The Holiday Killer ✔️

Ch. 25 Aftermath

Lennox keeps the party going while getting messages from Ratchet. He’s already dreading the late-night meeting that’ll happen after the party.
The terror twins and Lily sit on the sidelines, worried about Jamie.
“Can’t we see if she’s ok?” Lily asks.
“I know you want to find out what happened,” Sideswipe comments.
“And you know how she is if more than her guardians see her upset. I think it’s rare Optimus or Ratchet try to help them,” Sunstreaker argues, “think, Sideswipe; it’s easy to figure out what upset her.”
Optimus walks by, hearing what Sunstreaker said. While Sunstreaker is right, he heads to Crosshairs and Drift’s room.

“Do you know what’s going on?” Optimus asks Mirage.
“A little; I followed her while invisible but got out of the room before Drift closed the door. Jamie had tears rolling down her face before her guardians got to her. No doubt she’s crying. I want to know what happened. Did I miss something that they’ve been keeping secret?”
“If that’s the case, I wouldn’t know, but you’ve seen them get angry watching what Jamie deals with. How worried they were that the flare-up could turn serious.”
Optimus opens the door, hearing Jamie crying. He opens the door enough to see Jamie holding on to Drift tight as if he told her he needs to leave for months. Optimus sees Crosshairs is uncertain about how to help Drift this time. Optimus closes the door and sighs.
“I think I know what is going on.”
Optimus walks away, but Mirage feels he can’t leave.

“.... I don’t know if we’ve helped him in time,” Ratchet sighs; Optimus looks at Ethan Newman and his poor vitals, “something else happen at the party?”
Optimus knows Ratchet will not let him ignore the question, even if there’s nothing neither of them can do. What worries them is what Jamie is thinking after hearing her say she shouldn’t be here, believing Crosshairs and Drift are human babysitters.
With Newman stable, for now, Ratchet and Prime call Lennox and Prowl into Ratchet’s office to discuss what happened. They don’t like the idea that Ethan Knight believes he wasn’t the target, but it’s his brother who planned the attack. The question is, whom did he hire to poison Newman’s drink?
“You want me to demand a meeting with all one-hundred-fifty soldiers and twenty-five staff?” Lennox asks, “I doubt any soldiers or staff family members planned this.”
“No, I don’t think anyone here was hired,” Red Alert interrupts, “look at this piece of security footage.”
The five watch Frenzy sneak around to the bar as the bartender leaves Newman’s and the three other drinks on the back counter and gets ice.
“Why would Megatron target one human?” Prowl asks, “I doubt Barricade had Frenzy do this either.”
“Would Barricade help Austin?” Red Alert asks.
“That has to be it, but why?” Optimus adds.

“If I knew this would have happened,” Crosshairs sighs, watching Jamie, Lily, and Sideswipe walk down the hall.
“I didn’t think she’d get this upset either,” Drift sighs.
“I bet it was that glitch!” Sunstreaker rages.
“Who?” Crosshairs asks.
Sunstreaker was focused on Ratchet’s comment upsetting Jamie that he forgot to tell her guardians about Betty Henderson.
“... I swear Sideswipe and I told no one. I think she was just assuming because she’s pregnant.”
“You didn’t kill her, did you?” Drift asks, concerned.
“I wanted to, but I hope that glitch’s kid deals with what Jamie dealt with.”
“This is not good,” Crosshairs frets, “you couldn’t say something sooner?!”
“I should have, but my desire to find that fragger seemed more important. Here I’m worried that fragger will get Jamie or Lily and failed to see another issue.”
Sunstreaker walks down the hall.
“We sure we have the real Sunstreaker?” Crosshairs whispers.
Drift smiles, though he’s worried about Jamie.
Both mechs tire of watching their best friend and charge struggle.

“I need you to hack the volunteer records for D.C.’s psychiatric hospitals,” Barricade orders Frenzy, “I don’t think we got the guy Austin wants dead.”
“So we’re helping him?!” The other con rages.
“I’m thinking something better. Something he’ll like, though I’m not sure if he’ll like the idea of waiting. Nor will Megatron.”
“You think Megatron will like we’ve been working with a human?” The other con laughs.
The two cons are interested in what their boss has planned next.

Jamie doesn’t know what to do after tonight. She doesn’t want to leave the Autobots but hates how much Crosshairs and Drift take care of and worry about her.
Drift is hoping she’ll fall asleep easily. Hoping to avoid using a sleep aid, knowing this will be an issue for a while. It surprised crosshairs and Drift that Sunstreaker has a way to get Jamie to sleep.
“Lily’s nightmares came back,” Sunstreaker sighs, “I found that having Lily lay her head on my chest helps her get to sleep. You know how our holoform’s heart mimics our spark beat.”
The three go back to Sunstreaker’s room.

They didn’t think Lily would wait for them, worried about Jamie. The three mechs know Lily has seen how Jamie is the past three weeks to know something is troubling her.
“It’s complicated,” Sunstreaker tells her.
Lily looks disappointed that’s the answer she got even though she knows it’s true.
I know Jamie deals with a lot, but why can’t I know what’s going on? Lily questions.
She watches Drift lead Jamie out of the room.
” Are you ok, Lily?” Sunstreaker asks, worried that Lily thinks Jamie ruined their night.
” I’m not mad at her. What would we be doing that we don’t do any other night, anyway? You don’t think Jamie will be jealous of us? a psychopath has someone who loves him, but she’s….”
"Come on.”

Jamie is in no mood to watch the Livestream she likes to watch. Drift can get her to take a bath, hoping to help her relax. Crosshairs sits on his bed, hating that Jamie couldn’t enjoy the valentine’s day party. Even knowing the problem wasn’t that he and Drift left her for five minutes before Sideswipe got them.
“What the frag are we missing?” He sighs, “unless... frag, Drift will not like this.”
Crosshairs watched Drift carry Jamie out of the bathroom, dressed. Drift lies on the bed, with Jamie laying on him. Crosshairs see she’s tired but trying not to fall asleep. Jamie doesn’t resist Drift repositioning her, so she’s using his chest as a pillow.
Jamie takes twenty minutes to fall asleep, but Drift waits for a half-hour before moving her off him. He sits on the edge of the bed, wondering if there’s anything to talk about? Should he be having the same conversation with Crosshairs they often have? He doesn’t stop Crosshairs from saying anything.

Crosshairs didn’t think Drift would leave the room after what he said.
“Get out of my way, Mirage!” Drift yells and walks down the hall. Crosshairs watches Drift, worried, not realizing Mirage is visible again.
“Are you two fighting? Or Jamie and Drift?”
“No, I think he’s pissed at himself for not doing better to help Jamie. She’s having another period feeling like we tire of taking care of her, that she shouldn’t be here, and you know.”
“I do, unfortunately,” Mirage looks in the room, seeing Jamie asleep, “I don’t think he needs time alone. He needs you; I’ll stay here.”
Crosshairs doesn’t know if Drift wants him around or not but leaves, anyway.

Mirage sits on the couch, hoping Jamie won’t wake up.
“Even though we hate how she feels, I think I’d rather deal with only this and not a killer. At least many people would be alive. Still, I wish we could help her feel loved.”