Transformers: The bonds of family

Author's note: After a long delay, I've decided to rewrite one of my older stories to see if I could make it better. This is what resulted.

Disclaimer: As said before, I only own my OCs. I do not own the Transformers, they belong to Hasbro and this is not set in an established TF universe although it will have influences from several of the series'.

(Optimus Prime's POV)

It has been 3 years and yet it is hard to believe that Elita and I are taking care of human children while waging the battle against the Decepticons. While Lauren and Terry have gone out to find out what they wish to do with their lives, their younger siblings are still not adults; Kyle has two more years of high school and Brandon, the youngest, is in 3rd grade. I know that not all humans are like them but it is the Wilson siblings who are a reminder of how much they and the rest of their species have to learn.

Perhaps it would be best to write down everything that happened when we first met and begin from there and hopefully, the kids will supply their own POVs of what has happened if I ask them…

(Lauren's POV)

There is nothing more frustrating than being the oldest in a large family. I often wish I was the only kid but whatever the reason is that God gave me siblings, I would not have traded them for the world and it had to have been a good reason.

The Autobots are another story; I was not one to believe in life on other planets. Marcy always believed that it was possible "they just haven't tried to contact us". Also, Kayla didn't think God made just humans and the animals on Earth as the only living creatures in the universe. It was something we and our parents would debate once in a while and it usually wasn't serious.

My parents, well, let's just say that they were not perfect but they were good parents. They disciplined us when necessary, would give us tips on how to deal with life, and reminded us to not lose faith. Our family is in fact Roman Catholic but we do not judge people who had different beliefs than us. (I had a friend once who was homosexual and always prayed that God would help him and show him love but that's another story.) Our small town of Lanceville, WA is a very diverse small town so we're used to seeing many different people, both locals and the occasional tourists that stop here on their way to Seattle. It's something that just seems normal after a while once one gets used to it. Mom had brown hair and she passed that on to Kyle, Darcy, Marcy and Kayla while Dad passed on his red hair to Lisa and I. Brandon on the other hand got blonde hair while Terry was also a brunette anyway when he was first adopted into the family. (Only my parents remember that being that I was two years old at the time and not understanding what was going on). Each of us is 2 years apart in age and most of our birthdays are in the spring whereas Kyle's, Lisa's and mine are all in June. We remember our parents' birthdays of course but it's more of a solemn occasion for everyone.

Most people dislike their parents and don't like arguing over things like cell phone privileges, curfew, schoolwork, etc. After our own mom and dad died, all of us Wilson siblings would say that we would give anything to be able to have that. I decided to legally declare myself an adult because as much as my siblings are a handful, I can't stand them being separated. Terry, my first younger brother, is definitely helpful when it comes to taking care of everybody. I don't know where he learned it but somehow he always seems to take things in stride but will talk to me about anything that's bugging him.

Sure, Terry may be African-American and adopted, but once again, my family is not judgmental. He has yet to search for his birth parents and thinks that we're the greatest thing he's ever had. The occasional racist tourist that sees us walking through town or eating at the local diner owned by my friend's dad will give quite a few insults that are not appropriate to state here but we have all learned to ignore them. Someday I hope those people learn that skin color and ability/disability are not all there is to a person.

Kyle, the first of my biological siblings and my 2nd younger brother does in fact have some amazing ability. He is extremely good at basketball. This would be great if he didn't brag so much but I think the reason he does it is a coping mechanism for Dad not being able to tell him "great job son" whenever he makes a good play in a game. He does of course have his limits on what he'll dare to do, basketball related or not, much to everyone's relief although I swear if he imitates Michael Jordan one more time, I am really going to question his sanity.

If I could get Lisa relief from bullying easily, I would have done it a long time ago. She was born without the ability to walk and we're not really sure why; Mom never did drugs, smoked or drank alcohol during that pregnancy or any other one that she had. Our parents were never addicted to those things and taught us to stay away from them. Darcy thinks it's just bad genes and is probably right, maybe she isn't. Regardless of the real reason, my fellow redheaded sibling has always been used to being in a wheelchair and is quite the artist when it comes to drawing pictures of us, TV show characters, or whatever she feels like drawing. She won't make images of things that are dirty and never creates disturbing scenes. Still, if kids keep telling her that she's ugly, I really fear for what will happen, even with us now having the Autobots around as our extended family to help her out when they're not on the battlefield.

Darcy is extremely bad at sports hence her being the "nerd" of the family. She will help everyone with their science homework after doing her own, only if it's under that of her grade level of course. I mean, she's not smart enough to go off to college before 18 but she is still smart nonetheless. Darcy would have to be the one to have the most difficulty keeping true to our religion but it doesn't bother us too much, especially not her twin, Marcy.

Well, what can I say about my other sibling that happens to be half of the only set of twins? Marcy is addicted to popular culture. Television shows, video games, books, you name it. She tends to quote a lot of them. She is on the autism spectrum just slightly as she tends to want to ignore reality and stay in her own fantasy worlds. She's not going to be able to do that forever of course but still, I can live with her being a Trekkie or doing a one-person act version of one of Shakespeare's plays.

My youngest sister Kayla is the quietest person in the family. She always reminds me to take everyone to church and she's pretty sure that she wants to be in a convent someday but I don't know for sure if that will ever happen. Shy and sensitive are the best words to describe her but if one knew her as well as the rest of us did, they would know that all she wants is to think deep thoughts and help make the world a better place to live.

Brandon, my youngest brother just wants to be as manly as Kyle and Terry and isn't so keen on having a lot of sisters. He can be a pest but knows where to draw the line. Thank God that we're all pretty close as a family or I wouldn't know what good things to say about him or the rest of us kids.

Personally, I think that Optimus could tell you about us meeting the Autobots a little bit better but our side of the story should be told as well. Either way, it is still our story and proof enough that we haven't always been where we are right now, a family of robots and organics.

Author's note: To those who read the original, I hope you enjoy this rewrite. There will be at least one thing in the original eliminated from this version and more description and characterization. To new reviewers/readers, I hope you also enjoy this.