"Little Flower—A Transformers Prime Fan Fiction"


Summary: Optimus is visited by Alpha Trion, and Lily discovers a dark secret

~~This chapter is rated T for sensitive material.~~

TFP © Hasbro

Lily © Me


~Chapter Three, part one: Accidents Happen~

Only a few hours after he had gone offline, Optimus was visited that night. He had somehow journeyed deep within the Matrix of Leadership—almost being pulled into it—which he possessed, and found himself inside a large, black, empty space, much similar to the space he had seen the night before. He knew to wait a few moments until a bright light flickered before him. The light gradually grew until it had consumed half of the black space and stopped inches from Optimus's armor. Then, the shadow of a figure slowly emerged from the white light, and blue optics pierced their way through; the outline of a face, body, and limbs began to appear, as well. Optimus knew this figure all too well from his past. Alpha Trion.

"You know why I have summoned you, Optimus," Alpha Trion spoke, his voice booming throughout the empty, black space, his mouth not moving an inch. Optimus merely nodded to his ghostly-appearing mentor and former teacher. "Then you know that the ancient prophecy I have told you about, has already fallen into play." Optimus hesitated a little before giving another nod.

The mystic Alpha Trion studied the Prime carefully. "I sense something is troubling you, Optimus. I sense...reluctance. Hesitation. Confusion. Simultaneously, you do and do not wish for the prophecy to be fulfilled. However, I can understand your reasons," he said, his voice filled with sympathy. Feeling his cheek plates beginning to burn, Optimus slightly hung his head, staring at his feet as he clenched his fists for a moment and then relaxed.

"However," Alpha Trion's voice added, "there is only one, final chance for the prophecy to be fulfilled, or to be prevented. One decision can permanently seal it, one decision can prevent it from ever happening. All you have to think about, Optimus, is which decision...and if it has already been made."

Optimus perked up, his eyes wide in surprise and optic ridges furrowed in confusion. Before he could even say a word, Alpha Trion's figure faded and pulled way into the blinding light as it dimmed, and Optimus felt himself being pulled out of the blackness as his vision slowly went dark.


The Decepticon warship, the Nemesis, glided over Earth high in the atmosphere, and aboard it was the evil tyrant Megatron and his army. Some soldiers were at the monitors searching for Energon spikes, or any Autobot activity, in the main hangar. Megatron and one of his henchman, Soundwave, joined them.

Soundwave had no face, merely a dark, opaque visor similar to a television screen; the other Cons believed he had no voice of his own. He emphasized his points by recording others' voices and playing them back. As the saying goes, the silent ones are usually the most deadly; but Soundwave isn't as malicious as Megatron, but he's had his moments. Resting on the chest of his body was his own little companion: a Cybertronian bird-like creature designated as Laserbeak. The creature was Soundwave's eye in the sky, as well as Megatron's. Laserbeak was loyal to Soundwave, and Soundwave was loyal to Megatron.

One of the monitors began flashing. "Lord Megatron," said the Decepticon manning that monitor, "I have picked up another Energon spike."

Megatron sneered. "Excellent. What is its location?"

"Deep inside a cave of a jungle. Some place called the Amazon."

"I see. And it is ours for the taking. Although we have plenty of it in storage, there is no reason for us to let the accursed Autobots have it. The less they have, the greater the chances they will run out and perish. Not if I terminate them all, first." He chuckled villainously, and then glared at the Energon's coordinates with his malignant red optics. "Of course, we will need someone to scout ahead and be sure the Autobots do not take it first."

Then he summoned Starscream.

This Decepticon Megatron would find falsely loyal, meaning he pretended to show loyalty but secretly plotted to overthrow him. Although, his attempts to do so have all failed, and very few to none had he almost succeeded. Almost. Starscream was very skinny for a bot his size, especially for one who transforms into a jet. He served in the Decepticon cause as Megatron's second in command, though he's losing his earnings for that rank for his constant schemes to seek power and control of the Decepticon army. But Megatron kept him there, mainly because he found it rather humorous to watch Starscream fail again and again.

Starscream bowed before his master. "You have summoned me, Lord Megatron?"

"I have," Megatron said. "We have picked another Energon spike in a cave of the Amazon jungle. I need you to search for it and prevent any Autobots from taking it in case they pick up the same signal. Soundwave will open a bridge."

Starscream appeared a little bewildered. "That's your plan?! Search for Energon in some Earthly jungle and fend off against the Autobots on my own if they show up?!"

Megatron nodded and narrowed his optics sinisterly. "Is there a problem with that?"

Starscream felt there absolutely was a problem with that plan, but he knew better to argue with Megatron, especially with other Cons watching. "No, my liege. Of course not. There is no problem."

"Then why are you still here?! Go!"

Starscream growled as Soundwave opened a ground bridge and he journeyed through the vortex into the jungle. "Ugh! The humidity here is horrible!" He looked at the land around him and groaned angrily. "This jungle is too thick with trees! How am I supposed to find a cave in this mess?!" Knowing he cannot fly his way around, he trekked on foot, grunting and groaning as he walked through damp soil and over fallen tree. "Ugh, that Megatron. Ordering me around like I'm his personal slave. What, is he too afraid to get his own hands dirty?! What if this is all a trap and there is no Energon?! Then it would be me to get caught in it!...Then again, I am the only one guarding the Energon. If I defeat the Autobots myself, and pray to Primus if I ever do, I can ransom Optimus Prime to Megatron for full control of the Decepticon army!...I have to stop talking aloud." He continued his journey through the wet jungle as a light rain began to fall.


Optimus slowly emerged from recharge, his vision readjusting and focusing as he stared at the ceiling of his quarters. The message Alpha Trion gave him repeated in his mind like a broken record. What decision? Everyone made decisions, and he made a lot in one day. What if it was based off of his decision? Or Megatron's? How could he possibly know which one would seal or prevent the prophecy? He sighed an assumed he would know when the time came.

As he sat himself up on the floor, he heard loud voices and the sounds of giggling and screaming coming from the main hangar. He found it odd how his teammates were up earlier than him; normally it was the other way around. Getting to his feet and stretching a little, he exited his quarters and entered the main hangar. Then he realized what was happening.

"WOULD YOU LET GO?!"

"NO!"

"GET OFF OF IT!"

"IT'S MINE NOW, I HAD IT FIRST!"

"IT BELONGS TO ME!" He saw Lily clinging tightly to one of Ratchet's lab equipment, and he was shaking it to get her off. Meanwhile, Bulkhead and Bumblebee were laughing uproariously and pointing. Well, that explained the screams, giggles and loud voices. "LET GO ALREADY!"

"NO! I TOLD YOU IT'S MINE NOW!" Lily wailed.

"GET OFF OF IT, YOU LITTLE CREEP!"

"Ratchet." The medic turned towards his leader's voice. "That is not a very nice thing to say to a child. Perhaps if you asked kindly, she will comply."

Ratchet was in no mood to play Mr. Nice Bot, but he didn't want to go against his old friend's advice and cleared his throat. "Lily...I would VERY much like it if you released my tool. Please?"

Lily tapped her chin as if she was thinking about it then beamed a smile. "Nope!" she said and blew raspberries.

Ratchet's cheek plates flushed. "WHAT?! YOU LITTLE BUG! I SAID GET OFF! I EVEN SAID PLEASE!"

"Don't care. You want me off? Then MAKE ME."

Lily then stuck her tongue out and wiggled it, making Bulkhead and Bumblebee to laugh even more. Ratchet had had enough of this child's play and decided to take drastic measures.

"AAAAAAAAH! NO, STOP IT! STOP! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ratchet began prodding the little girl's vulnerable side with his finger, soft enough so it didn't cause any harm, but just hard enough to drive the child crazy. "STOP IT! HEEHEEHEEHEE, STOP, THAT TICKLES! QUIT! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" To Ratchet's relief, she started loosening her grip and began slipping. He held a hand beneath her and caught her when she finally let go; her giggles gradually died down as the tickles stopped. "No fair, you cheated!"

"As I recall, we were not playing a game, little miss," Ratchet said as he sat her down on the floor.

"But I was having fun!" Lily whined.

"Well, I was not. I do not appreciate others tampering with my things," he said as he roughly cleaned his tool. "Especially a different species from another planet. Who knows what kind of Earth germs you have contaminated my tool with!"

Lily's cheeks flushed pink and she stamped her sock foot. "I am not a contamination! I am a human being!" she yelled. Then she began sniffling and whimpering.

"Oh, boy," Bulkhead said worriedly.

Lily placed her hands by her eyes and wiped them. "Y-You're so mean to me! I thought you were nice because you took me to the park, but you're not! You're nothing but a big meanie!" Then she cried and ran to Optimus, hugging his foot and hiding her face.

Ratchet cringed and sighed. He got dirty looks from Bulkhead and Bumblebee. "What?! I didn't do anything to make her cry! I wasn't insulting her! Quit looking at me like that, both of you!" He looked to Optimus, who only sighed and lowered his gaze to the weeping little girl on his foot. Ratchet exhaled with frustration and knelt down to Lily. "Look, kid, I'm sorry if I upset you but there's no reason for you to cry like this, honestly."

"You're mean to me. You call me mean things," Lily whimpered. "He doesn't like me, he never liked me. Ratchet's a human-hater!"

"What?! No, I'm not! I...Oh, Primus." He groaned and ran a hand over his face as Lily continued to whimper and cry. "Someone, vouch for me, please." Bulkhead and Bee shrugged and gave him a look that said he was on his own in this. He groaned and ran a hand over his face a second time. "Oh, what do you want me to do, beg?!"

Lily then turned around. "Wow, really?! You'd beg me for forgiveness?!" Ratchet couldn't believe it; there were no tears in her eyes of on her face; her nose and cheeks weren't pink; she wasn't upset at all! Ratchet looked ready to blow a fuse, which made Lily laugh and point. "Ha ha ha! You fell for it, Ratchet! You really fell for it!"

"Why, you—!" Ratchet growled and reached out to grab her, but Optimus got to her first and scooped her up, holding Lily out of Ratchet's reach as he tried to snatch her.

"Morning, boss," said Bulkhead once he and Bumblebee calmed down from laughing. "Funny how you're the last one of us to wake up."

Optimus nodded. "I must have overslept," he said a little sheepishly, still keeping Ratchet at bay. "I had a lot of things on my mind-processor last night."

Suddenly all of their attentions turned towards the monitor as a growly voice bellowed, "PRIME!"

"Agent Fowler," Optimus addressed as he let go of Ratchet, still cradling Lily in his hand, and approached the monitor. "How may I be of assistance?"

"By doing what you bots have been told to do!" Agent Fowler spat. "Kicking some Decepticon tailpipe! One of our boys picked up an Energon reading deep within the Amazon, and they also picked up a signature." Then an image pulled up on the monitor.

"Starscream," buzzed Bumblebee.

"Starscream? Who's he?" asked Lily as she studied the image.

"A bug that's very hard to squash," Bulkhead explained.

"The Energon has been picked up inside of a deep cave," Fowler elucidated. "If Starscream digs it up, he could destroy the cave and wreck the environment, and earn attention towards himself."

"Understood, Agent Fowler," Optimus said as he lowered his hand to the floor, placing Lily down. "Ratchet, triangulate the coordinates Fowler detected and activate the ground bridge." The medic nodded and headed for the controls, doing as he was commanded, then flipped the switch to power up the bridge.

"Wait!" Lily said. "I want to come with you this time!"

"That is out of the question, Lily," Optimus told her, shaking his head no. "You are still a key target of the Decepticons, and I will not put your life at risk."

"But why? Why do they want me so much?" Lily asked in a frustrated manner. Optimus only furrowed his optics and glanced at the floor. "I won't get involved, I promise! I don't just want to sit here. Please, Mr. Optimus?" Optimus had to avoid her wet, begging eyes and stuck-out lip.

"Little lady," said Ratchet, "if Optimus says 'no', then it means no." Lily only huffed and stuck her tongue out at him, then returned to begging Optimus.

But he hardened his expression and spoke sternly. "Lily, Ratchet is correct. The decision is final, and you will remain here." Optimus noticed her bottom lip quivering as her eyes glistened with tears and she hung her head. His expression softened a little; he took no pleasure in scolding the poor girl, but he feared for her safety. He sighed to himself and turned to enter the bridge when he suddenly stopped as something occurred to him; a decision had been made. Would it be the one to seal or prevent the prophecy forever? There was only one way to find out. "Autobots," Optimus announced after a moment, "roll out!" Then he, Bumblebee and Bulkhead raced through.

Ratchet continued monitoring Starscream's signal in case he moved anywhere, or any changes or conflicts with the Energon occurred. He couldn't quite explain why, but he felt a little sorry for Lily and sighed. "Look, Lily, Optimus's decision is of nothing personal," he said, still glancing at the screen. "It is clear that he cares deeply for you, like..." He trailed off for a moment then shook his head with another exhale. "He just wants to keep you safe. Do you understand that, Lily?" He heard no response; in fact, he heard nothing except for the familiar whirring sound of the ground bridge. He turned to see the bridge was still open—and the little girl was no longer there.

"Oh, Primus..."


The Autobots trekked through the soaked soil and mossy terrain, careful not to destroy anything, as they wandered through the rain in search of the cave. According to the scanner in Bulkhead's hand, the cave was quite a hike from their position. Pressed for time, they had immediately begun their journey.

After a while of squishing through mud and pushing trees out of their faces, they spotted a large hollow rock formation with a massive opening. Approaching it, the scanner started going berserk. "This must be the place," Bulkhead said. "I'll bet Starscream is already inside."

"We must hurry," said Optimus. "We need to find Starscream and stop him from signaling the Decepticons, and reaching the Energon."

"But, what if it's another trap?" Bumblebee asked.

"We will have to take our chances, Bumblebee," the Prime told his scout, and he led them further into the cave, transforming his hand into a blaster. The three Autobots ventured deeper into the cave as it became darker and darker inside until they had to result to using their own optic lights as their way to avoid stalagmites and stalactites. They journeyed so softly and quietly one could hear water dripping off of the cave surface.

Then, their trek came to an end when Optimus noticed a faint blue light glowing a little ways ahead. Signaling his Autobots to be silent and press onward, they slowly approached the light and peered around the corner; they saw illuminating Energon crystals of all shapes and sizes decorating the little chamber—and Starscream was pacing around, guarding it. Optimus narrowed his optics and came out of hiding. "Starscream," he voice bellowed in the cave, "step away from the Energon!"

The Decepticons' First Lieutenant jumped at the booming echo of the familiar voice and turned to see Bulkhead and Bumblebee following Optimus's lead, pointing their blasters at him. He scoffed angrily. "I just knew you heaps of scrap would pick up the same Energon signal!" he jeered. "But this Energon belongs to Lord Megatron!"

"Well, I don't see his name written on it," said Bulkhead.

"I found it first!"

Optimus took a step forward, keeping his weapon at full charge. "Starscream," he began, "this can go two ways: you surrender the Energon to us and you will be spared, or..." He trailed off as his audio receptors picked a sound—a sound coming from behind them. He turned around and scanned the terrain, then he approached a large boulder and peered over it. The Autobots then saw what he saw and gasped.

"Lily?!" exclaimed Bulkhead.

"How could she have followed us?!" Bumblebee whirred in surprise.

Optimus lifted the rain-soaked little girl onto the boulder. "Lily, I thought I made myself clear that you were supposed to remain with Ratchet," he said roughly.

"And I made myself clear that I didn't want to sit around all day!" Lily's little voice squeaked, not even nearly as dominant as Optimus's god-like tone.

"But Lily," said Bulkhead, "it's way too dangerous! You know that Megatron—!"

Starscream started laughing, earning everyone's attention. "So, this is the little one that Megatron wants so badly in his possession. I had always wondered what you looked like. I understand that you have lost someone dear to you. Oh well. Accidents happen. But I could gladly have you join your parent!" He drew out his claws. Lily stiffly gasped as her heart started cramping and pounding in her chest. Could he be...?

"You will not lay a hand on her, Starscream!" Optimus's thundering voice shook the cave walls. Then he activated his comm. link. "Ratchet, reactivate the ground bridge immediately!" A few seconds later, he heard the bridge open, but did not see it. He turned towards the way they came and saw the familiar glow of the ground bridge. He looked down to the tiny human and pointed in that direction. "Lily, head for the ground bridge, now!" he ordered. Lily shivered as she backed up, then turned around and raced out of the chamber.

"I do not think so, puny fleshling!" Starscream shouted and fired one of his rockets. Lily managed to turn the corner before the rocket struck the cave wall, but the force of the blast sent her flying a little ways and she hit the cave floor—hard.

Optimus's sharp audio receptors picked up her cry of pain; he narrowed his optics at Starscream, but he knew he couldn't fire at him. The Energon would become unstable and the whole cave would be destroyed. He was not going to allow any more damage done by the Decepticons, and was not going to allow another human casualty. "Autobots, fall back!" he commanded, and they all backed up, pointing their weapons at Starscream. Reaching the end of the chamber at the corner, Optimus saw Lily laying on the cave floor, wounded and crying, blown past the ground bridge.

Starscream then transformed into his jet mode and blasted towards them. They ducked as he flew over their heads, transformed again, and landed in front of Lily. He chuckled darkly as he stalked towards her. Lily weakly looked up at him through tears as shivers of pain and fear racked her battered body.

"No!" Bulkhead shouted.

Starscream picked Lily up by her arm and held her in front of him. "Best be careful," he sneered, drawing his claws out again. "One step from either of you accursed Autobots, and this little filth's blood will splatter across this cave! I've slain one human life before. Do not even think for a second that I will not do so again!" The Autobots glared harshly at him, but wanted no harm to come to Lily, so they lowered their weapons.

"You..." came a weak voice.

Starscream looked to the human in his grasp and saw her skin had turned pure white.

"You...did..." Lily struggled to say clearly. Her body trembled as she clenched her fists; her head throbbed as horrible memories returned. Not wanting to, she thought back to that day—and that's when it hit her. Blanks were filled. Questions were answered. Realization dawned on the sickly little girl. "You did it..." she said softly. Tears sprung and stung her eyes as her damp body quivered. "You...You killed..."

Starscream blinked. "Oh, so you were nearby when it happened. To think I thought you had escaped. I guess I was wrong."

Lily's breathing became jagged as she grit her teeth. "It was you...You d-did it..."

"Oh, shut up," he snarled at her as she began to cry. Now that he was distracted, and with precise aim, Bumblebee fired, avoiding Lily and striking Starscream, causing him to let her go. He raced over and quickly dove to catch her. Once she was safe in his hands, he held her close and glared at Starscream.

"Bumblebee, return to base with Lily!" Optimus ordered; the scout nodded and ran through the ground bridge. "Bulkhead, scavenge whatever Energon you can carry. I will handle Starscream." Bulkhead nodded and returned to the chamber while Optimus made his way to Megatron's second-in-command.

He grabbed Starscream by his chest and pressed him against the cave wall, aiming his blaster at the Decepticon's neck. "I will only warn you this once," he said in a deep, serious tone, narrowing his optics. "If you harm so much as a hair on her head...you will answer to me. Do you understand?" Then Starscream hung his head and started snickering maliciously. "What could possibly be funny?"

"Is that not what you said the last time?" Starscream said. "And yet, she perished anyway. The same will happen again, Optimus Prime. Tell me, does the girl know?"

Optimus growled, "No. And she never will."

"Oh, but she in fact will. The prophecy will never be fulfilled. Megatron will have that girl in his clutches one way or another! She will fall, and you will have failed again."

Anger flashed across Optimus's eyes as he charged up his firearm. He stared deeply into Starscream's eyes, then disarmed himself. Keeping his grip on Starscream, Optimus threw him across the cave, watching him crash into stalagmites and stalactites. Then, the traitorous Decepticon fled the cave.

Optimus turned toward the chamber and saw Bulkhead carrying the largest Energon crystal on his back. He went to assist and relieved him of the load, holding in his own arms, and then the two stepped through the bridge. Walking through the vortex, Optimus thought of scolding Lily for disobeying. He wasn't entirely angry with her, but more concerned and disappointed. That, and he pitied her, for she had just learned a dark secret. But as the two entered their base, they saw and heard Bumblebee and Ratchet struggle to calm a wailing Lily down. Bulkhead then took the crystal into his own hands. "I got this, boss. You help them," he said and made his way to the Energon storage unit.

"Please, Lily, settle down," Bumblebee begged.

"It's alright!" Ratchet said.

Lily only sobbed harder as large tears streamed down her rosy cheeks and her nose started running. "HE DID IT! HE KILLED HER! H-HE KILLED MAMAAAAA!"

Optimus sighed to himself and stepped forward, slowly kneeling down onto his knee and bending forward so they could meet eye to eye. He took no pleasure in seeing her cry, but he had to be serious right now. "Following us was reckless, foolish, and unwise of you, Lily," he said, maintaining his posture. "You could have gotten seriously injured, or worse. I do not want you accompanying us on any more missions. Is that clear?" Lily's only reply was a high-pitched wail as she wiped her eyes with her knuckles.

"HE KILLED MAMA! MAMAAAAAAAA!" she wept.

Ratchet sighed and tried to speak over Lily's sobbing. "It wasn't entirely her fault, Optimus. I felt the ground bridge open, and because of my mistake, she followed you. But, I assure you, it won't happen again."

Bumblebee picked Lily and cradled close. "At least have some Energon," he bleeped, hoping to lighten the mood, "thanks to Bulkhead."

Bulkhead smiled at him then turned to Optimus. "And what of Starscream?" he asked.

Optimus heard Starscream's words replay in his mind, but he shook them off. "Megatron will know what to do with him."

"W-What...?" came a weak voice and looked to Lily, who had a baffled look on her red, tear-stained face. "Y-You let him...live?" she asked Optimus, getting to her feet. "Why...?"

"Because his life was not mine to take, Lily," he replied. "We Autobots do not take life unless it's absolutely necessary."

"It was absolutely necessary! He deserved to die, but you let him go?!" Lily shouted. "He murdered my mama!"

"I know," Optimus said softly.

"W-What do you mean, you know?...You guys knew the whole time?!" Lily asked the others. "You knew he did it?!"

Ratchet hung his head. "Yes...we knew," he spoke quietly.

"Which was why we didn't want you joining us on this mission," said Bulkhead. "We were worried that you would remember that he was the one who...took your mother away." Lily glared through her tears and hung her damp head, clenching her fists.

Optimus sighed and straightened up a little. "I understand you are very upset about this," he said, "but you cannot demand me to take vengeance for you." Lily gave him dirty looks and turned away. "Please, Lily, do not be angry with me. I understand what you are feeling."

"No, you don't!" Lily yelled as tears fell down her face again. "You don't understand how I feel!" Then she took off out of the main hangar and disappeared down the right corridor to their quarters.

Optimus sighed and stood up to go after her, but Ratchet placed a hand on his arm. "Give her a while to cool down," he told his old friend. "In time, she will understand."

In time, Optimus thought. He only hoped that time wouldn't come too late.


Starscream was thrown to the floor and landed with a boom as he cried out in pain. "L-Lord Megatron, please!" He was silenced when the Decepticon tyrant kicked him aside again.

"I give you one simple task, Starscream, and you cannot even accomplish that?!" Megatron roared as he approached Starscream.

"P-Please, my liege, allow me to explain," Starscream trembled as he began to crawl away backwards. "The Autobots outnumbered me, and the human child accompanied them!"

"And you let the girl go while you had her in your very grasp?!" Megatron bellowed, pressing his foot against Starscream's chest. "You know she is the key to the prophecy! It has been foretold since the beginning of time, speaking of a new power overcoming evil. Ever since I discovered that brat was at the center of it all, she has been our main priority. If the prophecy is fulfilled, we could all perish! And you let the girl live!"

The cowardly Decepticon shivered before his master. "We will set another trap for the Autobots! The child will no doubt follow them again! I saw the way Optimus Prime looked at her and..." He trailed off as something occurred to him and he slyly smiled. "Oh, now I see. He thinks of the child as her."

Megatron understood and removed his food. "Indeed. It is clear that Optimus Prime is unsure on whether he wants the prophecy fulfilled or for it to be prevented—because he can hypothesize what would happen if it is fulfilled. And I know he wouldn't be willing to risk another casualty, especially that of one dearly close to him. So, why don't we show him an act of kindness and remove this burden from his shoulders—and terminate the brat ourselves."


Lily realized she had cried herself to sleep again when she woke up. She warily sat up on the floor and rubbed her red eyes and dry tear-stained cheeks. Her hair and clothes were still damp and her nose was stuffy.

She then backtracked all that has happened that day and her chest tightened up as she held her breath. She had just discovered that this Starscream was the one who murdered her mother that night, and she was still unhappy that Optimus just let him get away. She then remembered what he had told her; even though she didn't want to listen, she knew he had a good point.

Lily felt a chill run through her body and she shivered and sneezed, hugging herself. Then, she eyed the box of remains from her home sitting in the corner of the room. Keeping her arms around her body to keep warm, she made her way to the box, searched inside, and found a fresh pair of dry pajamas. Quickly, she changed out of her wet pair, tossing it aside, and slipped on the new one. Then she stared at the items in the box; she pulled out a photo of herself as a tiny baby with her mama and papa. Tears quickly sprung to her eyes again, but she wiped them away with the back of her hand. She picked up her teddy and hugged it tightly before setting it by the picture, and she pulled a white handkerchief with her papa's initials on one of the corners; she used it to blow her nose, folded it neatly, and set it aside.

As she went through object after object in the box, she heard a light knock against the wall. Lily turned her head to see Optimus standing halfway in the room and halfway in the hall. She had a feeling she'd see him eventually and sighed of annoyance; however, she couldn't hold a grudge with him when she stared into his sympathetic eyes, and she wore a faint, sleepy smile.

Optimus took that smile as a sign that he was granted permission to enter, and he slowly did so, kneeling down beside her in the corner. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked.

"Yes," Lily replied meekly with a sniffle, then exhaled a sad sigh. "I...I'm sorry...for what I said to you, Mr. Optimus. You were trying to help me, but I kept getting mad and upset. If you want to kick me out now or drop me off under the bridge, I understand."

Optimus let out a silent chuckle. "You are still welcome here, Lily McElroy. Believe it or not, this is your home now."

Lily smiled for a moment before it fell again. "And, I'm sorry for disobeying you...It's just...I..."

"You were curious to see if Starscream was the demon who haunted you in your dreams," Optimus said, and she nodded with another sniffle. "I am sorry that you had to learn of this, Lily. We had only kept it from you in order to protect you. As well as your father."

Lily perked up and looked to him, surprised. "You knew my papa?"

Optimus realized he had said a little too much. "You will learn more when you are ready, Lily," he told her. She lowered her head and then sneezed, wiping her nose on her pajama sleeve. "Are you alright?"

"Yes..." Lily replied with a shiver. Optimus sighed to himself and carefully scooped Lily into his hands. He sat down on the floor and held her close to his chest, letting her feel the warmth of his spark. She moaned softly and pleasantly as she cuddled him. "Thank you," she said softly.

"You are welcome, little one," he replied. Optimus noticed her bear on the floor, diligently picked it up, and placed it in her lap. "And Lily, I was serious when I told you that you are never to join us on a mission. I do not want you getting hurt. I will not allow it. From now on, you will remain here with Ratchet while Bulkhead, Bumblebee and I head out. Understand?"

Lily sighed sleepily and disappointedly. "Okay..."

"Promise?"

"...I promise," she mumbled. When Optimus wasn't looking, she placed a hand behind her back and crossed her fingers.


here is part one of chapter 3! Part two will come soon! Please be sure to read and review, and tell me what you think of the changes ^^ Thank you!~~