Windblazer Prime requested this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy!
Danielle, Mark, and Alisa belong to Windblazer Prime, Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Man Of Action, and Transformers belongs to Hasbro. I only own Rachel in this story.
You're Still My Little One, Even Though You're All Grown Up
Danielle sat on the porch swing, pushing lightly with her feet to make it rock gently as she watched Mark and Alisa race around the yard and around their father, Kuphulu. The alien mummy scooped Alisa up in his arms, making her giggle happily as he tossed her up in the air a bit and caught her when she came down again. Mark jumped on his father's back and felt some tendrils wrap around him to prevent him from falling off as Kuphulu then took off in a run, making his children squeal happily, their squeals making Danielle laugh. Suddenly, she felt her phone vibrate and she pulled it out to see who was calling. The number looked familiar, but she couldn't place it as she shrugged and answered it. "Hello?" she asked politely.
"Hello, Danielle," said a very familiar voice on the other end and she gasped in surprise and happiness as she recognized the gruff, but gentle, voice.
"Ratchet? Is that you?" she asked hopefully.
Ratchet chuckled. "Who else, little one?" he asked. "How are you?"
"I'm good," she said. "I'm guessing you guys beat the 'Cons."
"You know it," he said. "Whereabouts are you now, Danielle? I can't seem to track your signal."
She smiled. "It's not your scanners, Ratchet. Where I'm at, there's a shield to prevent cellphone signals from being tracked and to prevent someone from listening in on our conversation," she said.
"Danielle? Where are you?" he asked worriedly.
"I'm okay, Ratchet," she said reassuringly. "As to where I am, can I call you back on that? I have to talk with someone first."
"Danielle? You're not in jail, are you?" asked Ratchet.
"No, nothing like that, Ratchet," said Danielle. "I'll explain in a moment, okay?"
With that, she went in the Mansion to find Rachel, who was currently mopping the kitchen floor. She looked up and saw Danielle waving to her. "What's up, Danielle?" she asked, making her way over carefully.
"Rachel, I was wondering about something. I have a…friend who's very protective of me and he just called, wondering where I am. I told him I'm safe, but he always likes to see where I am and decided for himself if I'm truly safe or not," she said.
"Ah, a worried guardian," said Rachel with a knowing smile. "Chromastone gets that way with me and Sasha sometimes."
Danielle smiled. "He's an alien too, an Autobot," she said. "His name is Ratchet and he's a medic."
"An Autobot?" Rachel asked, seeing the girl nod.
"Yeah, he's a good guy."
Rachel smiled. "I know that," she said gently. "Rook told me about the time he saw them fighting their enemies once while he was returning from a mission. They are well known by the Plumbers."
Danielle looked hopeful. "So, is it okay if I tell Ratchet where I am so he can visit?" she asked.
"Of course," the owner of the Grant Mansion said in agreement.
It didn't take Danielle long to make the call.
A couple days later, Rachel was outside putting a fresh coat of protective finish on the porch railing while Alisa was pulling a few weeds out of the flower bed near where her aunt was working. The little girl turned at the sound of an engine, as did Rachel and they saw an orange and white ambulance pull up. "Aunty, who's that?" asked Alisa.
"I don't know," said Rachel.
Just then, Danielle came out and gasped in happiness. "Ratchet, you're here!" she called out and raced up to the ambulance, which transformed into a tall robot who looked down at Danielle with blue eyes and a gentle smile.
"Hello, my little one," he said affectionately as he scooped her up in his palm and held her up to his face and she hugged his face happily.
Kuphulu, who had just come out with Mark, froze. The young boy hid behind his father, gazing up at the robot and Alisa hid behind Rachel, who blinked in stunned amazement before recovering and smiling.
"Welcome to the Grant Mansion, Ratchet," she said politely. "I'm Rachel Jocklin, the owner of the Mansion."
He looked down at her. "Rachel Jocklin. Niece of the Jocklin scientist brothers," he said with a smile. "Am I correct?"
"The same," she said with a nod and a smile.
Ratchet then noticed the alien mummy and the two children. "Who are these ones?" he asked curiously.
Danielle looked nervous. "Uh…Ratchet, I…uh." Unable to think of something, she looked at Rachel, giving her a pleading look. With a nod, Rachel spoke up.
"This is Kuphulu, one of my many brothers. And these two children are Mark and Alisa, my niece and nephew," she explained.
"Mommy, is he going to give us a checkup?" asked Alisa right then.
Everyone froze at that and Ratchet looked at Danielle, who now really didn't know what to say. Rachel, seeing the medic was about to explode, quickly jumped in.
"Ratchet, wait!" she said urgently. "Please, before you blow a fuse, let Danielle bring you up to speed on her life."
Giving Rachel a grateful look, the young hero looked up at her guardian. "Can we go for a drive, Ratch?" she asked.
He nodded and set her down, transforming to his vehicle mode and she got in. "We'll be back in a bit," she promised as they headed out.
"Where is he taking Mom, Aunt Rachel?" asked Mark worriedly.
She turned to him with a reassuring smile. "They're just going for a drive," she said. "Your mom hasn't seen her guardian in a long time, so she has a lot to tell him."
"She won't leave us and Daddy, will she?" asked Alisa, fear in her voice.
"Oh, no. Never," said Rachel, picking Alisa up and holding her and walking up the steps to where Mark and Kuphulu were. She placed a hand on the alien mummy's shoulder in comfort and patted Mark's head gently, handing Alisa over to her father. "She and Ratchet just need some privacy to talk about stuff. They'll be back."
"I hope so," said Kuphulu as he hugged both his children close to him, a small bit of worry in his voice.
In the meantime, Danielle brought Ratchet up to speed on what had happened since she had joined her brother to fight the alien threats to Earth and how she had fallen in love with Kuphulu, who had once been a bad guy, but turned to the good side when he fell in love with her, and how Alisa and Mark had come to the Mansion and had become her and Kuphulu's children. By the time, she finished, Ratchet had cooled down a bit.
"They are your adopted children?" he asked her.
"Yes," she said. "They were found by two of Rachel's brothers, who brought them to the Mansion and Kuphulu and I decided to adopt them."
"And this alien mummy, Kuphulu, treats you right? He hasn't hurt you?"
"Yes he treats me right and no, he's never hurt me or the children," said Danielle. "You know, you're acting a lot like a dad."
That made Ratchet pause a moment before he chuckled. "I guess I am," he admitted. "But it's because you're my charge, Danielle and I worry about you, little one."
"Ratch, I'm a grown woman," she said gently. "I can take care of myself, you know."
"I know you can," he said, a smile in his voice. "But you're still my little one, you know that?"
Danielle smiled. "Yes, I do," she said. "But don't worry so much about me."
"I can't promise I won't worry about you, but, I'll try to remember you're a big girl now," he promised her. "Just like your mother."
She heard the pride in Ratchet's voice and patted his door. "Thanks, Ratchet," she said. "Can we head back? I want you to meet Kuphulu and your grandnephew and grandniece properly."
Ratchet chuckled. "Let's go then," he said and she jumped in as he headed back for the Mansion. Rachel had just finished putting away the wood finish and the paintbrushes when they pulled up.
"Hey," she said. "How'd it go?"
"Good," said Danielle, jumping out as Ratchet transformed again. "Where's Kuphulu and the kids?"
"In Mark and Alisa's room," she answered. "The kids are really worried and so is Kuphulu."
"Then we better talk to them," said the young hero.
Rachel gestured to the side of the house. "Try the balcony outside their room," she suggested. "That way, Ratchet won't have to worry about using a hologram."
Thanking the owner of the Grant Mansion for her thoughtfulness and understanding, both Ratchet and Danielle headed around and stopped at the balcony outside Mark and Alisa's room. The kids and Kuphulu came out when they saw them.
"Mommy!" said Alisa, running over and hugging her. Mark did the same before Kuphulu came over and kissed Danielle, who returned the kiss.
"Guys, I want you to meet Ratchet," she said. "Ratchet, this is Alisa, Mark, and Kuphulu."
Ratchet smiled. "Hello, you three," he said in a friendly voice.
"Who is he, Mom?" asked Mark.
Danielle smiled. "He's your great-uncle," she said. "Go on, he won't hurt you or Alisa."
The two kids moved closer and Ratchet smiled at them. "Hello, kiddos," he said.
"Are you going to give us a checkup?" asked Alisa worriedly.
He gently shook his head. "I can see you both are in good health," he said. "Your parents are taking good care of you."
That one statement made all worry disappear from the kids and they smiled at their new uncle, unafraid of him. Ratchet then looked at Kuphulu.
"Kuphulu, Danielle told me about your past and how you've become a better person," he said. "Do you really love her?"
Kuphulu swallowed nervously and took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, sir," he said. "I love Danielle and the children more than anything. I'd do anything for them."
Ratchet nodded and smiled. "Please take good care of her and these two," he said, to which Kuphulu nodded.
"Ratchet? Does that mean, we have your blessing?" she asked hopefully.
He smiled again. "Yes, Danielle," he said. "Would you allow me to walk you down the aisle on your wedding day, when it comes?"
She had tears in her eyes as she smiled and nodded. "Yes," she said.
Ratchet smiled and nodded, receiving a message from Optimus about some new recruits coming. Promising he'd be there in a moment, the medic turned to the four people standing on the balcony before him.
"Take care," he said. "I'll visit when time allows me too."
"And we'll call more often," Danielle promised as they all waved and watched the Autobot medic go through the spacebridge back to the Autobot base.
That night, after the kids were in bed, Danielle stood on the balcony and heard Kuphulu come up behind her and felt him wrap an arm around her. "Ratchet thinks of you as his daughter," he said. "I recognized the same protectiveness of you in him, just as I do for our daughter."
"Yes," she said. "And I wouldn't want it different at all."
"Neither would I," he agreed as he kissed her deeply. She kissed him back, neither one seeing Ratchet quietly watching them from a distance. He smiled and nodded, heading back through the spacebridge he had just come through, reassured once more that his little one was happy.
And he was happy for her too.
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GoldGuardian2418