, but you're right to remind Optimus what he said. Also, it's ignoring most of the problems. I know he thinks it's the only way to keep Jamie safe, but eventually, we'd have to have her come back and deal with how Lightning hates her. I want my two girls to be friends. Tessa...not sure if Prime will deal with her hating Jamie or not." 
I'm shocked by his hug. 
"Would Lightning really hurt her again?" I dread asking. 
"Unfortunately, I think she would. She sees Jamie as a threat to my safety," Crosshairs unwraps his hand, "she believes Jamie did this." 
I see three cuts that do look like they could have been done with a knife. 
"Now she's overprotective of her brother. Unfortunately, it means she'll gladly seriously injure Jamie while you have been trying to ignore me with the occasional arguing and that one fight." 
Crosshairs frowns as he bandages his hand. I shouldn't have said that. He either doesn't know I'm leaving or distracted by what I said. 
This is a good step in the right direction. I doubt it's enough to say Crosshairs trusts me; partner us up on the next mission, whenever that may be. No, it's still going to take time to get to that point and longer to say we're friends.