Chapter 7 - Parents.
Several days later, back in Tranquility, Mikaela chuckled softly to herself as she heard the forlorn chirp echoing from the radio of the Camaro she was resting against, and she ran a soothing hand over the gleaming paintwork, fighting to keep the amusement from her voice as she spoke, "Bee, stop worrying. I'm pretty sure things will go fine with Dad when I speak to him later".
Bumblebee heard the amusement in Mikaela's voice which eased the fluttering in his spark a little but he also heard the underlying uncertainty and it was this that had his radio flaring back into life, "Pretty sure?... That doesn't sound too convincing to me".
"Easy youngling, you're going to fry those still healing circuits if you do not calm down, and I have no urge to explain to either Ratchet or Optimus why you are back in the med-bay, especially as they allowed you to come on this mission before you go and find Sam". Mikaela turned and glared at Ironhides holoform, her blue eyes narrowing, "I'd hardly call meeting my dad a mission 'Hide". Bumblebee chirped softly from behind Mikaela, causing Ironhide to chuckle as he correctly interpreted that his youngling agreed, "I disagree missy, last time I saw my youngling this worried, he was preparing to leave Cybertron for your planet". Bumblebee chirped indignantly, "Was not... and who says I'm worried anyway". Mikaela rested a hand on his hood, and smiled as she felt the faint trembling that belied Bee's words, but as she heard the almost silent chirp when she began to speak, Mikaela smiled as she realised her Autobot didn't want Ironhide knowing just how nervous he was, and she patted his hood reassuringly as she whispered, "It'll be okay big guy, Dad's tough. He can take it". Bumblebee quietly revved his engine and gently moved forward, affectionately bumping Mikaela, chirping softly as he did so; and as Mikaela turned and smiled back at him, Bumblebee felt his spark jump as it always did when she smiled at him whatever form he was in and he could only hope that her confidence in her father was not misplaced as he didn't want his girl to get hurt if things went badly.
oOoOo
"Hey Dad. Have you got a minute?. I really need to talk to you, its kind of important".
Cal Banes lifted his head from the engine he was working on, his eyes narrowing as he heard the unfamiliar nervous tremble in his daughter's voice. Wiping his hands on a nearby rag, he crossed the garage floor to where Mikaela was standing, "Of course you can sweetheart, whats up?". Mikaela smiled back at her father, a few of her nerves melting as she saw the affection in her fathers eyes, "What makes you think there's anything wrong?". Cal smiled back at Mikaela, before reaching a hand out to ruffle her hair, ignoring her protests as always, "Because I'm your dad, and I know when my baby girl is trying to hide something from me. I may not have been around for a while but you still scuff the ground with your foot when you're hiding something". Mikaela looked down at her foot, before reluctantly grinning, "Okay point taken. I promise you nothing is wrong, though I really do need to talk to you about something". Mikaela then sighed deeply, as although she knew she was doing the right thing, it didn't makes the fears about her fathers reaction to her revelation any less. She paused for a moment longer before meeting her fathers worried blue eyes with her own, "You know that I told you me and Bee met through Sam, well it's a little more complicated than that".
"Right so let me get this straight. Bee is actually called Bumblebee, he's not human but is a giant alien robot, who came to Earth to find Sam who had the key to finding some ancient relic from their home planet, along with some more robots who were on the same side. However along the way they woke up the alien robot big bad, who wanted to cause a heap load of trouble, and who then got his arse kicked by Sam of all people and should be safely rusting at the bottom of the ocean, but now you think these guys have stolen what they think is the last piece of the whatever you call it to cause all kinds of shit, but they don't know you have a piece as well, so you could be all kinds of trouble and you decide to tell me all of this now, think I'm going to be happy about having this suddenly dropped on me and then expect me to just up and leave as well". Mikaela winced as she heard the anger in her father's voice, but her own voice remained firm as she met her fathers eyes, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before Dad, but I had to keep Bee and the others safe, though do you honestly think it would have made things any easier. I was so pleased to have you back that I didn't want to risk losing you again if I told you the truth straight away". Mikaela felt the burn of tears building and turned away, though not before a sob escaped. Cal looked at his daughter, before pulling her into a hug, stroking her hair as she cried softly, "Oh baby girl. If anyone needs to be sorry its me. I never should have been dumb enough to do what I did, as it meant I missed out on my girl growing up into the beautiful young woman she is now". Mikaela sniffed, and pressed herself closer into her fathers arms for a moment, before she looked up at him with worried eyes, "So you okay with the fact that Bee's not quite what you thought he was?". Cal heard the worry in Mikaela's voice, and sighed as he looked back at her, "If I said I wasn't, would it make any difference?".
"No. I love Bee, however he looks...". Cal held up a hand before Mikaela could launch into one of her infamous rants, "Easy sweetheart, I wasn't saying I disapproved. It's plainly obvious that Bee loves the very bones of you, and you feel the same. All I will say is it's a lot to take in all at once. I'll admit my head is spinning just a little". Mikaela raised her eyebrows, "You should have been there at the time, that was even more intense. Plus I had Sam to contend with too". Cal chuckled as he heard the weary affection in Mikaela's voice, "Yeah that was pretty unfair I guess. Anyway back to the subject we were on, it's a lot to take in, but I know you and you wouldn't have kept it from me unless you needed to. Same as you wouldn't have told me unless you had no other choice, which I kind of understand strangely enough, you always have wanted to protect everyone.
"But in answer to your question, no I don't have a problem with you and Bee. It's clear you both adore each other...". Before Cal could finish, Mikaela threw herself into her fathers arms, a weight lifting from her chest at his acceptance of her relationship with Bee, "Thank you Daddy, love you". Cal squeezed his daughter tightly, "Love you too baby. Just promise me you'll stay safe". Mikaela met her fathers concerned gaze, "I promise. Honestly I'm pretty safe as they'd have to go through Bee, and everyone else first to get to me and that's not an easy task believe me. As long as I know you're safe too, I'll be happy".
"Is that why I'm being shipped off to some military base in the middle of the desert?". Mikaela nodded, "Yeah, sorry about that but you'll be safest there if anything does kick off. Hopefully Judy and Ron will be safe too wherever they are on their trip, and Bee is off to warn Sam once you've met him properly"
"Are you going to be safe here on your own?". Mikaela grinned back at her father, her eyes dancing mischievously, "Yeah I'll be fine, I've got Mama and Papa Bumblebee to look out for me too". Cal inhaled a deep breath, trying hard to make sense of the changes to his world, and Mikaela noted with a smile the all too familiar stunned expression on her fathers face, as she squeezed his hand reassuringly, "Really Dad, it'll be fine. So, you wanna go meet the in-laws?".
oOoOo
"Do you two even need to be here?". Bumblebee leant against his alt-mode, looking over at the grinning holoforms belonging to Ironhide and Chromia with barely disguised irritation. As he heard Ironhides chuckle, Bee just sighed in frustration and walked over to the edge of the hill crest, sighing once again as he gazed over the city of Tranquility with worried eyes. Although he knew the reasons why Mikaela had wanted to tell her father the truth, the young Autobot couldn't help worrying about how the meeting would go. He'd initially feared that she would be talked into giving him up if her father disapproved but he smiled to himself as he recalled the defiant look in her eyes as she'd reassured him that no such thing would happen, but Bee still didn't want his true identity to cause a problem between Mikaela and her father, as he knew just how much Mikaela had missed him when he'd not been around and how glad she was to have him back in her life.
"If things had gone badly with her father, I am quite sure Mikaela would have let you know by now little one". Bee turned and looked into Chromia's concerned blue eyes, "I know, I'm sure everything is fine. I just don't want to cause a problem for her". Chromia felt the concern radiating from her sparkling, and she rested a comforting hand on Bee's arm, wishing not for the first time that she could take away Bee's worries, "Bumblebee, listen to me". A smile flitted across Bee's face as he heard the commanding tone in Chromia's voice, thinking back to al the times he'd heard the same words as a sparkling back on Cybertron. Chromia saw the smile on Bee's face, and felt a returning smile flit across her own face as she recalled the same memories, "No lecture this time Bee. All I wanted to say is Mikaela knows the risks of what could happen when she tells her creator about you, and us and everything else. However she has chosen to tell him to ensure his safety, not because she wishes to gain his approval. As far as Mikaela is concerned, she has our approval and the approval of the Witwicky's which for her is enough. You have absolutely no need to worry".
"How come you know all this and I don't". Chromia chuckled as she gazed back at Bee's holoform, the confused expression exactly the same as the one that would have been on his metal faceplaces had they been in their bi-pedal modes, "Because we have girl-talk and that's all I'm going to say on the matter". Bee was about to complain when he felt a familiar tug on his spark, and he didn't need Ironhide's call to know that Mikaela was on her way, though whether she was alone or not, Bee couldn't know until she reached them.
oOoOo
As she climbed out of her fathers truck, Mikaela caught sight of Bumblebees holoform and felt her heart race as it always did when she saw him. Smiling as she crossed over to him, Mikaela felt a sigh of contentment escape as she accepted his embrace and felt his arms tighten around her. Bee also sighed contentedly as he rested his cheek against the top of Mikaela's head, "Hey beautiful, how'd it go?". Mikaela chuckled as she heard the concern in Bee's voice, as she had since they'd been back in Tranquility, and she pulled back so she could look into his clear blue eyes, "It went better than I expected, Dad didn't run off screaming when I told him everything, and he's here with me now so things are okay so far".
"You told him everything?". Mikaela nodded, "Yup. I figured it was easier than trying to pick out highlights. Plus if he decided not to believe me, or go crazy and disown me or something, he'd be safe anyway". Bee sighed softly and not for the first time, he marvelled at his girls bravery; as even though her voice remained light, the relief in her eyes showed how worried she'd been. Bee placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, "You really are amazing beautiful". Mikaela blushed, her voice quiet as she looked back towards her fathers battered truck, and Cal standing beside it, looking more than a little out of his depth, and smiled, "Not really, he's my family, I have to at least try to keep him safe. You of all 'bots should understand that one, though at least when I'm protecting people, I tend to stay out of the med-bay". Bee held his hands up in protest as Mikaela began walking back towards her father, her laughter echoing across the open space as he called out, "Hey I don't do it on purpose, you think I like being stuck in the med-bay with Ratchet".
Mikaela was still laughing as she reached her father's side, and she was relieved to see that he too was smiling, "You okay there Dad?". Cal nodded, and as he looked into his daughters smiling face, he realised he didn't care who or what Bumblebee was, all that mattered was that he made his girl happy, "Yeah I'm good. Though have to say, there's not much of a family resemblance". Fighting back her giggles at her fathers confused expression, Mikaela looked over to the holoforms, "Yeah they kinda get to choose their holoforms, its more personal then, and they tend to feel more comfortable using them then". Cal looked over at Ironhides holoform, and raised his eyebrows, "The big guy doesn't look very comfortable". Mikaela looked over and smiled when she saw Ironhide rolling his eyes at Chromia, "Oh just ignore 'Hide, he always looks like that".
"I heard that girlie. Just remember we only look human". Mikaela smiled over at Ironhide who was walking towards them, ignoring his gruff tones as she saw the amusement in his clear blue eyes as he, Chromia and Bee neared where she stood with her father, "Yeah yeah, I'm not gonna forget when you're several feet shorter than you are normally". Ironhide scowled, which only intensified as he heard the muffled laughter coming from Bee and Chromia, "Don't remind me. It is only because this meeting is important to you and our youngling here that I've kept the holoform up for this long".
"Oh I don't know I quite like it, you old grouch you". As Ironhide smiled at Chromia, pulling her closer to him, Bee wrinkled his nose, "Too much information guys. There are some things I really don't need to know", which caused Mikaela to lightly slap him on the arm as he reached out to take hold of her hand, before she laughingly joined in the conversation.
Watching quietly from the edge of the group, Cal realised that had Mikaela not told him of Bumblebees true identity, he would never have guessed that there was anything different about him. The way both Bumblebee and the others interacted with each other whilst they were in their holoforms was uncannily human, although if you looked close enough there were clues that there was something different about them. The first thing Cal had noticed was the way they somehow seemed to communicate with each other without words, and secondly there was those bright blue eyes, which wasn't that obvious when they were alone but as a group it was slightly unnerving. Cal had also noticed the similarities between each of the holoforms and their respective vehicles; no one could doubt that the massive black Topkick would belong to Ironhide and Chromias blue hair and slim build instantly to his mechanics mind linked her to the motorcycle that was parked beside the huge truck. As he rested his eyes on the yellow Camaro, he found the link between Bumblebees different forms less easy to work out, and he let out a sigh of frustration as he puzzled it over in his head.
Mikaela heard the sigh from her dad and turned to look at him with concerned eyes, realising that for a moment she'd completely forgotten that he was there, "Oh sorry Dad, I'm so used to it being just us".
Cal chuckled as he saw Mikaela's guilty look, "Yeah I'm fine. Though Bee, how come its not obvious which car you belong to, if that's the right term?. With those two its easy". Mikaela snorted back a chuckle as she saw the matching looks of surprise on the older holoforms faces, and Bee fought back his own chuckles as he turned to look at Mikaelas father, "There are a few similarities, my hair colour being the main link, but I think it has more to do with the fact that I created my holoform to please Mikeala, rather than to please myself. Plus I know Mikaela loves me in my true form so I didn't need to make the link too obvious when I'm using my holoform". Cal looked at Bee, and saw the seriousness in those bright blue eyes along with a healthy dose of nervousness, which somehow reassured Cal, and he smiled back at Bee, "Fair enough, and there's no need to look so worried, as far as I'm concerned same rules still apply that I gave you when we first met. So when do I get to see these other sides now I know about them?". Mikaela looked at her dad, "You sure about this Dad?". Cal looked back at his daughter, "Sweetheart stop trying to protect me, I wouldn't have asked if I wasnt sure, and I'm guessing its gotta be more comfortable for these guys".
"I like this man already". Mikaela turned to look at Ironhide but his holoform had already disappeared in a cloud of sparks, causing her father to yelp with surprise. Resting a steadying hand on his arm, understanding his surprise as she'd been much the same the first time Bumblebee's holoform had done the same thing and she still wasn't used to it even now, "Its okay Dad, it still weirds me out a little too". Chromia also looked over to where the Topkick was now revving its engine impatiently, before looking back at Cal with an apologetic look, "Sorry for 'Hide, he isn't known for his patience and he certainly is not known for his love of using his holoform, he is definitely far more comfortable in his own form, I wont say happier as that is a term that certainly doesn't apply to him". Mikaela chuckled as she heard Ironhides indignant reply through the tone of his engine, and Cal turned to look at his daughter with a smile, "That's an unhappy engine for sure". Bee chuckled softly, "I'd term it more grumpy. See you in a minute beautiful". As his holoform disappeared, Mikaela couldn't help her habit of rubbing her arms against the static it caused. "Does it hurt when he does that?". Mikaela looked at her father and smiled softly as she heard the protectiveness in his voice, "No it just tickles, I'm getting used to it though. Anyway are you sure you're ready?". Cal looked at Mikaela with raised eyebrows, "I don't think I'll ever be ready but hit me with it anyway. Hell if Samuel Witwicky can cope with this I'm pretty damn sure I can".
oOoOo
Back in his alt-mode Bumblebee sighed softly as he prepared to transform into his bi-pedal mode. Although Mikaela's father was reacting far better than the young Autobot had hoped for, he could still feel the nervousness in his spark and he was unable to help the shudder that ran through his alt mode. However almost instantly he felt the pressure of Mikaela's hand resting on his hood, which caused his spark to race for a completely different reason, as did her quiet whispers of encouragement before he heard her raise her voice to call out, "Okay ready when you guys are". Pulling a deep breath of cool air through his vents, Bumblebee started the process of his transformation, as did Chromia and Ironhide. As he reached his full height, he couldn't help the chirp of relief that escaped as he stretched out the aches that came from being in his alt mode for several hours, as well as the aches from his still healing injuries.
"You okay there big guy?". Bee looked at Mikaela and chirped softly as he saw the concern in her blue eyes, "I'm good... nothing to worry about.. no real hurts". Mikaela smiled up him, before turning to look at her father. Bumblebee fought back the urge to laugh as firstly he saw the look of shocked confusion on Cal's face, but on looking closer he also saw the same fascinated expression that he'd seen in Mikaela's eyes the first time he'd transformed in front of her, and he chuckled quietly to himself, "Seen that look before", as Cal moved closer to Ironhide and Chromia as Mikaela introduced them properly, and Bee felt a sigh of relief flood through his vents as Ironhide kept his cannons hidden.
"And this is my real Bumblebee". As he heard the pride and affection in her voice, Bee chirped softly and knelt beside her, stroking a finger gently down her back, smiling as he heard her contented sigh and his own spark sighed in response as well. However both Bumblebee and Mikaela were jolted out of their thoughts by the sound of Cal's voice, "Pleased to meet you properly at last Bumblebee". As he held out his hand, Bee smiled as he recognised the human greeting and he held out a finger, smiling as he felt Cal grasp it, and painful as it was, Bee slowly answered in his own voice, "Pleased to meet you too".
"Okay I gotta ask, my mechanics heart needs an answer. What happened to your voice? It was fine before". Bumblebee saw the genuine interest in Cal's blue eyes, but the question still hurt and he couldn't help the unhappy chirp that escaped as he thought back to that fateful day on Cybertron. Mikaela saw the flicker of pain in Bee's blue optics and she rested her hand against the warm metal of his cheek, smiling up at him softly, her heart melting as she saw the way his optics brightened as he looked back at her.
As the two of them shared their quiet moment, Cal realised there was more to his question and he looked over at the two older Autobots, noticing the protective look in both sets of glowing optics, "Okay bad question I guess, but seriously what happened?". Ironhide sighed deeply as he gazed at Bumblebee, and Chromia rested a gentle hand on his arm before she looked back at Cal, her voice quiet as she answered, "Our youngling received the injury when he was involved in a battle back on our home planet. Megatron decided to adopt his usual tactic of attacking those smaller and weaker than himself and although Bee fought him as bravely as he could, he was no match for the Decepticon leader.
"However we are unsure if Megatron meant to just injure Bumblebee or if he was disturbed before he could off-line him permanently, but when 'Hide found Bee, his vocaliser had been crushed almost beyond repair. Our medic Ratchet has done his best to repair it over the years, and Bumblebee now has some use of his true voice when he's transformed but he has used his radio to communicate for so long now that its second nature for him, and we're all so used to it that we don't think to question it. I hope that answers your question". Cal looked back at Bumblebee and Mikaela who were still talking softly, and he smiled as he saw the way Bee's giant palm had curled protectively round Mikaela, before he looked back at Chromia, "Thanks for telling me the story, though I'm kinda sorry for asking".
"You were not to know, and we still have our Bumblebee which is the main thing. He may not be our own youngling but we would both give our sparks to keep him safe if we had to, and we have extended that protection to your Mikaela, so please do not worry about her she will be safe. We will all make sure of that, Bumblebee most of all". Cal saw the seriousness in Chromias optics, as well as Ironhides, and he felt the worry that had been nestled in his thoughts vanish as he realised his girl would be more than safe. However it didn't stop him looking up at the two older Autobots with narrowed eyes as he spoke once more, "I'm glad about that, but if she gets hurt or he hurts her in anyway, I will think of a way to take you guys apart and use you for spare parts. She's my baby girl and a pissed off mechanic is never good". Ironhide laughed, "Your daughter has used that very same threat more than once, though it is generally aimed at whoever is threatening to hurt Bumblebee". Cal grinned up at the transformed Topkick, "Thats my girl. Seriously though, thank you for keeping her safe".
"It is our pleasure, though she often needs little help with that. She is a strong and resourceful young woman, you must be very proud of her". Cal looked over at Mikaela who was laughing at something Bumblebee had said, "I am and like I said I'm glad you guys are looking out for her.
"And although Bumblebee isn't exactly conventional, I don't think she could have chosen any better. I know he'll make her happy and that's all I've ever wanted for her". Chromia looked over at Bumblebee who was also chuckling softly, and her blue optics softened as she replied quietly, "That's all any of us want for our younglings".
oOoOo
A few hours later, Mikaela and Bumblebee were back at the Witwicky residence, and they were making the most of the alone time that Ironhide and Chromias patrols had given them. "Well that went better than expected". Bee chirped softly as he heard the relief in Mikaela's voice, "With you there beautiful... I think 'Hide actually really likes your dad". Mikaela chuckled softly, "Thats only because in the end 'Hide got to show his cannons off, and Dad went all super geek on us". A laugh echoed from Bumblebee's radio, "He's going to love it when he gets on base... I have a feeling Ratchets going to have a hard time keeping him out of the med-bay".
"At least he'll be safe, that's the main thing".
As Mikaela rested her head against his, Bumblebee chirped softly, "He'll be fine beautiful.. and its only a precaution at the moment". Mikaela sighed and leaned closer to Bumblebees warm metal, fighting back the sudden chill that she felt, "I know big guy, it just feels like somethings brewing. I know 'Hide and Chromia have had the same worries you had before we left about being followed while we're here, and the more I think about it, I can't help thinking its odd that the Decepticons went to all the trouble of stealing the All-Spark shard but yet they havent done anything with it. Why? What are they planning?". Bee sighed deeply and held his hand to his shoulder, and Mikaela climbed on, curling into his palm as he brought her round in front of him, his blue optics glowing steadily, "I don't know beautiful but we'll face it when it happens. Until then lets just make the most of our time together before I have to go find Sam... please?". Mikaela saw the worry behind the reassurance in Bee's optics, but decided to let it rest for now. Bee was right; they could, and would, face whatever was brewing when it happened, and she smiled softly as she leant forward and placed a soft kiss on Bee's smiling lips, realising that maybe it might be best to focus on the here and now for a little while.
oOoOo
A/N: Helllllllo! I'm still alive people! So so so sorry that this chapter has taken so long to get out, but a combination of family visits, new jobs and just no spare time has meant this chapter has been a nightmare to write as I've not been able to knuckle down and get on with it so to me this feels really bitty but hopefully you guys will like it.
Anyway the whole family has now met, and I just think the character of Mikaela's father was wasted in the movies, so I've kinda built him up a bit here. Also both Bumblebee and Mikaela get a little bit of parental time here as they're both still kinda young really.
Well the next chapter will hopefully be out a lot faster as we're now pretty much back to the movie timeline, so the action will now start to pick up so our twosome had better make the most of that alone time as its the last they're gonna get for a while xx