THUD

Skreen stopped in his tracks, looking around for the source of the thud. Usually, he would do his late night walks while everyone slept. He felt safe, he felt more at peace then he did during the day. Other bots often called him a weird bot for going out that late, let alone find peace in the deathly silence and blinding darkness. But they couldn't understand him and he honestly didn't care. Even though, the loneliness was the painful consequence of being different and not caring. Just because he was different, didn't mean he was a selfish, uncaring jerk.

Well, Skreen thought to himself, maybe someone needs help.

He stood still, looking around him. Cybertron's suns were down and darkness covered the sky, so it was hard to see anything. But Skreen was use to seeing in the dark, his optics would adjust to the dark in a short amount of time. So far, no one came out of the darkness, no one came out to attack him. For a moment, he believed that maybe he was hearing things or that it was just the wind. Then, a blue light started to shine brightly like Cybertron's suns.

But the only time these Crystal's would shine, Skreen thought to himself, is when they are touched.

He looked around the glowing crystal and spotted a small lump laying in front of it, not moving,silent. Cautiously, Skreen approached the lump. As he grew closer and closer, he noticed that the lump was a a bright silver and dark blue femme sparkling at least Elementary Academy age. Her optics were closed, she was sprawled on her back like she was pushed and she was covered in energon. He looked around, making sure that they were alone or if her caretakers were around. The area was clear, there were no other bots around. If she was with some other bot, that other bot was long gone. He decided to see if the kid was hurt.

"Hey kid, you alright?" Skreen asked, gently nudging the her with his landing pad. For a moment, he kept nudging her, but she wouldn't wake.

Oh slag, Skreen thought to himself, come on. Finally, her optics opened and she looked up at him. Skreen let out a sigh of relief, at least she wasn't dead.

"Hey, you hurt?" Skreen asked again." You're covered in energon."

The femme stayed still, looking at him with confusion which turned to fear. Then she curled into a tight ball and started sobbing and trembling. Feeling pity for the little one, he walked over and picked her up. "Hey come on, what are you crying for?"

"Don't hurt me..." She whispered.

"Well...of course I'm not gonna hurt ya." Skreen assured her. " I just want to know if you're hurt."

"I-I don't think I am." She replied, looking at herself.

"Are you alone? Where are you're caretakers?"

"I don't know." She replied. "I-I want to go home."

"Yeah, but you're obviously gonna need some caring for." That's when an idea came to Skreen, he knew that there was a house not far from where they were. The only bot living there was the window femme, who was also his coworker and friend Rima. No doubt, she would love to have some company. Also, he wouldn't mind seeing her again, as long as he could fight back his blushing faceplate from her.

What was it about that femme that made him blush and his system's go haywire?

Ignoring those thoughts, he started his walk again down the hill with the kid in his arms.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Please don't leave me alone. I don't want to be left alone."

"Don't worry kid, I'm gonna take you to a femme who will take care of you." He said with a friendly smile on his faceplate. "Meanwhile, how about we get to know each other heh?"

She looked at him with curiosity in her optics. Skreen wiped away the lubricants on her faceplate.

"What is your name?" She asked.

"Skreen's the name. Now tell me your name."

She looked away with an ashamed look in her optics, then she put her knuckle bolt in her mouth.

"I don't know my name." She mumbled.

"What do you mean?"Skreen asked, moving the bolt away so he could hear her more clearly.

"I don't have any memory of my name."

"Well, do you remember what you were doing laying on the ground?"

"No."

"Are you sure?" To Skreen, it just didn't fit. How could a kid not know if she was pushed? Or who her caretakers are? Or even her own name? It was just a jungle of puzzle pieces where nothing was fitting. Well there was one piece of that puzzle that Skreen created, the kid was going to be safe and she was going to be put in a safe home.

"I swear to Primas."

"So I see."

"I remember waking up and my head was hurting really bad." She closed her optics and placed her servo on her helmet, as if it still hurt from the fall. " Then I saw you and that's all I remember."

He took a deep breath and continued walking up the hill. She opened her optics and looked at him as if pleading him to help her. He swallowed down the lump in his pipes."Well, when I take you to Rima, you can start your life over again."

"Over again? Like a game?"

"Well...kind of..."

After a few more blocks, they came upon a house on a hill. The lights were off yet it still appeared to be welcoming.

"What if she doesn't like me?"

"Oh trust me, I think she'll love you."


Rima woke up to a loud knock on the door. At first, she thought she was dreaming. Until she heard another knock. Keeping her system calm and her focus strong, she slowly and cautiously off the berth, grabbed a cloth and wrapped it around her thin shoulders. The knocking started again. She swallowed down the anxiety and walked to her door, turning on the porch light. Once she reached the door, she watched for any shadows or anything that would appear dangerous. Slowly and quietly, she walked to the door, grabbed the door knob. She paused, thinking about what it was that laid outside her door. Or who was waiting for her.

"Rima!" A familiar voice shouted from outside.

Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and opened the door. At first she couldn't see anything but darkness, minus the light from the porch. After a moment of looking around, she could make out a figure in the dark. Then she heard whimpering and sobs, like a sparkling was afraid and separated from it's caretakers. Looking down near the step was a young femme, trembling and leaking. She was being held by a mech who seemed to be more calm than her. She looked at him confused.

"Rima, it's me, Skreen." The mech took a step forward into the light where she saw him more clearly."You know, we work in the office together?"

"Oh greetings Skreen. Is everything alright?" Rima asked concerned. Skreen wasn't known for being a family mech. Rima studied the young femme with lubricant soaked optics, searching for any sign of fear. Instead, she saw confusion and hope.

"Yeah." He felt a nudge on his chest. He felt embarrassed, for a moment, he forgot about the kid in his arms. "Well for me it is...but not for her." He said, pointing to the little femme. " I found her laying in the Crystal Woods, I think she was abandoned."

"So you brought her here?" Rima asked, crossing her arms. It wasn't that she was angry, in fact, she loved having company for once. But, really, a mech appearing in the middle of the evening with a strange sparkling in his arms? Claiming to have found her? Who could blame her that it sounded suspicious?

"Because," He swallowed down his nervousness and continued." Didn't you tell me that you've been feeling lonely and looking for some company lately?"

"Yes, I suppose I have been feeling quiet lonely." Rima mumbled, knowing that it was true. After her recent late mate's death, she's been feeling like something was missing in her spark. Like a huge part of her went with him and she, more than anything, wanted something to fill that hole. Or someone.

"So, why not have this kid fill that loneliness?"Skreen asked, resting his servo on the femme's back. She looked back and forth between Skreen and Rima, confused on what was going on. Rima studied the femme again, searching for any resemblance between her and Skreen. Then, she looked at Skreen, narrowing her optics.

"Is she not yours?" Rima asked sternly.

"Oh no!" Skreen shouted, catching himself after nearly dropping the sparkling. He sat back up, stuttering." I-I m-mean...I...I mean...I found her so I guess I'm responsible for her...not that I mind...but I don't know how to take care of a sparkling."

"But I do?"

"Don't you have more experience than me?"

"Are you saying that because I use to work at a daycare?" Which she could understand why Skreen would say that. For many years while she was married to her late mate, they tried to have a sparkling. But found out that Rima was incapable of having sparklings. So to compensate the empty feeling and saddness in her spark, she got a job at a sparkling care, letting the other sparklings fill that gap. But they only slightly filled the gap, it would become empty at the end of every day.

"Yeah, I mean no...well kind of yes and no." Skreen cleared his throat, he appeared more confident than before. " You took care of sparklings, so you know what to do when it comes to things like this. But I also thought that you might want some company, you know...since..."

Rima knew what he wanted to say, just didn't have it in his spark to say it. Which is why Rima liked him, he had the common respect that most mech's lack. She walked down wrapped the cloth around the young one and picked her up.

"Poor love, you must be cold." Rima whispered as she carried her into the house, pausing at the door, she gestured for Skreen to follow her. Blinking in surprise, he followed behind her into the house and closed the door."Tell me your name dear."

"I don't remember." She mumbled. "I told Skreen that, too."

"So I see." Rima stated, setting the young femme down and started cleaning the energon off the femme. Rima was surprised that the energon wasn't the femme's. The next question was, whose energon was this? Rima wanted to ask, but she knew better. From the looks of the femme, there was not muc hleft she could take of all the questions and uncertainty.

"I'm sorry I can't give you better answers." She said, drying off her faceplate.

" Do not be sorry love." Rima said, smiling and caressing the femme's faceplate. " I will name you Acrion and I will raise you like you are my own."

"Acrion." She said slowly, as if the name sounded very strange yet interesting to her.

"Yes my darling. Your name will be Acrion and you will be my daughter."

"Then you are mom?" She asked, pointing to Rima.

"Yes, but please, call me mother."

"Mother..." She said the word slowly as if the word was familiar but didn't know how.

"Yes my darling, I am mother." Rima picked up the femme again. "Come, we must go to the berth now. It is late, you must be tired."

Maybe the femm-Acrion didn't know she was tired, but she yawned and her optics started dimming. Then she looked at Skreen.

"Skreen, are you daddy then?" She asked.

He paused, uncertain what to say. He didn't want to say 'no'. The poor kid had enough trouble for one night that she didn't need any negative responses. But is he said 'yes', he would be lying. Unless he became her adoptive creator, then he wouldn't be lying. But was he ready for that responsibility? Could he help take care of a sparkling? What about Rima. What would she do? He looked up at Rima, who smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess I am." Skreen replied, feeling surprisingly comfortable with his decision.

"Skreen, I hope you do not mind sleeping on the spare berth I have." Rima said as Acrion laid her head on Rima's shoulder pads. " However, I believe it is better that powering down on the floor."

"That is more than I can ask for." He said, bowing slightly. "Goodnight gals."

"Yes, goodnight." Rima carried Acrion to the other berth. Gently, she laid her down and laid next to her. After Rima laid down, she heard light snores from Acrion. She couldn't help but giggle. Her spark felt warm as her optics gazed onto Acrion's sleeping faceplate. The innocence and beauty of her adoptive daughter, somehow, made her life feel better, lighter, joyous. Can a single sparkling do this?

"Acrion, my daughter." Rima whispered, pulling Acrion closer to her, holding her protectively. "We will be a family."