A few months had passed since Jack had returned to the Autobots, and Earth narrowly avoided an extraterrestrial zombie apocalypse. Since then, many things have happened between the Autobots and Decepticons. As Optimus Prime had predicted, Starscream assumed the mantle as Decepticon leader. But he has since proven himself to be unsuited for the role, as many of his plans had failed due to both the Autobot's interventions, and his own inept leadership. The Decepticons were not the only threat to the Autobots, however. A group known as M.E.C.H., led by a man named Silas, had revealed themselves when the 'Bots had assisted Fowler in a mission to transport a nuclear device known as the Dingus. This shadowy organization sought to create a new world order, by obtaining superior technology to destroy the old world's leadership. During the mission, the Autobots were forced to reveal their existence to M.E.C.H., which had no doubt peaked their interest in alien technology. Also, Megatron turned out to not be as dead as Optimus had believed. During a mission to steal a cure for the Cybonic plague, which Optimus had become infected with, Bumblebee and Arcee discovered him in comatose. Though they were able to retrieve the formula for a cure, they were unable to finish off the 'Con leader before being forced to retreat. Following an incident with Bumblebee, Megatron was revived to full capacity, and reassumed his position as Decepticon leader. Also, Jack and Arcee had too close a call in the woods, but that was a story to be told later.

During this time, Jack had changed for the better. He has since come out of his shell, and was making great progress at moving past his traumatic experiences. Being around the Autobots had worked wonders for him. Even after an incident, in which he, Miko, and Raf were stuck in a "shadowzone" with a Terrorcon named Skyquake, Jack had managed to keep his cool much better than he would have only a short time ago. However, despite his progress, he was far from recovered. The nightmares had stopped, but he would still find himself suffering panic attacks every so often. He didn't know what triggered them, but when they did, he would disappear somewhere in the base. He hid and waited until the anxiety would stop, and reunite with the others as if nothing had happened. They had not yet caught on to these incidents. One of the main reasons that he was still suffering from trauma, was that he still had not revealed his past to anyone, not even Arcee.

Arcee, the two of them had become very close since the space bridge incident. She was opening up more and more as the days went by, though she remained tight lipped about her own past. All that changed, however, after the incident with Airachnid. Jack had learned of the rogue Decepticon that had personally victimized Arcee back on Cybertron. The Spider Decepticon had captured her during the war, and interrogated her with torture for several days. It was here that he learned of her first partner, Tailgate, who Airachnid had killed right in front of her. The incident had left Arcee with trauma of her own. When the two met up again, Arcee sought her revenge, until Airachnid set her sights on Jack. Being a hunter of indigenous species, she wanted to add Jackson's head to her collection. Him being Arcee's new partner only made it that much more engaging for her. Jack demonstrated his ingenuity once again, by blowing up her ship with her still inside it. It wasn't enough to destroy her, but Arcee had come to recue him just in the nick of time. Though the incident had brought up memories of Jack running from some very nightmarish creatures intent on disemboweling him and his mother, it had also helped break down the final wall that Arcee had put up. Earlier, she had tried to deny that Jack was truly her partner in a desperate attempt to get him to run away instead of trying to help her. After seeing what he was really capable of, she could no longer deny the he was indeed her partner...well junior partner. She needed to be able to pull rank on him. The whole ordeal had strengthened their friendship even more, which was why Jack was thinking about telling her the truth.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Another day had come and gone at the Autobot base. Jack and Arcee were now on their way home to make the teen's curfew. The ride was super quiet, mostly because Jack was lost in thought.

He had plenty of good reasons to tell Arcee about the Raccoon City incident. For one thing, she had already told him about what she'd been through. After surviving Airachnid, Arcee spoke with Jack in his garage that very night. She had explained to him who Tailgate was, and what Airachnid had done to the both of them. She went into detail about the pain she felt, as well as the anger, regret, and loneliness. She vented it all to Jack, and explained why she acted the way she did in the forest. During that incident, she had confessed that she was afraid of losing Jack. In the garage, she went into great detail about what he had come to mean to her. Jack was touched by how Arcee cared for him so deeply. She admitted that he was like the little brother she never had. He could admit that she was quickly becoming like a sister to him. By the time she was finished, it seemed like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Jack understood that it took a great deal of trust to reveal her past to him like that, and felt that she deserved the same from him. Another reason was that with their shared experiences, they could help each other. Now, what they had been through may have been very different from each other, but that didn't mean they couldn't be there for each other. Jack saw that Arcee still had some demons from the incident. If his panic attacks were of any indication, he had a long way to go before he came out the other side of his trauma. Why couldn't they seek comfort in each other?

But there was one very good reason not to tell her, Umbrella. Jack had learned about them from Jill. The Umbrella Corporation was a huge conglomerate that had their hands wrapped around almost every market. Their two biggest endeavors were pharmaceuticals and weapons. To the public, they were just some big corporation that made alot of money. But they were the ones that made the virus that turned people into zombies. Jill had called it the T-Virus. After some incident involving one of their labs hidden beneath a mansion in the Arklay Mountains, the virus had gotten out and began to spread throughout the city. Jill, who had survived the mansion incident with a few remaining members of her unit, tried to warn everyone of what was coming. They did not take her warning seriously until it was too late. In order to neutralize the outbreak, the government had ordered a missile strike to decimate the city. The media reported that the cause of the city's destruction was the result of a nuclear meltdown. Jill, June, and Jack had barely managed to escaped via helicopter just before the missile hit. Afterwords, Jill had warned the two not to tell anyone about what happened in Raccoon City. Umbrella was still at large, and she had a hunch that the U.S. Government was involved as well, and would do anything to keep what happened from being revealed to the public. If anyone happened to learn of their previous residence, they were to claim that were on vacation at the time of the "meltdown". Even after Umbrella was exposed and went bankrupt, and almost all it's employees were tried and convicted of illegal experiments, Jill warned them not to speak to anyone about it. There was still the possibility of government involvement, and she believed that at least a few of Umbrella's employees escaped justice. Even though she believed that they now lacked the funds and manpower to continue their illegal research, she didn't want to put the two at risk. Jack was especially at risk, having survived a bite from a zombie thanks to Jill. If anyone at Umbrella learned of this, they would most certainly kidnap Jack and do God knows what to him. Jack shuddered at the thought of being experimented on.

They were almost halfway home when Arcee noticed how quiet Jack was being. She turned her mirrors to him, and saw that he was deep in thought about something.

"Jack?"

"Yeah, Arcee?"

"What are you thinkin' about?"

"Oh...nothing Arcee...just...life I guess."

"How introspective of you."

"I'm actually thinking about everything that's happened, ya'know...since I met you guys."

Silence had returned for a moment, this time with Arcee deep in thought.

"Thank you, Jack."

"Huh...what for?"

"For listening the other night. I really needed that. And also...for coming back for me...in the forest."

"Oh...well, you're welcome I guess. I'm always happy to listen when you need me to, but the forest thing...I kinda messed up then."

"What are talking about?"

"Well, when I went back, you were just about to finish Airachnid off. But then I distracted you, and she came after me. Then she escaped, and now she's stuck here on Earth. That's my fault."

"That's one way to look at it...but if I hadn't come so close to losing you, I wouldn't have been able to talk to you about what she did to me. You know you're the first person I've ever talked to about that?"

Jack looked down in shock at Arcee's instrument panel. If he could stop the ride suddenly, he would've. That couldn't be right. Surely Arcee had talked about the death of her partner to Optimus at least.

"Really?"

"Yeah...I never talked to anyone about it. I mean, they all knew what happened. But as far as confiding in someone, I never did. Not to my sisters, not to Optimus, not even to Cliffjumper. That was the first time I ever really talked about what happened, and how I felt."

This was a shock to Jack's system. Had Arcee really trusted him that much? Apparently she had sisters that she didn't confide in as she did to him. Yeah...Arcee really trusted him. That made Jack feel both happy and guilty.

"Well...I'm here for you 'Cee."

"I know you are, and I'm glad...junior partner."

As they were getting closer to Jack's house, he decided that he would tell her the truth. If she trusted him, then he could definitely trust her. As they pulled up to the house, he was surprised to see his mother's car in the driveway. He was well within his curfew, so he wasn't worried. When they pulled in, Jack saw his mother waiting for him against the wall.

"Mom?"

"Hey, Jack?"

"Hey...you're home early."

"Decided to take some 'me' time."

"Oh."

Jack looked closer, and could see the wetness in her eyes. That could only mean one thing, she had a nightmare.

"Mom...are you okay?"

She didn't answer him. Instead, she took his right arm, and pulled up his sleeve. Arcee manage to get a good look at it, the scar. If she wasn't in her alt form, shock would've been plain to see on her face. June ran her hand over her son's disfigured arm, as he looked on with worry. Her shoulders began throbbing, and she took Jack in her arms as she began to sob slightly.

"Jack...I...I almost lost you that day." She whimpered out.

Jack put a comforting arm around her back. She almost never let the nightmares get to her. The few times it did, it was like a floodgate.

"It's okay Mom...I'm still here. You haven't lost me."

"Jack...My Jack...My only boy...you're all I have...If I ever lost you...I couldn't..."

"Shhhhhh...it's alright Mom...You're not gonna lose me."

Jack was surprised at how the roles had reversed for he and his mother. But before he could ponder that any further, he remembered who else was in the garage with them. Now was not the time to reveal family secrets.

"Come on Mom, it's cold out here. Let's go inside."

Jack led his mother inside the house. Arcee had kept her mirror on them the whole time, until the door shut. She was worried about them both, and alot of questions were being raised.

"Jack, what are you not telling me?"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Jack sat on the couch with his arms around June. She was still crying into his neck. Whatever happened in her dream, it was bad.

"I never make it in time .'hic' The one in the hospital...'hic' he always..." June choked out.

"I remember him...he was just a kid...probably my age."

"'Hic' I...I'm running as fast as I can. 'hic' I have the mop handle in my hand. 'hic' But...I'm never fast enough...He's 'hic' he's right over you...and...he tears you apart..'hic''hic'...right in front of me."

It was not easy to see his mother like this. She was always the strong one, or at least acted strong for him. But everyone breaks down eventually.

"Mom..."

"I can hear you screaming for me Jack 'hic'...'Mommy help'...but I can't...'hic''hic' I can't move." Her voice was so weak.

"Mom, Mom...you made in time. You saved me in that hospital."

"But if I had come 'hic''hic' a second later...it would've..."

"But you didn't."

"That monster...that 'crimson head'...he almost killed us both."

"But Jill saved us."

June calmed down a little when Jack mentioned Jill. She even smirked a bit when she said their names like that in her head. She always thought about "Jack and Jill" whenever she saw the two together. But then she remembered Jack's scar, where he was bitten. She remembered how her world almost ended when it happened.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Jill, June, and Jack were wandering through Raccoon Park. They were still trying to make their way through the city, in the hopes of finding a means of escape. Jill was moving with her M4 ahead the the group, with her Mossberg strapped to her back. She gave June her custom Beretta 92F, as well as her Penn Arms L1 grenade launcher. Though June was merely carrying the launcher for Jill, who was much more accustomed to handling it. Jack was carrying a bag that had the bulk of their ammo. It was a bit heavy for him, but he had managed to hold on to it well enough without falling behind so far. Jill had told them that if they needed to run, and it was too heavy, to just drop it and stay close to his mother. June was thankful for that, Jill didn't seem to view her and Jack as burdens to leave behind. She had become very protective of the two, especially Jack. Even though she didn't want to think about not surviving this nightmare, June could at least take comfort in knowing that he was in good hands should anything happen to her. She was eternally grateful to the former law enforcement officer. The three of them came across a cabin in the nearby cemetery. Both June and Jill knew that being there was a bad idea. The virus that reanimated the dead did have the same effect on the long dead. In fact, this was where the outbreak began, according to Jill. Inside, the cabin was as eerie as one could expect one located in a cemetery could be. Jill searched one side of the area for anything of value, while June and Jack searched the other. Jack stayed close to his mother, until he saw what he thought was a box of ammo on the floor by the storage closet. June didn't notice when he pulled away from her to pick it up.

"AAAAAGGGGHHHHH!"

June's heart jumped out of her chest when she heard her son's agonizing cry. When she turned around, she saw a zombie crawling from of the closet, sinking it's teeth into the boys arm. Motherly instincts kicked in, and she ran up to it and put a single bullet in it's decaying cranium. When she went to her injured son, reality set in. Her heart shattered into a thousand pieces, looking at her baby boy clutching his bleeding arm in pain. He had been bitten. June didn't want to believe it, she didn't want believe what was happening.

"No, No, No, Jack, No!"

June held her crying son tightly in her arms, rocking back and forth in despair. He wasn't like them, he was gonna be okay. He was the exception, it was just a bad injury. She a nurse, she could fix it. But in the back of her mind, she had already realized what this meant. Jack had become infected, and he would turn within hours.

"Not my baby! Please, not my Jack!"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

They had taken Jack back the the patrol room in the park. His arm was wrapped in gauze to stop the bleeding. If it ever healed, it would leave a hideous scar behind. But it was never going to heal, Jack would succumb to the infection before it would have the chance. June was kneeling by the bench where Jack was resting, face cast down and devoid of all hope. This was it, she had nothing. No son, no reason to escape the city. If he wouldn't make it, then she couldn't do it without him. Behind her, Jill stood against the wall. She was visibly upset by all of this as well. June already knew what she wanted to say, and she was waiting for her to do so.

"June?"

June didn't say anything, she just looked at her son lying on the bench. The infection had already begun, a fever was beginning to rise.

"June...I'm sorry."

"Why? What did my son do...what did he do to deserve this?"

Jill was silent behind her. June could somehow tell that she was looking away.

"Where you found us...Jack was the only reason I made it that far. I did it for him...what do I do now?"

"June...Jack doesn't have long."

June sobbed harshly when Jill told her that.

"You don't wanna see what he becomes...I know you can't do it. I'll do it...I'll make sure it doesn't hurt."

June was almost hysterical by this point. The thought of killing her son, of letting someone else kill him, it was tearing her insides apart.

"Say what you need to say to him, say your goodbyes, and leave him with me. I'll take care of the rest."

"No."

Jill was quiet again.

"Just go."

"June..."

"Leave, escape on your own. I won't leave Jack behind."

"June, there's nothing more you can do for him."

June finally looked at Jill, with the eyes of a broken mother. She stared into the former S.T.A.R.S. member's eyes, seeing the sadness and pity within them.

"Thank you, Jill...for getting us this far."

June picked up the pistol that Jill had given to her, and placed it by Jack. She handed Jill the bag of ammo, and the grenade launcher.

"Good luck, Jill."

June went back to her son, staring at his form as his chest rose and fell. She full intended to end Jack's suffering, and her own once it was over. She just didn't have the nerve yet. She wanted a few more moments with her only child. Jill stayed for a minute or two, hoping June would change her mind, June suspected. When she left, she left the shotgun by the door. Again, June suspected that it was in case she changed her mind. But she wasn't going to. She was going to die with her son. She rested her head on his chest, and felt his ragged breathing.

"I love you, Jackson."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

June didn't know how much time had past, but she hadn't moved her head from Jackson's chest. His breathing had gotten heavier, and she could feel him getting hotter. She knew he was running out of time. She was going to do it before he turned, she swore she would. A few more minutes passed before she heard the door open and shut. She lifted her head up for the first time, and saw Jill Valentine standing before her. She was shocked to see her again, but figured that this was a last effort to get June to go with her.

"How is he?"

That surprised June. Jill knew that Jack was a lost cause, and wondered why she was asking about his well being, knowing that it was only going to end one way. She walked up to Jack, and placed her hand on his forehead.

"He's got an hour, tops. There's still time."

It was then that June noticed how out of breath Jill was, like she had run back there.

"Time for what?"

Jill looked at June, slight optimism in her eyes.

"There's a cure June, a vaccine."

June's heart beamed with hope. Jack could still make it.

"Where?! Where's the cure?!"

"Raccoon General... but there's a catch."

June was silent, waiting to hear the bad news.

"The hospital was owned by Umbrella. It was a secret testing facility, which means, it'll be crawling with zombies. It'll be crawling with creatures worse than zombies. I can't make my way through it and make it back here in time on my own. I need your help, June."

June was at a loss. Of course she wanted to help Jill, to save her son. But she couldn't leave him all alone in a park right next to a cemetery.

"We have to take him with us."

"You won't be able to protect yourself and him. If he gets bit again, he'll turn even faster."

"But...but I can't just leave him here."

"Listen June, this park used to be a major drug spot. The windows here are bulletproof. If we lock the door, Jack should be safe. But if we wanna save him, we have to go right now."

June looked back at her son, weak and sickly.

"I don't want to lose him either, June."

Jill held the shotgun out to June. She looked back at Jackson again, before taking it. Jill stood by the open door, while June went back to her son.

"Hold on, baby. Mommy will be back soon."

She kissed Jack on his forehead, and cast one last look to him before leaving with Jill. She prayed to whatever God was listening, that this would not be the last time she could look at her son.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

First of all, I would like to say thank you if you haven't jumped ship after my epic shark jumping last chapter. Yeah, I thought it was a good time to bring the feels into the story. I also wanted to flesh out June, since she's gonna be playing a big role. Parents often act stronger than they really are for the sake of their children. Here, this is something June struggles with. We've seen how she reassures Jack that the past is behind them, but here, we're shown that the past still haunts her even more than it haunts Jack. I really wanted to capture that helpless feeling of a parent watching their child dying, and the hope of being able to stop it. Hopefully, I've succeeded here. Also got some nice bonding moments with Jack and Arcee. Don't worry, I intend to have her play a role in all this as well. So this chapter was actually twice as long, but I split it in two. Felt a bit too long in my opinion. Also, I'm sorry to say that the next chapter won't feature Jill and June fighting there way through the hospital for the vaccine. Hope you still enjoy the read, and forgive the typos galore.

A question for the philosophers: Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice"?