Windblazer Prime, who owns Danielle, Mark, Alisa, and Nightingale requested this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy!
I only own the Grant Mansion and Transformers belongs to Hasbro.
Some spoilers for the Ben 10 Omniverse episode "The Vampire Strikes Back". Also, there is some mention of another story I wrote for Windblazer Prime called "True Love Can Change A Person". You don't have to read that one before this one, but if you want to know the whole story of Kuphulu becoming a good guy, you can check it out.
Gaining Something Important
Kuphulu was outside watching his two children playing 'tag' and thinking of his fiancée, who was off on another mission with her cousin. He smiled as he thought about how lucky he was to have the three of them in his life. He then heard a familiar engine and turned to see the Autobot Medic Ratchet pull up and transform. "Hello, Ratchet," he said respectfully.
"Hello, Kuphulu," said the medic as he sat down and saw his grandnephew and grandniece playing. "I was hoping you were here because we needed to talk."
The alien mummy nodded. "I figured," he said.
Ratchet looked down at him and then looked away, becoming thoughtful. "Danielle is like my daughter," he said. "I remember when she was first born and when I first held her. I felt protective of her, as did her father and mother, who asked me to become a godfather to Danielle, in case something happened to them. I didn't hesitate to accept.
"When she grew older, the Autobot-Decepticon war pulled me into it and I had to leave to protect them. They understood, but Danielle didn't want me to leave, but she knew I had to. During the war, I tried to keep tabs on her, but after the Cons attacked the base, I knew if they found her, it would be terrible. So, I stopped contacting her and her family, vowing I'd be back after the war ended."
The medic sighed. "But I should have known things would change very quickly before the war would finally end," he said.
Kuphulu felt sympathy for the Autobot. "I know how you feel," he said and gazed at his children. "I remember when Zs'Skayr first recruited me to help him with his plan to revive the Vladats and take over Anur Transyl. I was looking for work and he offered me a job and when I saw what he did to his victims, I became afraid to fight him or go back on his orders because in a fight against him, I wouldn't have succeeded.
"But I knew I didn't want any part of his plan when Lord Transyl began attacking after he woke up and when he enslaved the planet to do his bidding. Seeing them working against their will made me want to run and not look back, but I knew that if I did that, Transyl would come after me, along with Zs'Skayr. So, I stayed, but I felt like such a coward."
Kuphulu paused and took a deep breath. "But then, when Ben came flying in to save his friends and Danielle came in to help him, I froze. I could fight Ben, but I couldn't fight Danielle," he said.
"Why not?" asked Ratchet curiously.
"Because…she was a girl, a young woman, and it would have been cowardly of me to fight her, even though she could transform just like her cousin," Kuphulu answered. "Just when it seemed Transyl would win, Dr. Viktor stopped the Corrupturas from hitting Ben and Danielle, not wanting the evil Vladat to terrorize Anur Transyl ever again. I watched them fight and I couldn't help but admire Danielle's bravery. After they left for Earth, I was arrested and banished from the planet. My brother, Snare-Oh, came to get me and brought me down to Earth, where the inhabitants at the Grant Mansion gave me a second chance."
He then sighed. "But I couldn't stop thinking about Danielle and I began searching for her, finding her and doing something I'm not proud of, but I was so desperate to see her and to tell her that I was falling for her."
"You kidnapped her," said Ratchet, making the mummy alien wince.
"Yes," he said. "I called Rachel after I did so and begged her not to tell my brother, to which she reluctantly agreed, although she would only do so if I told my brother afterwards, which I agreed to."
"From what she told me, you knocked her out," said the medic.
"Yes, with sleep powder," Kuphulu admitted. "I didn't want to hurt her, no matter how desperate I was. When she woke up and found herself tied down and blindfolded, I asked her to please listen to me first before she decided to blast me. She agreed and I released her, but was taken by surprise when she looked at me with surprise and then walked towards me. I backed up as I was a bit afraid of what she had in mind until she suddenly kissed me, admitting that she loved me. I was almost too stunned to respond. The girl I loved also loved me in return? It felt like a dream come true.
"We returned to the mansion and Snare-Oh was furious with me, but Danielle stood up to him, something that surprised him, myself, and Rachel, who had been watching. Seeing that Danielle willingly accepted me, Snare-Oh calmed down and accepted her as a sister-in-law, giving us his blessing. And then, when Mark and Alisa came to the mansion, we adopted them, and I couldn't ask for better children or for a better girl to be my fiancée."
It was quiet for a bit and Ratchet turned to him. "And I couldn't ask for a better son-in-law," he said. "Kuphulu, you have not only been honest with me, but you have been honest with your family and have treated my little girl right. Every time I call to check on her, she's always telling me about what you've done for her, like taking her on that cruise to Hawaii or just doing a candlelight dinner for her or being there for your children."
Kuphulu looked surprised. "Really?" he asked. "I…I didn't think she'd talk about me all the time, although I always brag about her and the children to my fellow Plumbers."
Ratchet smiled. "Of course she does," he said with a light scoff. "She loves you very much."
That made the mummy alien smile as they both saw the kids stop playing 'tag' and started playing catch, listening as Mark called out encouraging words to Alisa, who did her best to catch and throw, which she was getting better at. Kuphulu then turned to Ratchet.
"Ratchet, thanks for listening," he said. "I hope you don't mind if I ask you for advice, as a son would a father."
The medic smiled. "I'd be honored," he said. "You're a good one for Danielle. She chose well."
That made Kuphulu smile in gratitude and humbleness. "Thanks, Ratchet," he said before he noticed the children running towards them and turned in time to get tackled by his daughter.
"Daddy, protect me from the evil dragon!" she giggled.
Catching on, Kuphulu stood up. "Never fear, my little princess, I shall protect you from the dragon!" he declared overdramatically.
Ratchet watched as Mark squealed happily as his father caught him in his tendrils and started tickling both him and Alisa, who laughed and began tickling him back, making him fall to the ground and roar with laughter as they tickled him and he tickled them back. The medic chuckled at the cute scene, happy to have them in his life as his family.
Neither of them saw a dark silhouette behind the Mansion that stepped slightly into the light. It was Ratchet's evil counterpart, Nightingale, from the Shattered Glass dimension. He had followed Ratchet up to the Mansion and heard everything and realized Danielle was here. He grinned evilly. It was too perfect to pass up and he quickly, but quietly, moved away to set up his unfinished plan he started a long time ago.
There will be a sequel to this one.
To guestsurprise: Hey, Windblazer Prime was hoping you could do a birthday request story for her. Her birthday is on September 8th and here is her request: Her OC Danielle and with her uncle/friend/guardian/adoptive father Ratchet spending time together (since they haven't seen each other in years), also exploring their unbreakable relationship/bond they had and her unbreakable relationship with the other Autobots in flashbacks, even mentioning her biological father and Ratchet's twin brother Shadow Striker/Shadow Steel (it been a mental and heartbreaking scar reminder to them both, but it didn't stop them from moving on, cause he'll always be in their hearts/sparks). Also, just to clarify: Shadow Striker was Danielle's father's Autobot name and Shadow Steel was his name in his Anodite form. Can you do this one for her, please?
To everyone else: Please leave a review, but no flames!
GoldGuardian2418