He sat down in the chair, glancing around at the controls, the monitors. They glinted in the dark, unwatched until now, showing glimpses of a quiet town.

He tipped the can to his lips and drank, enjoying the cold burn on his tongue. It wasn't what he wanted to be drinking, but given how often he ended up having to work when he wasn't on duty, he didn't dare. Soda tasted better than most alcohol, anyway, not that he would ever admit it to anyone, especially not his sons. His preference for Dani's fruity drinks, and Cody's soda, would hopefully remain his secret.

"Chief Burns? You are not scheduled to work for another four hours."

He jumped, nearly dropping the can before tightening his grip on it, splashing only a small amount of soda on his pants. "Chase! You scared me."

"I heard activity in the command center. I felt obligated to investigate."

He stood up, smiling, turning. "You were right to. Given all the trouble we have in this town, who knows what might get into here at this hour." He smiled, and took a sip.

"Is there an emergency? You are not yet on duty." The blue robot lumbered over, looking up at the Chief even as he looked down at his face.

"No emergency. Just couldn't sleep."

"Will that not impede your functionality at work?" The almost nasal sound Charlie had gotten used to in Chase's voice intensified slightly, annoyed. It seemed funny, given the decorative nature of his nose.

Charlie smiled. "Good thing I won't be driving, then."

Chase returned the smile briefly, but immediately moved on. "Why were you unable to sleep?"

He took a deep breath. There was a question he didn't want to answer. "Most people have trouble sleeping sometimes, Chase. Usually if there's a lot on your mind, that can do it."

"Is there 'a lot on your mind?'" the Autobot asked, voice dropping just a little to imitate Charlie's own intonation.

A small part of Charlie wanted to snap at the childlike alien, but he imagined looking down at a tiny, sandy-haired Graham or Cody, an infinite chorus of why, to calm himself before he answered. "Sometimes I think about what Cody's missing out on, growing up without a lot of… maternal influence." He shrugged. "There are some things that just need a woman's touch."

"Dani is a woman."

Charlie shook his head. "Dani's his sister, not his mother. And she's young. I'm not saying she's not good for Cody, but she doesn't do what a mother or a stepmother would." He shrugged. "We have pretty set roles for parents on this planet. If you don't have both, you kind of fill in the blanks, but…"

"It is my understanding that mothers nurture their young and provide affection and advice. Is that not what you do for Cody?"

He suppressed a groan. "Yes, but men and women… talk differently. They share and show feelings differently. Kids need both ways. I may be more sensitive than Kade and Dr. Greene, but I'm still a man."

Chase leaned down to look at Charlie, eyes shining in the dark. "How would you provide Cody with a 'step-mother'?" He glanced backward, as if remembering something. "If it is like the movies, you would need to engage in holy matrimony with a female who would then assume the role. Am I correct?"

Charlie couldn't help but laugh at that. "It's not that simple, Chase. You can't just marry anybody. You have to have a bond first. You have to care about them in a certain way." He smiled in spite himself, letting himself enjoy teaching even as the topic embarrassed him. "You know how Kade talks about Haley? That's how it starts. And for a man my age, it can be difficult to find someone. Especially when I've known everyone on this island for most of my life."

The robot actually cocked his head to the side. "I would think that knowing someone for a lengthy period of time would encourage bonding. I am very close to my teammates—"

"I don't think it works the same with you guys," Chief cut him off sharply, hoping to stop that line of thought before one of the more histrionic bots could overhear. " It's hard to look at someone you've known a long time that way for humans. It's instinct." Charlie turned back to the monitors, looking at the sleeping town. "If you marry someone… most of the time you need to love them in every way. You need to want them, to want to be close to them. There has to be physical intimacy, not just emotional. They have to be there for you first before they'll take interest in your kids." He took a deep breath, trying to anticipate the curious alien's next question. "You can hire someone to look after the kids, but they're an employee who could leave for any reason. A bunch of women who come and go are harder on a kid than nobody at all, and if the kid knows you're paying them to be around… well, that makes it cheaper, doesn't it? Like any love that's there doesn't mean as much."

Chase was quiet a moment, and so was Charlie, listening to the quiet hum of the command center. "Human mating and family rituals are very complicated. Is it not possible for a male with a more… feminine communication style to fulfill some aspects of the motherly role to children?"

Charlie nodded, sitting down in the chair. "I guess so. I mean, I guess Graham covers some of what Dani and I don't…"

"Then the feminine communication style is characterized by being sensitive, being soft-spoken, showing interest, sharing knowledge, and fostering an atmosphere of peace and relaxation?"

That earned a smile; Charlie tried to hide his shock. "Yeah. That's the ideal women in this part of the world are held to, but most of it is what everyone should do."

Chase smiled, bolt to bolt, yellow eyes up even brighter in the dark. "Chief, you do not need to worry about the lack of a maternal influence in Cody's life! All of the characteristics you have described are easily observed in Boulder. Boulder can be Cody's mother. So long as a sexual relationship between parental figures is not strictly necessary…"

Charlie didn't hear the rest over the sound of his own laughter. As the mental image played out in his head, he was vaguely aware of the soda can slipping out of his hands and the force of his laughter pulling him forward out of the chair. A small part of him was surprised at how little the floor hurt as it rushed up at him. The rest of him was too busy laughing.

Then the clanking of metal feet and a cry of a concern came into his hearing, over his laughter. A sudden whump near him and a rush of air snapped him out of it, and he found himself staring up into glowing yellow eyes rimmed in green.

"Chief, are you ok?" came that familiar deep voice, softer than Charlie had ever heard it. It picked up some strength as he continued, "I've never heard you laugh like that…" Black metal fingers glinted in the light as they extended themselves out in front of him, an offer to help him up.

"Just fine, Boulder. Thanks." He took the largest bot's fingers, using them to push himself to standing, fighting not to laugh again.

Boulder pushed back lightly, helping the chief to his feet. "What brought that on? We should get you to a doctor. One of those shows on the TV said that excessive laughter can be a sign that you've had a stroke…"

Charlie's serious façade broke; he chuckled. "Boulder, I haven't had a stroke!" He let go, leaning on the chair with one arm while he wiped his eyes with another hand. "Chase just… said…" He tried to finish his sentence, but laughter took it from him. He put both arms on the chair to brace himself as he guffawed.

"I am not sure what is so funny," Chase explained. "We were discussing the attributes necessary to fulfill motherly duties to children, and I postulated that you could act as Cody's mother."

Then Boulder laughed, deep and rich. "Aww, thanks, Chase. That's sweet of you."

By the time Charlie stopped laughing, the sun was up, Graham was ushering him to bed, and Boulder was mopping soda off the floor with a slag-eating grin.