Voices of the Heart

Not Again

Bumblebee was leaning casually against the wall, his arms crossed over his chestplate. No one spoke for what felt like hours. There was an icy chill in the room despite Bumblebee's burning glare. I squirmed uncomfortably as I tried to avoid looking directly at him.

"So... You guys have a gigantic metal dinosaurs as pets?"

Silence.

"... Did the meeting go well."

Not a word.

"... I love you."

Bumblebee growled and wordlessly transformed into his alt-mode. The Camaro's door swung open, a non-verbal command for me to get in. Evac sighed before scooping me up and placing me down on the ground.

"Good luck, kid," he said as I got in the car. As soon as I was strapped in, the door slammed shut and Bee took off.

I opened my mouth to say something, but Bumblebee cut me off.

"~Not~one~word.~"

I glared at the radio before it spoke up yet again.

"~Why do you insist~on getting yourself~into trouble~whenever I leave you alone?~"

"... I'm sorry..."

"~That's all you can say?~"

"What do you want me to say?!" I shouted. I had just about enough of this. "I didn't know I was gonna run into Robo-Rex! And I'm tired of this stupid routine! All you've done since I've gotten out of the hospital is stalk me and snap at anyone near you, which usually ends up being me! I don't know what your problem is, but you're acting like an idiot!"

The next thing I knew, I was flat on my butt with Bumblebee's blazing optics right in front of my face.

"~I'm~the idiot?!~Look who's talking!~"

"Hey!"

"~You're constantly~getting into trouble~whenever I'm not around!~"

"Funny, seeing that you're around at any other moment!" I snapped.

"~Why can't you see that~I'm trying to protect you!~"

"By taking away my freedom and yelling at me?!"

"~I CAN'T LOSE YOU AGAIN!~"

I jumped back as Bee's fist smashed down on the ground, leaving a small crater. I looked from his fist to his face, which was now turned away from me.

"~Not~again.~Not~again.~"

I didn't know what to say to him. What could I say? That everything was going to be alright? That there was nothing to worry about?

"Bumblebee, I --"

"Bee."

Bumblebee quickly stood up as Dino made his way towards us. I looked down at my feet as he addressed Bumblebee.

"Optimus wants you to bring Alyssa to the Conference Room. The others want to meet her, and so does Director Mearing... Is something wrong?"

Bumblebee glanced at me then shook his head.

"~No.~What makes you say that?~"

Dino looked skeptically at him before glancing down at me. I shook my head and he nodded.

"Alright then," he said. "Shall we?"

Without glancing at each other, Bumblebee and I followed him. I felt slightly sick as I though over what had just happened. Bee and I had never fought like that before... It defiantly didn't feel good. Dino seemed to notice the tension, because he stopped to stoop down and pick me up. Bee stooped as well and glanced at Dino quizzically.

"We'll be right there, amico," Dino told him. "I just need a quick word with the signorina."

Bumblebee nodded before continuing down the hall. As soon as he was out of hearing range, Dino looked down at me with a stern look on his face.

"What happened?" It wasn't a question, it was a demand. "And don't lie."

I sighed before explaining everything to him. Dino listened to every word I said, becoming more and more thoughtful. When had finished, he sighed and shook his head.

"Optimus thought something like this would happen," he told me. "We all did."

"Is he really that upset with me?" I asked softly.

"No," Dino replied. "He's upset with himself. He thinks everything that's happened to you is because of him... That's why Optimus thinks that the two of you should spend some time away from each other." 

I looked up at Dino in surprise. Optimus was planning to separate us?

"F-for how long?"

"A couple of weeks," Dino told me. "You'll be staying with Lennox and his family. Ironhide was their guardian before he left to join us, so he'll be keeping an eye on you."

Dino hesitated before continuing.

"Destinee called your parents and pretended to be you," Dino told me slowly. "Your mom said that they're staying in Vegas a little longer..."

"And how long is 'a little longer'?" I asked, knowing that there wasn't going to be anything little about it.

"... Another month."

I growled under my breath. This was hardly a surprise to me. To be honest, I was actually glad that they weren't coming back just yet.

"You know he's just worried about you," Dino said softly.

I sighed and didn't look up at him. "Yeah, I know... That's what worries me."