AN: Well, this is my new story. I have been a part of Fanfiction forever but I haven't written anything in a long time. There's really no good excuse for that but I'm back to it now. I do believe I'm a little rusty so forgive me if this first chapter is horrible. I am open to critics and advice. I'm sure there are things I need to relearn and new things to learn as well. Anyways. This story is set after the movie Transformers Age of Extinction. I normally prefer the 1984 Transformers but I decided to stick with only a few Autobots to write until I get better. One more thing. I changed Michael Bay's Hound to the original '84 Hound who was a Jeep. I apologize if that upsets anyone but I just couldn't write Hound without it being... well, Hound.

A Katy Perry song blasted from the speakers of the dark green Jeep as it drove down the road to the Yeager home. Tessa and her friend from college, Alisa, sang along and laughed happily. Hound wasn't used to driving humans around but it didn't bother him. Bumblebee usually did it but he had left to visit an old friend. So, Hound volunteered to help when Tessa's boyfriend couldn't pick her up.

"Thank you so much for letting me stay with you, Tessa."

"Anytime." Tessa patted Alisa's arm. "I can't believe your pipes burst. Is all your stuff ruined?"

"Thankfully, it isn't. Most of my art had been stored safely. I just had to rent a storage unit until things are fixed."

"Well, you can stay as long as you want. I know Dad won't mind." Tessa hopped out of Hound's cab followed by Alisa on the other side. Hound stayed in vehicle mode as the girls went inside. He and Tessa had decided to introduce Alisa to the Autobots in the morning when the others came back. The world still knew about the Transformers but they were no longer hunted down. The Autobots were able to guard the Yeager family in peace.

Crosshairs usually avoided humans because he still had a hard time trusting them. Hound and Bumblebee interacted with the humans the most. Even in their alternate modes, people would recognize them. Sometimes they would transform in front of them. Most humans were in awe of the Autobots and wanted to learn more. Especially children. Kids loved Bumblebee and would often use him as a jungle gym. Drift got along with almost everyone but usually kept to himself.

With Optimus still in space and no more war, the Autobots weren't sure what to do now. So, they just kept an optic on the Yeagers and would go on road trips to explore the world. Every month a government official would check up on them to make sure they were behaving. Other than that, they were left to live their lives. Hound settled down for recharge and hoped that Alisa would not be afraid of them.

The next morning, the girls were finishing up their breakfast when they heard a commotion outside. Tessa rolled her eyes when she recognized the voices of Crosshairs and Drift. Sometimes those two were like an old married couple. She turned to Alisa with a smile, "Ready to meet my friends?"

Alisa ran a hand through her black hair to make sure it wasn't too messy and nodded. Tessa had revealed to her recently that she was friends with Transformers. But Alisa hadn't been able to meet them until now. They were still wary about humans. Alisa understood after Tessa had told her about their past. About the government hunting them down and using them for their metal.

Once Alisa stepped outside, she had to shield her eyes from the bright morning sunshine. The arguing immediately stopped and three sets of optics landed on her. She shifted, a little nervous now, and waved, "Hello."

Crosshairs eyed her warily and did not respond. Drift bowed as he introduced himself. Alisa greeted him. Drift seemed to be nice. Hound knelt down in front of her to make her feel more comfortable. "Hello, Alisa. My designation is Hound."

Tessa's phone rang so she excused herself. Alisa gave Hound a smile. "Nice to meet you, Hound."

Tessa came back. "Sorry about that. It was Shane."

"Are you two going out?"

Tessa shook her head, "I wouldn't be a good host if I left you here."

"I'll just bug Hound while you are gone," grinned Alisa making Hound chuckle.

"And if she needs to go anywhere, I will take her." Tessa studied them for a moment then nodded. She laughed when Alisa nudged her inside so she could get ready for Shane and was quick to head upstairs. Alisa came back out with her sketchbook.

"May I draw you, Hound?"

"Um, yes?" Did he need to pose? No one had ever asked to draw him. "What do I do?"

Alisa settled down in one of the wicker chairs on the porch. "Just relax. We can talk if you want. No need to stay still."

Hound nodded and sat down as well. They spent the next few hours talking as Alisa drew. She liked Hound and felt like they could become good friends. After adding a few finishing touches to her sketch, Alisa let Hound see it.

"That is amazing, Alisa," rumbled Hound. He was about to say something else when her phone started to ring. She looked at it, sighed and silenced it. "Who is Zac?"

Hound was hovering right above her so he must have seen the caller I.D.. "Zac is my boyfriend."

Then why did she not answer the phone? Hound wondered to himself. He did a quick internet search for the term 'boyfriend'. So, this Zac is something like a sparkmate. They just haven't bonded yet. "Is everything okay?"

Alisa's expression turned guilty. "Yeah. He's just been really clingy lately and I'm not used to it."

"You should talk to him, Alisa."

"You're right." Alisa gave Hound a smile, thanked him and hurried inside to make the call. Hound watched her go with a smile forming on his faceplates. It was nice to make a new friend. He had forgotten how lonely he was after the war ended. Briefly, he wondered if there were any other Autobots alive out there. Maybe Optimus would be able to find the others. One could only hope.

Alisa stood outside the restaurant, fuming. She had called Hound earlier and asked him to pick her up. Said Autobot had just arrived. He parked in front of her and opened his passenger door. Alisa was about to get in but someone called her name. Zac came over to stop her from leaving.

"I'm sorry, Alisa. I didn't know it was going to be that much."

Alisa rolled her eyes. Every time they went out, Alisa ended up paying. Zac never seemed able to hold a job. "It's a nice restaurant that you picked out. Did you seriously expect it to be cheap?"

"Well...," Zac then noticed the Jeep she was standing beside. "Wait. You don't have a car."

Alisa pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look. I'm too mad to talk to you right now. I'll call you sometime."

Once she got in, Hound drove away. Alisa knew she shouldn't have run away but she just couldn't deal with him right now. She stayed silent so Hound turned on the music. He decided to keep driving, hoping she would relax and talk to him. The Autobot had only known her for a few days but he had already grown attached to her. Hound turned down a dirt road, heading no where in particular. The mech scanned her to make sure there were no injuries. He was starting to get worried.

"Thanks for coming to get me." Finally. Hound was about to explode with questions.

"Anytime," rumbled Hound. His voice came through the speakers. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Alisa rubbed her face. The young woman was exhausted. She didn't feel like talking but she knew it would make her feel better. "Zac finally takes me out on a nice date and then he doesn't pay the bill. I have barely any money left until payday."

"I'm sure Tessa and Cade will help you and I will drive you anywhere."

"You're the best, Hound." Alisa rubbed the armrest and smiled when Hound hummed happily. "Does that feel good?"

"Yes. It feels like a massage."

She continued to rub the armrest then asked, "Can you feel me sitting here?"

"Yes. It was odd at first but I'm used to it now." Hound thought for a moment. "It's almost like you are sitting on my shoulder."

The next day, Alisa had no classes so she decided to watch a movie with Drift. They had picked out a Bruce Lee movie. She ended up sitting in his cab watching the movie as he projected it onto his windshield. When the movie ended, she got out so he could transform. Drift had a big smile on his face.

"I like this Bruce Lee. He is a skilled warrior." He set his gaze on Alisa. "We must watch his other movies."

Alisa laughed and patted his leg. "How about we watch one every week?"

Drift agreed then turned toward the barn when they heard Cade yell out. Alisa glanced at Drift then headed to the barn to investigate. Hound and Cade had been in the barn all day. What they were working on? Alisa had tried to get Hound to tell her but he would only say it was a surprise.

She could see Cade and Hound hunched over a table. Hound had a smile on his face. "I think it's going to work this time."

"What is going to work?" They both jumped, startled, and looked at her. She could see there was a small contraption on the table between them. Nothing had exploded so Cade must have yelled out in triumph. "Oh. What is that?"

"Well, it was my hologram projector." Hound picked it up and installed it while Cade explained what they had done to it. "If it works then my hologram that I use to blend in will actually be solid. It will become a holoform."

"This could be interesting." Drift had poked his head inside to watch the experiment. Hound transformed into his vehicle mode and they all waited impatiently. After a few moments a man appeared beside the Jeep. He was a few inches taller than Alisa. Hound's holoform had brown hair and his eyes were blue just like his optics. A plain white t-shirt and blue jeans clothed him. Hound lifted his hands to study them.

"This is... different." Poke. Alisa had prodded his arm in curiosity. He chuckled, "I'm solid, Alisa. And I can feel that."

"Really?" Hound nodded. Alisa wasn't sure about the holoform. She had gotten used to the Autobots by now. Seeing Hound as a human? She had to be honest that it was a little weird. "I think I prefer you as a giant robot."

Hound laughed as he deactivated the holoform and transformed. "Thanks, Alisa. I promise only to use it when necessary."