"No. No! Alyssa...! ALYSSA!"
I woke up with a start, my spark beating rapidly. If I were human, sweat would running down my face. It was just another nightmare... But I had to make sure.
Making sure not to wake anyone up, I activated my holo-form and made my way upstairs. I hesitated before opening the door to Alyssa's room and sighed in relief. She was there, sleeping peacefully. I gently stroked her cheek, frowning as I thought about what Destinee had said to me yesterday: "Without me your little girlfriend is just gonna be a pile of ash on the side of the road."
I growled softly as her words rang in my ears. What the pit made her think I needed her help protecting Alyssa? She was my spark mate, my responsibility. I didn't need help protecting her...
But that wasn't true. No matter how many times I told myself otherwise, I knew I couldn't protect her on my own. I needed help... But I didn't know how to admit it to anyone, or to myself. It was tearing me apart on the inside; I was too paranoid to leave Alyssa by herself, and I was so on edge that I snapped at her without meaning to. I hated it when I made her cringe or shy away from me when I raised my voice. It was never my intention to scare her, and I only prayed that she knew that I would never hurt her.
"Bee...?"
I looked down into Alyssa's sleepy brown eyes. I mentally scold myself for waking her up.
"Nightmare?"
I just nodded. Alyssa sighed softly before moving over and gesturing for me to sit down. I gave her a questioning look, but got on the bed. As soon as I did, she laid her head on my chest. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close to me.
"I'm sorry about how I've been acting towards you," I whispered. "I-I never mean to raise my voice or--"
"I understand," she said softly. "I just hate seeing you like that."
I sighed. "I know... I hate it too. I've just been stressed lately. And, of course, worried about your safety."
Alyssa looked up at me sadly. "How long are you going to be worried about me?"
"I'm always going to be worried about you," I said firmly. "I almost lost you, and I'm not gonna let that happen again."
"It won't. I promise."
I looked her in the eye. "Really? You can promise that?" I said in an even tone. "You can promise that when the Decepticons come, you won't get caught in the crossfire? You can promise that you'll be safe from what's coming?"
Alyssa fell silent. I sighed and pulled her close to my chest.
"I just want to keep you safe," I whispered. "And I don't know how to do that anymore. Primus, I couldn't even keep you safe before all this!"
"Barricade's gone, Bee," Alyssa said. It sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than me. "It's over. What happened with him was nothing."
"You're right," I told her. "What happened with Barricade was hardly a battle. This is a war, and I can't prepare you for it. None of us can. The best thing I can do is make sure you stay alive."
-A/N-
Sorry for the lame chapter. I'm starting to think this book isn't turning out so well. Let me know what you think so I know if I need to redo the story or not. Until then: Read, Like, Comment.