When Worlds Collide

Chapter 6

*I don't own Transformers or anything affiliated with Transformers. I only own my original characters and plots. All rights go to Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg.*

She sat with her head cradled in her hands, a few stray tears escaping from her tightly closed eyes. The pain in her body was no match to the pain within her heart and soul. She was broken. Beaten. Crushed. Her own flesh and blood had done this to her. Broke her in ways she didn't know was possible. Oh how she wishes her mother was here to guide her. She always knew what to do, what to say to make it better. Rose would always go to her mother with her problems, she was her confident. She would never judge her, just listen. She wouldn't say anything back, she would just sit and listen to her, only speaking when Rose would ask her opinion.

But she isn't here anymore.

And that harsh reality was breaking her apart. Tearing her up into little pieces, before blowing away carelessly in the wind. She felt so alone. She felt so empty, lifeless. That if someone touched her, she would abliterate into ash. No matter what anybody says about grief and about time healing wounds, the truth is, there are curtain sorrows that never fade away, until the heart stops beating and the last breath is taken. The only thing really grounding her right now is the bodies surrounding her bed, sat patiently in chairs.

Removing her heads from her face, Rose inhaled deeply. The sharp smell of sanitizer attacked her nose, making her eyes water. Her reddened, puffy swollen eyes cracked open, gazed dazedly across the room. In the corner of her vision she saw Optimus lean forward, his strong arms placed on his knees. He ran a hand through his dark hair, before straightening. She could feel his eyes boring into the side on her head; so she turned and faced him, wincing slightly at the painful pull her battered ribs gave. It didn't go unnoticed by the others in the room, some voicing their anger, some concealing it. She saw Jazz clench his hands to together, but no anger showed on his face, it remained calm. Whereas Ratchet gave a deep chesty growl, that rattled her bones. Ironhide wasn't any different.

But it was Optimus's reaction that struck her the most as her eyes locked with his. His piecing blue eyes bored into to own, their blue depths pulling her into his intense gaze. She felt the breath rush from her lungs like she had been punched in the gut. She thought she saw a flicker of emotion in those blue depths, but before she could decipher it, it was gone, replaced by a cool indifference. She felt so drawn to his gaze, like he was trying to see into her very soul. Rose watched intently as the muscles in his arms rippled as he moved, folding them over his broad chest before clearing his throat. She found herself watching the way his Adams apple bobbed when he cleared his throat.

"Rose... we need to talk about your father."

Like a rubber band snapping, Rose felt herself crash back into herself. Shaking her head to get rid of the haze that had fell over her, she turned her blue eyes onto Optimus. "Do we have to? What of him?" She muttered, her voice broken. God, she survived the battle in Mission City, against massive evil robots, and she couldn't survive this? No, she was better than that. She never let that man get to her before, she would not let this knock her down. Ignoring the pain in her ribs, she straighten her back, and looked directly at Optimus, her face strong. She thought she saw pride flicker across Ratchet features before he masked it. Her composure crumbled however, when Optimus spoke.

"Rose... something has happened to your father. There was an explosion at your family unit, your father did not survive. The humans are suspecting it was a gas leak, but we think differently. Bumblebee has reported that he sensed a Cybertronian signature, so we suspect it was an attack. We do not know why they have targeted you... Rose?" Optimus questioned midsentence. Rose was trembling, her hands shaking, and her breaths coming out in short bursts. Concerned, Optimus leaned forward and placed a large hand over her small shaking ones, halting the shaking.