Mother, I know
That you're tired of being alone
Dad, I know you're trying
To fight when you feel like flying

-Unsteady

~X Ambassadors

Jyelle took a deep vent, standing in front a door that loomed over her like the one who occupied the office within. The ancient glyphs with the modern translation below etched in the hard metal were familiar, comforting almost, and she was tempted to trace them with her digit tips. She refrained, however, and simply looked at them, reading over and over so they would be burned in her memory too. Her optics studied the clipped blocks of the modern text and the curved ancient scrawl with something akin to wary reverence. Every few moments, her digits or her whole servo would twitch as if to make a move that was aborted a sparkbeat later. She wanted to move, truly, but her chaotic thoughts stopped her, or that is what she told herself. It was fear that held her captive in its claws, paralyzed her entire body and left her screaming and guilty within.

"Jyelle?" came a soft, familiar young mech's voice.

"Bumblebee!" she started slightly, turning away from the door with a well concealed vent of relief, "What are you doing up this late?"

"Sevatia's orders. Preping for a mission," he replied with a small smile.

"Scouting?" Jyelle asked, shifting to hide her discomfort from before.

His light blue optics flicked over her electric blue plating, showing concern among other things, "Sorta. Gonna pick up Hunter's team, but I've gotta find them first. You okay?"

"Fine, why?" she replied with a subtly forced smile.

"Well, you're indecisively standing here outside... your sire's door? Jy, what's wrong?" he stepped towards her, placing a servo on her shoulder.

Jyelle ducked her helm, an overwhelming sense of guilt washing over her. If there was one 'bot that knew her better than even herself, it was had played together since they were sparklings, introduced and encouraged by their proud sires, they had become fast, inseparable best friends. When the war had started, his sire was killed guarding one of the Primes going to a Council meeting. His carrier, nearly sick with grief, drank himself into an early offline, forcing Bumblebee and his younger sister Firefly into an orphanage. The two siblings were separated against their wishes and not long later, Firefly disappeared during an unexpected Decepticon raid in her district of Iacon. Worried, scared and oh so alone, Bumblebee had run away from the caretakers in the orphanage, only to show up on the doorstep to Jyelle's house clicks after they had been notified of his disappearance. He had stayed in Jyelle's room that night, crying himself to recharge in her embrace as a grim Optimus and concerned Sevatia discussed the situation down stairs. They decided to foster him and he attended the political academy with Jyelle as they got older, dropping out to join the Autobot academy later while she took extra military classes on the side of her training with Alpha Trion. Having grown up together like that, they were closer at times than even Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, but oddly enough, Jyelle had never come to see Bumblebee as a brother. He was her best friend, that was for certain, but since the incident with Starscream he had become more than just her confidant and support. She had always valued his friendship, but their relationship now was something beyond what they had growing up. It was strange and new and exciting, but she was wary of acting on it, afraid of losing both him and what they had between them. As it was, the yellow servo on her shoulder caused tingles down her spinal struts and her core temperature rose by a degree or two.

"I'm scared, Bee," she whispered sadly, finding herself collapsing against him and into his embrace, "I want to see him, but Carrier warned me that he wasn't alright, that he was shaken to the core and I don't know how to deal with that. He's always been strong, even through the worst of it. He's always been there for me, always been the hero I have seen him as since I was a sparkling, I don't know what he will be like now. I don't know how to handle this. This whole situation is all fragged up."

Bee crooned softly in her audio as her normal rigid composure broke down and she sobbed quietly into his shoulder, waiting until she calmed a bit before speaking, "It's alright Jy. None of us know how to deal with this, what the 'Cons did… none of us saw that coming. And now with Prowl, Blue, and Smokey on medical leave, well… morale's low and the effects have been rippling through everyone. Even command is rattled. No one's really been able to get through to Optimus except for Sevatia, but maybe you can. It's okay that you're scared, you have every right to be, but you have to go in there, not for us but for him. He needs you, Jy. He needs you to be alive and in his arms."

A soft keen left her lips and her vents hiccuped a few times before she managed to rasp, "Are you sure?"

"Positive. Jy, you're stronger than you know. If anyone can do this, it's you, even if it's only because we are behind you. You're not alone," he murmured against her helm, arms tightening around her.

"When did you get so wise?" she asked with a half-sparked huff.

"I grew up. I had to considering you weren't there to give the twins a kick in the aft," he smiled softly.

She giggled, finally lifting her helm off his shoulder and gave him a grateful smile. He stretched a bit to press a fond kiss to her crest then swiped away her tears of coolant with his thumbs. Light blue optics flicked to the door before meeting light sapphire again and she nodded, reading the glyphs on the door one last time before hitting the button to request access.

Optimus Prime

The door opened before the two young warriors, revealing Prime sitting heavily behind his desk and Sevatia beside him, a servo on his shoulder. The dark aqua femme glanced over at them, flashing a small smile and an apologetic, tired look. She turned back to her bondmate, sweeping back one of his antennae and pressing a kiss to his cheek. With all the grace of a lilleth in flight, Sevatia made her way across the room to embrace her daughter, love and relief flowing over their creator-creation bond now that they were reunited. Jyelle took comfort in the close proximity of her Carrier's spark and gave a deep, silent sigh of gratitude to signal her appreciation and contentedness. No words had to be said between them, there was a simple, yet strong understanding that surpassed even their need for a bond to know what the other was feeling.

Sevatia slowly released Jyelle after a breem or two, a promise of sharing a cube at some point coming across in her optics and sealed with a kiss to the top of the younger femme's helm. A discrete signal to Bumblebee had the two walking out the door, leaving Jyelle with her sire, sitting unmoved at his desk. The young politician stepped carefully towards the hulking frame, delicately reaching out slender fingers to rest on his arm lighter than soot on a weld, as if he would shatter into a billion pieces at any moment. The great helm jerked back in belated surprise, clouded dark blue optics flicking to the slight hand, travelling up her arm to her shoulder then finally landing on her face where recognition made a dilatory appearance.

"Jyelle?"

"Hi Daddy," she offered a small, sad smile.

"You are here," he replied, mystified.

"On your request. I am to help fill in for Prowl," she nodded.

"Oh. Yes. Yes you are," he said as if realizing why for the first time then paused for a while before speaking again, "Do you believe you can?"

"I-I don't know," she confessed ducking her helm, but looking up again with confidence, "But I have to. For the Autobots. They stand behind me, so I have to stand behind them. Right?"

"Yes. You will do well," he rumbled.

"What of you? How have you been since… since Praxus?" she asked.

"You know, nobot has asked me that yet? Everybot has seen me like this, but nobot has asked how I am doing?" he gave her a raw, bitter smile, optics sharpening their gaze.

Jyelle's brow ridges furrowed in confusion. How could nobot have asked him how he was doing? He was their leader, yes he was supposed to take care of them and support them, but he was still just a mech. He needed comfort and reassurance sometimes too. Her sire may have always been a hero in her mind, but she had always known how vulnerable he was, that he was just like everyone else. It was not that she was taught that way, nor forced to see it because of the war, it was just who she was. It was her 'quirk' as her carrier liked to call it; she saw the truth in everything whether she was trying to or not. And that is when the truth of the situation hit her and she suddenly understood.

"They are afraid," she murmured.

"Yes. Afraid of what I will tell them, or more accurately, that I will tell them the truth. That I will describe to them just how deeply Praxus has troubled me, disabled me, instilled fear within me. I do not know how to move forward with this, nor how to comfort them, especially when I am not alright myself," he agreed solemnly, a certain fire in his dark blue orbs.

"That is why I am here, Sire, so I can run your army while you catch your footing once more," she said, a little more confidently.

"You will do well," he nodded slightly, the light in his optics dulled once more.

"I should get started," she said determinedly, "Prowl has been out long enough for there to be a backlog. I love you Daddy."

"I love you too, Jyelle. Good luck," he replied listlessly.

"I will not fail you, Daddy," she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before making her way to the exit.

"You never have, Beauty," he murmured.

Jyelle paused just outside his door for a click, turning to glance at him over her shoulder just before the door closed. Her slender fingers clenched into a fist at her side. She would make good on her promise and not fail, for her sire's sake and the sake of the Autobot army. She was their pillar of support now. She nodded slightly to herself and strode in the direction of the tactical division and Prowl's office.

A/N: I LIVE! I'm not dead I promise! Sorry it's been so long, I haven't had the time to write much and between other projects and writer's block, this was put way on the back burner. Now I'm graduating and I have more time for a bit, but we'll see how long that lasts between my job and my new horse. Thank all of you for sticking with this story and with me it is greatly appreciated. I don't own anything but my OC's and the story line.