Well… I haven't wrote for this fandom in quite some time. I honestly don't know if there's many people still interested in this series of mine. I wrote the last one years ago and most of my old readers have probably moved on. But yeah, this is a new "Black Crayons" story.

When last I wrote for "Transformers," I rewrote the entire third film. It was entitled "A Child's Innocence" and it was a lot of work. I mean, it was insane. But by the end, I was proud of it. I incorporated Annabelle Lennox into the events of the film, shifted things around, spared and killed off various characters, and managed to end up with something that people seemed to enjoy.

Then "Transformers: Age of Extinction" happened.

I can't even describe how much I hated humanity during the course of that film. Our species managed to make Optimus Prime lose faith in us. Do you realize how horrible we have to be for that to happen? I spent the majority of the film wishing the Autobots would just leave the planet and let the Decepticons wipe us out. Add in the fact that the entire human cast was pretty much forgotten (no references to them at all practically) and I was just completely frustrated.

I wanted to fix it. I wanted to continue "Black Crayons" on a more hopeful note. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

And now "Transformers: The Last Knight" is out.

The movie isn't perfect. It has its problems. But it has Lennox. It has Simmons. It references Sam's existence. There is continuity, people! There's a child character who is friends with Cybertronians and considers them family. Wheelie is alive. Barricade is alive. Even if the film isn't perfect, I was far less angry and furious with humanity this time around.

So I'm finally writing another story for my series. If you have not read my "Black Crayons" series in general and "A Child's Innocence" specifically, you'll be very confused. You should definitely read them first. The correct viewing order is on my profile page. But this is set after "A Child's Innocence," which means after the battle in Chicago.

I do not own "Transformers" in any shape or form. I don't own the characters (though the majority of the personalities for Annabelle and Sarah could be claimed as my invention since they don't get much screen time in the film series). But just because I don't own these things doesn't mean I can't have a little fun with them on occasion.

Not According to Plan

The plan was originally for Mommy and Annabelle to head home straight from the hospital, even if it was a long way, while Daddy and Ironhide stayed behind with everyone else. There was a lot of work to do fixing everything that happened in Chicago after all. They couldn't go home just yet, not when there was so much left to do.

The plan lasted maybe five miles.

While the girl practically snuggled into the seat, simply happy to have her best friend back and not ready to let go of the seatbelt after she'd thought she'd lost him, her parents and the Autobot talked around her. She didn't really listen much, but Annabelle heard enough. No one wanted to separate. Not really. They'd all been split up too much with the kidnapping, the spaceship blowing up, the attack on Chicago by the bad robots, and then her getting stuck in the hospital for a few days. But they also talked about wanting her to be somewhere safe and all their worries because she got hurt.

She thought it was all pretty silly. The bad robots were running away scared. Daddy, Mommy, and Ironhide were there with her. So she was safe. And all her injuries would get better. The bruises were starting to turn funny colors around the edges, especially the smaller ones. Some of the scratches were already fading. And her cast had her drawings and names from Sam, Mikaela, Mommy, Daddy, and the funny man who worked for Mr. Simmons named Dutch. With the medicine that Mommy would pick up from the pharmacy, she would be fine.

Nothing bad could happen now. Everyone she loved was back together. Everything was okay now.

When there was a brief lull in the conversation, Annabelle decided it was time to speak her mind.

"I don't want to leave Daddy and Ironhide yet. Can we stay with them, Mommy? I've missed them. Please?"

And as her parents exchanged silent looks that seemed to have a lot of meaning and the seatbelt briefly tightened on her as a protective hug, the issue seemed settled.

Rather than going home immediately, she and Mommy would be staying to help with cleanup. The soldiers and Autobots would be helping with the debris and broken buildings, the Cybertronians either keeping out of sight or staying in disguise. Daddy and Ironhide would be really good at that because Ironhide could carrying heavy stuff as a truck.

And Mommy planned to help all the people with no homes anymore. There was a soup kitchen quickly set up and Mommy took charge of it and distributing supplies to the people who needed them. The one time someone tried to question her authority to take over and how she started running it, they apparently left crying. Mommy said they were just another "brainless bureaucrat" who didn't have a clue, so it was probably okay.

And while they were all busy helping everyone, Annabelle spent the days in a frantically-emptied store that served as an improvised daycare and shelter for kids. The children of other volunteers, kids who were missing from their families, and really sad children who no longer had parents all stayed there until something better could be arranged for them. Since everyone else was helping out, Annabelle decided to do her part too.

Even with her arm in a cast and the bruise on her side still healing, Annabelle worked really hard to cheer up the other kids. She organized games. She told jokes. She made sure anyone who even thought about acting like a bully quickly figured out it was a bad idea. She hugged them when they cried, even with the cast making it tricky. And she told them that the bad robots were gone and they were safe now.

Some believed her. Others weren't as certain. But Annabelle didn't give up.

So while Katie, a teenager girl with black hair and lots of piercings, watched over a large chunk of the children and the adults tried to fix the city, Annabelle kept trying to help the other children feel better. And at the end of the day, Mommy would pick her up and they'd ride back to where the Autobots and the soldiers were staying. Well, them, Sam, and Mikaela since those two were also helping alongside their friends. Some of the people would sleep on cots there, but Annabelle would curl up in the cab of her favorite truck. Ironhide didn't seem to mind.

The city was a mess. A lot of people were sad, angry, scared, or lost. But Annabelle was honestly happier than she'd been since the Decepticon arrived at her house.

And she was making new friends at the improvised daycare. Some of the kids she tried to comfort and distract quickly became her favorites. Danny was near her age, but was a little nervous about things. Izabella was eight years old and sad. But she seemed brave and seemed to understand the difference between good robots and bad robots. Luke was younger than her and energetic. His parents were helping with handing out supplies too. Peter was also eight and he was pretty shy. And Gwen was about Annabelle's age and stayed near Peter all the time. They knew each other from before Sentinel Prime messed everything up.

She liked them. So Annabelle did her best to keep them safe and happy while they stayed at the improvised daycare. It was easier than trying to chase down bad guys and her parents would probably be less worried that way.

But when a couple of teenage boys pulled up to the building in a van, one of them kissed Katie, and Katie started herding some of the children towards the vehicle, Annabelle knew something was wrong. Mommy told her not to leave the building without her. They weren't supposed to go anywhere. And the other teenagers who helped watch all the children were busy near the back doing something Katie asked them to help with. This was wrong. But Katie was calling it a field trip and telling them to get in the van with the strangers.

Katie collected Danny, Izabella, Luke, Peter, and Gwen for the strange field trip. Annabelle climbed into the van anyway. Someone had to watch over them.

The world kept changing. Ever since aliens started falling from the sky, nothing was the same anymore. And then they tore Chicago apart.

And no one even got it properly on film.

Mike wasn't like his friend, Tommy. He didn't hate and distrust the alien robots to that extreme amount. He wasn't fond of them or the war that caused so much destruction to his city. There was anger and fear of the unknown and the dangers that came from the Cybertronians existing. But Tommy was on a completely different level with his hatred. He wanted all of them dead and gone.

Mike, on the other hand, just wanted to be famous.

The idea was a little crazy, but awesome. Mike's girlfriend was watching over a bunch of children displaced by the battle in Chicago. And nothing could move the hearts and minds of people like scared and adorable children being threatened by giant robots. If anything could unite the people, it would be that. And once everyone wanted the same thing, the government would try to force the Cybertronians off the planet again. Maybe this time they would actually leave. None of them were entirely sure what happened after the demands for the Autobots to get off the planet were made and the spaceship destroyed, but they probably lied or something.

So with their plan in mind, Tommy and Mike drove to the outskirts of the city to the building serving as a daycare and "borrowed" a few of the kids. While the others taking care of them were in the back, Katie helped sneak out a handful of kids at the perfect age to win over sympathy.

As soon as the six small figures were loaded inside the van, Mike slammed the door shut and Tommy hit the accelerator. People weren't really supposed to be driving back into the main parts of the city. It wasn't completely safe and stable yet. The damage to the buildings and the bodies of the dead… But there were ways to get in. Soldiers and cleanup crews had cleared a few paths.

While Tommy focused on driving, Mike turned around to look at the children crammed in the back. Three girls and three boys. One blond boy in a blue shirt, the youngest and bouncing in his seat. A brown-haired boy in red and a blonde girl in green practically clung to each other. Another brown-haired boy in a striped shirt kept glancing around nervously. A black-haired girl in yellow stared out the window, something about her inescapably sad. And meeting Mike's gaze firmly was a blonde girl with a cast on her arm.

"Where are we going?" asked the girl in the cast. "We're not supposed to leave. Mommy will be really mad at you."

Smiling at the children, Mike said, "Don't worry, Sweetie."

"Annabelle," corrected the child firmly.

The kid couldn't be much older than five or six, but the others were looking towards her. Even the older girl and boy glanced towards her, as if waiting to see what she would say or do next. They were waiting for a hint of how they should react. Maybe it was her tone or how she didn't seem at all nervous or scared about the situation. Or maybe she'd already established some respect with the other children. All Mike knew was that somehow she was the ringleader of these kids.

Well, he could probably handle a six year old girl with a broken arm.

"Okay, Annabelle. No one is going to get in trouble. You're all going to help us with something important."

"Really?" asked the youngest boy.

"Yep. You're going to be in a video on the internet and end up famous."

Mike's phone started ringing, the cell service around Chicago having been reestablished in the days since the battle. Unless Katie was calling to warn someone already figured out what happened to the kids, there was only one person who could be responsible.

"Emily?" he said as he answered. "Scouting go well?"

"Better than expected," said Emily, the excitement clear over the speakers. "I have a surprise. We need to change our plans a little and make it a two-parter, but it'll be worth it. Meet me where we agreed and we'll get started. And tell Tommy to stop scowling. I don't even have to see him to know he's scowling."

Mike shot him a look. Tommy was scowling. Of course his girlfriend would know Tommy was scowling. The couple didn't always get along, but she knew him well.

"All right," Mike said. "We'll see you in five minutes. Ten at the most."

When he hung up, Annabelle asked again, "Where are we going?"

Glancing into the rearview mirror, Tommy said, "We're going to see monsters."

Short chapters, I know. But I thought it would be best to break this up a little anyway.

Coming up with names for the kids was interesting. Obviously, Izabella is the kid from "Transformers: The Last Knight," only about six years younger. She was in Chicago, after all. Danny is named for the kid character, Daniel, who appeared in the original "Transformers" movie. The animated one where Optimus Prime dies for the very first time and traumatized a bunch of kids. Luke is because I wanted a "Star Wars" reference and I thought it would be a cool name. Peter is a double reference. First, he is named in honor of Peter Cullens, the original voice actor for Optimus Prime and still doing it in the films. And Peter, combined with Gwen, allows me to make a Spider-man reference.

So yeah, those are the kids that Annabelle is hanging out with prior to a bunch of teenagers kidnapping them. Hopefully you'll enjoy how things turn out. And remember, reviews are always appreciated.