Oh my goodness, I am so sorry for not updating sooner. Impossibilities has just seemed to fall right out of my radar for reasons that I simply cannot fathom, and for that I sincerely apologize and grovel at the few readers feet- or those I have left, anyway. Please forgive me, even though I may have a slow updating process for the next several weeks due to upcoming midterms. I will do my best to get this show back on the road, I can promise you this.

As well as this, I may end up rewriting what I already have written and posted, considering that I haven't updated in so long and my writing style has changed since then, but don't worry- it probably won't happen for a good long while, if at all while I make a valiant attempt to finish this fic.

-;-

The afternoon on the farm was quiet.

Will was still out at the barn, and Annabelle had been put down for her nap, which meant that the two women were up to their own devices. Sarah made the both of them a cup of tea, and then led the brunette into the living room to make idle chat.

It was fairly clear that Clara didn't really know how to act in this kind of environment- the slightly hunched shoulders and wary looks around the room told her that much. But at the same time, Will had his reasons for allowing her to stay here, and in the meantime, she would indulge her husband and go with the flow.

She could only imagine what Ironhide was thinking about Will picking up a strange woman on the side of the highway, and more specifically, Ironhide. The grizzled old mech was more paranoid than anyone she had ever had the chance to encounter in her life. Anyone who came to the house was scrutinized several times over, and if he didn't like something, he was the first one to say something about it. Something that, at times, was enough to cause Sarah to think of thoughts that were not at all friendly and more than a little violent. As much as she appreciated the help and effort that was being offered, it was still a new thing to understand that there really was life out in space.

However, if there was one thing Sarah was currently sure of, it was that Clara hadn't had this kind of interaction in a long time.

"So, Clara, do you mind me asking how long you've been homeless?" the blond woman inquired gently, sipping from her mug.

"This time? Two weeks." The other woman replied with an almost challenging expression.

"You mean you've been homeless before?" Sarah asked, startled.

"It happens." Clara half shrugged. "Can't pay off loans, can't pay rent, eventually something has to give. The first time, however, was probably about….ten, eleven years ago now."

"I'm so sorry." The blond woman apologized immediately, feeling regret that she'd even brought the subject up. Sometimes her curiosity got the best of her- apparently this time was not one of the better times for it to rear its head.

"It's fine. I came to terms with it a long time ago." Clara shrugged.

But those words only served to further Sarah's concern. Obviously there were still puzzle pieces missing from this situation- pieces that would clue her into Clara's character. But at the moment she thought it might have been a little too much, too quickly. It was only day two. She'd met the woman last night and now she was practically demanding her life story.

"Still…" Sarah shook her head, falling silent a moment later. "Never mind."

Clara shot the blond woman a knowing look, but went with it, silently taking a long sip from her drink.

-;-

Ironhide had taken to ignoring Will after his declaration, only serving to prove Will's theory that the Weapons Specialist was actually a two year old in an infinitely older frame.

"'Hide, are you seriously going to pull this." He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he paused in his work of sandpapering an old piece of wood. "Humans don't work the same ways as you guys do. Admittedly, this time is out of the norm, but I really believe in this. Clara's nice enough. She's homeless, and she doesn't have any way to work for a living. And she's really good at what she does. Plus, you and I both know that this new base that's getting built needs staff. Specifically staff to run the cafeteria and kitchens. And it's not like-"

"Are you quite done?" Ironhide grunted, interrupting Will's thoughts with a growl of his engine.

"Not really, no. But you go right on ahead." Will huffed.

Ironhide's engine rumbled again, but now that he had had some time to think- and look up this woman- he could at least understand Will's point of view. Thank Primus, because he wasn't sure that he could stay irritated at his charge for very long. Especially not with Annabelle in the mix.

"Thank you." The black mech replied.

"No problem. Not like I really have a choice in the matter anyway." Will shot back, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Hm." Ironhide agreed before venting heavily. "William, I do understand where you are coming from now. And I did look into this femme's background- nothing out of the ordinary, and nothing came up when I looked into those Enforcer websites that you fleshlings are so fond of. However, I will admit that it is difficult to let go of my instincts. It has been many millennia since I have had this peace, and I know that I often find myself bordering on what you call paranoia. I believe that this woman could deserve a second chance- as long as there are precautions set in place, of course."

It took Will a moment to figure out what Ironhide had just said, but when it did, an extremely smug expression settled onto his features.

"I knew you would see it my way." He grinned.

"I did not-" Ironhide protested as Will started laughing.

-;-

"Well, it's about time that I start dinner." Sarah hummed as she checked the clock. Annabelle was contentedly playing with her dinosaur toys in the middle of the living room, occasionally singing something about hiding as one of the dinosaurs met a rather violent end. "Would you mind helping Clara?"

"Not at all. What were you thinking?" the brunette asked as she grabbed the empty mugs left on the side-table and stood.

"Well, there's some chicken out in the freezer I could use…maybe a stir fry of some kind?" the blond hummed, avoiding trying to take the mugs from the other woman. There seemed to be some kind of automated response there, and Sarah didn't really want to mess with it.

"Sounds good. What do you want me to do?" Clara replied.

"There's broccoli and carrots in the fridge, if you want to get started on slicing those up, and there's a bit of garlic left over from the other night for some flavor. It's in the small pottery jar next to the sink if you want to grab that."

"Alright." The brunette agreed easily, headed in the direction of the kitchen and leaving Sarah to silently wonder if this was what a simpler life was like.

-;-

After dinner, and Annabelle had been put to bed, Will decided to make a call to the General and see if he could get the woman staying under his roof employment. Sarah had pulled her husband aside and had all but interrogated him on what he and Ironhide had discussed. Among other things, she then filled him in on what she'd learned from Clara during their afternoon of bonding, including the large number of homeless periods in her life.

This had only solidified Will's silent hero-complex need to help this woman, who he'd randomly picked up on the side of the road a couple days ago now. Ever since he'd been a kid, Will had always found himself trying to help anything that had crossed his path. It had been the reason of how he'd gotten his first dog, his first cat, and a menagerie of birds that would constantly return to their yard for birdseed.

So a person wasn't really the same, but he had an opportunity to help someone who did need a little assistance in their life right now. And hey, even if it didn't work out, he could still say that he had tried his best to get this woman back on her feet.

After retreating back into his 'man-cave' that was everything but one, Will locked the door, made sure his phone line was secure, and dialed the number into the small board hooked up to the large computer screen.

"Connecting. Please hold." A soft automated voice told him. "Please enter your five digit authorized passcode to continue."

Luckily for him, he was one of the few people who did have one of the fancy passcodes, and Will typed it in quickly, pressing enter and leaning back in his chair.

"Please state your name and unit."

"William Lennox, NEST operative."

"Please state who you would like to speak with."

"General Morshower."

"Thank you for your patience. Please hold."

The screen went black for several moments before the face of the General appeared.

"William Lennox." He greeted. "It's been a while. What can I do for you?"

"Actually sir, I was hoping to discuss something with you about the staffing situation for the new base in Diego Garcia." Will replied.

"What about it?"

"I've found someone with potential to be a great asset for the cafeteria staff, sir." He replied. "She's a trained private chef who's had a large share of bad luck thrown her way, but Ironhide's done his research and can't find anything."

The General quirked a brow at the man on the other side of the screen, but nodded his assent. "And what is this woman's name? Our people, of course, need to do some research, but if there's no reason not to hire her, I don't see a problem."

"Thank you, sir."

"You're absolutely welcome. And while I have you on the line, there was also something that I wished to discuss with you, William. About that new promotion that was mentioned after the Mission City incident."

"Yes, sir?"

"It's been approved and you are now the head of the NEST unit. You'll be receiving your paperwork shortly, provided that nothing gets lost. Honestly, some of the people working here are hopeless when it comes to doing their job correctly…"

Will blinked. "The commanding officer of the NEST unit, sir?"

"Yes. It may not seem like the most ideal of positions, but there are the freedoms to the job. Like getting more time off to return to the States to see your family, for example. Although I must warn you, there is a hell of a lot of paperwork."

"Well, I don't really know what to say other than thank you, sir." Will finally managed, feeling a little lightheaded. "Is that all, sir?"

"For now, yes. I'll make sure to get back to you on this woman you're telling me about."

With that, the screen returned to black, and a small beep signalled the end of the call, leaving one very baffled William Lennox wondering how that particular conversation had gotten twisted back onto himself.