~~~

        “Do you think I’m special?” Fay asked quietly, her head turning to face Charlie. “Do you think it’s okay that they’re gone? Or does it just make everything worse? Did any good come out of it? Will it ever be okay?” At thirteen, Fay was filled with questions, and with no one else to turn to, she often asked Charlotte what she thought. As the anniversary approached, her favorite topic was always the accident and the pain it had wrought.

        Charlie smiled weakly, looking down at the rolling fields from their vantage point on the hilltop. “I think it’ll work itself out somehow,” she replied gently. “You’re stronger for it, aren’t you?”

        “But I feel so much weaker,” Fay returned softly, her eyes filling with that endless sorrow. “I’ve tried so hard, Charlie, but without them here . . . It’s scary. It’s hard.”

        “I would give anything to have what you had,” Charlie told her gently. “My father is far less than gentle with me. He’s not tender like yours was.”

        “Charlie?” Fay called gently. “What are you talking about?”

        Charlotte merely shook her head, that damaged smile returning. “It’s nothing, Fay. Don’t worry about it. We’ll be okay. For now and for always. Because we’ll always have each other. Through the boys and through the danger, we’ll have each other. Best friends, right?”

        “B-Best friends,” Fay confirmed with a nod, wrapping her arms around Charlie in a firm embrace. Charlie promptly returned the gesture, taking comfort in the contact offered by her friend. “Always best friends.”

        “Good,” Charlie murmured. “We need each other, Fay.” 

        “What do you mean, Charlie?” Fay inquired. “What’s wrong, Charlie?”

        The blonde girl smiled gently. “I’ll explain some other time, Fay. Let’s just enjoy the quiet for now. The world will be okay. We’ll be okay, too. Don’t believe what anyone says, we’re going to be best friends until the end of days.”

        “I . . . I know we will, Charlie,” Fay replied slowly. “We’re almost like sisters.”

        “Almost,” Charlie told her with a smile. “Almost . . .”

        ~~~

        Charlie sighed, watching Fay’s motionless form where it lay on the mossy ground. The stream trickled by, swelling in a few spots, only to narrow down again. A rumble of thunder rolled through the sky, the dark clouds overhead casting shadows over the ground. “What do we do now?” Charlie asked, turning to Optimus, not wanting to talk to him, but the problem arising in her mind. “We can’t let her sit in the rain. She’ll get sick.”

        “We are preparing proper protection for Farrah, Charlotte. We shall not allow any harm to befall her, I assure you,” he told her calmly as the Autobots moved and shifted. As they formed a few walls around her, the doors of their vehicle modes shifted and adapted, creating a ceiling around her. Farrah was encased by the Autobots, protected from the elements.

        “Well that’s all great and fine,” Charlotte told the Prime, crossing her arms. “But why not just take her home? Or at least put her inside the cab of one of your vehicle modes or something? It’d be safer, especially if one of those ‘Decepticons’ shows their ugly faceplates.”

        “We cannot risk moving the patient,” Ratchet informed her. “If we cause an accidental injury, more so, if she wakes and panics because she doesn’t recognize her surroundings, it only works against us. The threat of subconsciously shaking her world through the physical realm is just as much a danger, and so we must take every precaution.”

        Charlie huffed, glancing at where Fay was shielded thoroughly by the Autobots. “Fine,” she muttered. “Just don’t let any harm come to her. Ever.”

        “We shall not allow Farrah any harm, Charlotte,” Optimus told her. “We shall be just as aware with her as we have ever been.

        Raising an eyebrow, Charlie frowned. “That’s not very comforting since this is partly your fault in the first place, in case you forgot.”

        Optimus vented slowly. “I have not forgotten.” A bright flash of lightning lit up the shadows of the forest, followed quickly by another crack of thunder.

        With a shake of her head, Charlie slid her way through one of the Autobots’ vehicle modes, slipping into the protective shielding they’d created. The space inside was warm, dry and almost eerily safe. Charlie sat down next to Fay in the moss, humming a tune Fay had played several times before, the words slowly overtaking her, though from a different perspective. “If you’re falling away, I won’t let you go, I’ve got something to say, and you need to know. I won’t let you go. If you’re falling away, I won’t let you go.”

        Sighing, Charlie, looked down at Fay’s sleeping face and her dirty clothes. “Can you even hear me in there, Fay? You’ve got to wake up sometime, Fay . . . You’ve just got to come to. We need you. The Autobots need you, Fay . . . I need you . . . You’re my sister. Best friends, remember? Come on, Fay . . .”

        ~~~

        “Who the hell is this?” Charlie demanded as she arrived back at the site of Fay’s holding area, glancing at the new arrival. “Can you really trust her around Fay?”

        “This is Searchlight,” Ratchet informed calmly. “She is a loyal Autobot and is more than trusted, even around Farrah.”

        “Oh yeah?” Charlie asked skeptically, crossing her arms. “What’s the square root of nine, huh? What are raisins made of?”

        “Charlotte, what does that have to do with anything?” Ratchet questioned, raising an optic ridge at the blonde girl.

        “Fine!” Charlie relented. “What’s the best way to scrap a ‘Con? Answer me now or you’re out of here!”

        “On what authority?” Ratchet asked, intervening.

        “My authority!” Charlie quickly shot back. “Fay is my best friend and I take her security personally! If this rust bucket can’t be one hundred percent trusted I don’t want her around Fay! I don’t want any of you around Fay, but I don’t have much of a choice! You’re the reason she’s in this mess in the first place!”

        “Hey, now, Charlotte,” Jazz spoke soothingly, trying to calm her. “That’s uncalled for, Charlie. We’re all allies here.”

        “Shut up!” Charlie shouted, turning to him viciously. “The last time I trusted the wrong person, it blew up in my face! That’s not going to happen to Fay! Do you know how much anxiety it gives me to leave her here every night? Do you have an idea how much it drives me crazy that I can’t help her the way science-and-logic can? I want to help her! I want to make sure she’s okay, but because I can’t, I have to let you do it for me! The least, the absolute least I can do is make sure that potential dangers aren’t being allowed around her!”

        “I’m not going to hurt her, Charlotte,” Searchlight called gently. “I’m an Autobot at spark. Their cause is my cause. Protecting Farrah is my mission as much as it is theirs. I’m safe.”

        “How can I be sure?”

        “My spark is pure,” Searchlight told her calmly, opening her chassis and her spark chamber, allowing Charlotte to see the blue glow that resided within.

        Charlie’s nose wrinkled, still conflicted. Even though Searchlight seemed safe, her protective instincts were still running high. Fay was her best friend. No harm would come to her. It wasn’t allowed. It wasn’t a possibility so long as Charlie was here for her.

        “Charlotte, maybe you need to go for a drive,” Jazz offered. “You’re stressed.”

        Taking a deep breath, her shoulders slumped. “Maybe,” she murmured.

        ~~~

        “So, what did you mean when you said that a bit about trusting someone and it blowing up in your face?” Jazz asked, scouting out the forest they’d arrived at, miles away from Fay and the others. “Did this person throw a grenade at you?”

        “What? No,” Charlie replied, shaking her head. “It was just a bad situation and it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s done with. He’s in jail.”

        “He’s in jail? What for? Illegal weapon use?” The silver mech glanced back at her from where he was watching for any sign of danger.

        “No,” Charlie told him, rolling her eyes. “He was an idiot. That’s all.”

        “Who’s he?” Jazz insisted, watching her.

        “He doesn’t matter, because, he was an asshole, tailpipe, whatever you wanna call him. He was a jerk and I hate him,” Charlie said firmly.

        “You’re starting to act a like Farrah, Charlotte,” Jazz informed her cautiously. “What did this man do to make you behave this way?”

        “It’s not just what he did!” Charlie shouted, closing her eyes, ceasing to walk. “It was what he did overlapping the day he went to jail, overlapping Fay being stuck in a coma, and me being terrified she’ll never wake up! She HAS to wake up, Jazz! She’s the only one I really consider family anymore. Even though she is what she is, I want her to come back. It doesn’t change how I’ve known her. She’s about the best person I’ve met. Fay isn’t going to be a ‘Con. She can’t be. All the years I’ve known her, I know that much. She’s loyal. She won’t turn her back on us. She won’t turn her back the Autobots. She knows how much she means to us. No CNA will change that. No CNA will whisk her away.”

        “Why are you so frightened of losing her?” Jazz asked gently, kneeling down by her. “What has been done to you to make you scared?”

        “He abused me, all right?” Charlie spat the words out, her face contorting in disgust at the memory. “For years that asshole raped me and he never showed even a hint of remorse! I was his ‘daughter’ and he had the audacity to treat and use me like that? What the hell is wrong with people? More importantly, why didn’t he get more time? Why only five years for raping a minor for eight years? For raping his daughter for eight years? How is that excusable? How can that crime be so overlooked? I suffered longer than he will in jail! I hope that piece of shit gets murdered in prison! He deserves it for what he did!” Charlie’s eyes began to water, the green being highlighted by the red that was taking over her eyes. “How is it okay to let it slide by so easily?” She asked quietly. “He didn’t even deny it in court.”

        Jazz paused, absorbing the weight of Charlotte’s words. “How did you finally find the strength to put an end to it, Charlotte?” He asked carefully. “What changed?”

        Charlie’s lip wavered for a moment, that day hitting her, loud and clear, when she and Fay had been at Charlie’s house. “You didn’t see the way he looked at her. I couldn’t let him do the same thing to her.”

        ~~~

        “Don’t touch her!” Charlie cried out. It was a nightmare she’d repeated often enough to know exactly who and what it was. “Don’t ever touch her! You can’t have her!” Running towards the assailant who stood over Fay’s bed and the girl who lay in it, Charlie slammed against the man, but he stood as though she hadn’t touched her. “Get away from her!”

        The man stood silently, a smirk growing on his face as he reached for Fay, taking the girl’s hand in his own. “Silence yourself,” he hissed, his words dripping with venom. “Daughter.”

        “You were never my father!” Charlie shot back. “Let her go!”

        “Make me,” the man challenged.

        “Fay! Get up! Run!” Charlie ordered as she flung herself at the man again, reaching into a part of her mind she hardly accessed, ramming her shoulder into his chest. To her surprise, he stumbled into the wall, slamming against the strong surface. “Fay, come on!” Charlie insisted, shaking the brunette girl’s shoulders. “Get up!”

        Despite her efforts, Charlie found that Fay was just as unresponsive in this dream as she was in the physical world. The reality of this fabricated situation hit Charlie hard. No matter where she was, she couldn’t get Fay to wake up. Charlie was knocked back with ease, rolling across the floor and slamming her head against the wall as the man came close again. “Wrong move, Girl,” he warned, moving towards Fay again.

        “No!” Charlie screamed, fighting through the pain as she shot up again, sprinting over to the dark-clothed man. Her so-called ‘father’. He wasn’t worthy of the title. Forcing her way to fight against the dizziness, Charlie struck the man in the chest, her vision spotty.

        Vaguely, Charlotte could hear the shattering of glass, and the man receded. “You little slag! I will teach you a lesson sooner or later you troublesome, worthless femme!”

        “Get the hell out!” Charlie demanded. “And don’t you ever come back!” Within a few blinks, the man had indeed vanished. Charlie was breathing heavily, her head aching as she closed her eyes, stumbling towards Fay’s bed. “It’s okay, Fay,” Charlie murmured. “I’m here. I’ll protect you when you can’t fight for yourself.” Squeezing her eyes shut a bit tighter, Charlie winced at the pain in her skull. “It’ll all be okay . . . I’m here . . . In every realm . . .”

        When Charlie woke up, her mind was swimming with visions containing a blond-haired man and amber colored eyes.

        ~~~

        “I promise I didn’t mean to, Fay,” Charlie murmured, glancing down at the shard in her hand. “I was trying to keep it safe for you, you know? It was a mistake. I’m scared, Fay. These dreams didn’t start until it cut me. Did you suffer this way, too? Does the shard make these nightmares? Fay, I have so many questions,” Charlie muttered, mostly talking to herself as she sat next to an unconscious Farrah. “I don’t what to think about all this, Fay.”

        Charlie sighed when she looked at Fay again and it sunk in again just how much the girl couldn’t hear her. It was a devastating reality. “What am I supposed to do without you here to talk to about all this? Who else is going to listen to me and call me a scrotum just because she can? I miss you, Fay. I miss the real you. The one who doesn’t lock herself away in her mind.” Charlie shook her head slowly. “I just want to see you again. I want to see you open your eyes again. Seeing you in some warped coma-world just isn’t the same, Fay. And I can’t tell you any of this, because if I do, you’re not going to believe me, are you? You’ll just block me out again. I miss the days before the insanity started. That short period of time where everything was all right, and it was just against the world. Will we ever get back to that, Fay, or is gone?” Charlie took a deep breath and hung her head. “I miss it, Fay. I miss the biggest obstacle being our non-biological relation.”

        ~~~

        Charlie had walked around with subtle bandages on her hand for a few days after the incident. After they’d found Fay, Charlie had picked up the loose shard and, after persuading the Prime, had been allowed to keep it for a while, so long as she was under Autobot supervision. As a precaution, Charlie had kept it in a small cloth bag, the piece of metal itself wrapped inside a cloth scrap to help contain it’s radiation. When she went to work, Charlotte was forced to surrender the shard. Since she worked in a factory filled with several kinds of machinery, it was far too dangerous, even with the shard cushioned, to take it inside.

        Charlie’s argument had always been that the shard made her feel closer to Fay, even when she was stuck in a coma. The entire situation was frustratingly difficult for Charlie. As much as she cared for Fay, part of her kept thinking that Fay was gone. While the incident had only occurred yesterday, Charlie was scared for Fay. More so, Charlie didn’t know just yet that Fay could be reached through her mind.

        While she’d been sitting at home, Charlie had been examining the dirty piece of metal, looking over it’s various symbols and signs, trying to make some sense of the incomplete puzzle. Charlie’s curiosity had gotten the better of her, and distracting herself with this piece of metal was the best out she currently had. “Ah!” Charlie yelped as the metal slipped from her fingers, and she immediately sought to grasp it again. In her panic and her desperation, Charlie had done the same thing Fay had done weeks ago: Charlie had grasped the metal too tight, and it sliced through her soft skin.

        With a hiss of pain escaping from between her clenched teeth, Charlie winced at the sharp edge the old shard still possessed. “Mother-!” Charlie rattled off a long list of choice words, stomping her foot as she cursed, all the while refusing to let go of the shard. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” With a groan, Charlie got up and went to the bathroom, rinsing off her hand, horrifying herself with what she’d found there.

        Some things were impossible.

        And some things were far too possible for her comfort.

        Either way, a part of Charlie had been waiting for this moment. In a way, she’d always known. The flashes and the visions . . . The emotions above all else. As it sunk in, Charlie calmed down, coming to terms with the truth she’d been presented on a silver platter. “Guess we’ve got stuff to talk about when you wake up, Fay,” Charlie muttered, shaking her head slowly. “If you ever do, that is.”

        ~~~

        As the weeks drug on, even in the world that Charlotte so often went to visit Fay in, she couldn’t work up the nerve to tell Fay what she’d found. It was always too busy, or she was always with someone else at the same time.

        But the dreams never stopped, and Charlie’s father haunted her nights, threatening Charlie with the danger he posed to Fay.