Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. If I did the Autobots would have kicked the Decepticons' afts vorns ago.
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Jaime's POV
Time seemed to slow down, almost to the point of stopping. Jaime was dimly aware of the Autobot holoforms trying to talk to her, attempting to garner a response from her. She distantly felt Will hold on to her, trying to comfort her. The flames slowly licked the walls of the orphanage, as if savoring its taste as one would savor their favorite ice cream. But she did not speak or move. She kept vigil on the front entrance, waiting for Optimus to bring Charlie out. The Autobot leader had saved his comrades from Decepticons in much more dangerous situations. Surely he could save Charlie from a fire? Jaime clung to that blind hope desperately. Her outward appearance hardly changed, but inside she was a writhing mass of shot nerves. Still, Optimus did not appear in the doorway. Neither did Charlie. Jaime squeezed her eyes shut, choking back the sob. No, it wasn't going to end this way. It couldn't! She cracked her eyes open once more. The flames continued to hungrily devour the building. Black smoke billowed out of the front entrance. The building was becoming weaker by the second. Jaime felt a cold feeling grip her. They're not going to make it. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, a tall hunched over figure materialized out of the smoke. Jaime's body responded faster than the Autobots could process. Before any of them could even think of holding her back, she hurdled to the large figure, carrying something in his arms. Jaime skidded in front of Optimus' soot covered—but otherwise okay—holoform. But he didn't stop. He strode over to Ratchet's alt form. The medic's holoform was already there, opening the doors to the hummer and grabbing supplies. She shadowed the Autobot leader to the vehicle.
"Lay him down there," Ratchet commanded, gesturing to the prepared stretcher. Optimus complied. Before he could back out of the hummer, Jaime had leapt up and knelt next to the boy.
"Charlie?" she whispered. Ratchet quickly bent down—on the other side—and placed an oxygen mask over the boy. The Autobot medic must have already scanned the boy because the grim look on his face vanished. He glanced up at Jaime, whose eyes were boring into his.
"He breathed in a lot of smoke," he said. "And he needs to stay on oxygen for a while—"
"And?" Jaime urged.
"He should make a full recovery," he smiled at her. Jaime exhaled, breathing out all the pent up stress. She glanced down at her adopted brother and noted for the first time—without fear clouding her judgment—the rise and fall of his chest. She turned to Optimus who was still in the hummer next to her. She startled him by launching herself into his arms.
"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" she cried into his chest. Once the leader had gotten over the initial surprise, he gently returned the embrace.
"You are welcome Jaime. I am just thankful that I got him to him in time." Coughing filled the hummer. The three inhabitants turned to Charlie who cracked his eyes open.
"Jaime?" he croaked.
"I'm here," she soothed, bending down next to him. He offered her something that he had been clutching to his stomach. It was her father's jacket.
"I told you I'd keep it safe," he gave her a small self-satisfied smile. Jaime swallowed. She took the offered jacket.
"Thank you Charlie," she smiled sweetly. "I never doubted your word." His smile widened. She quickly set the jacket down and leaned in closer. In a snap, her kind and caring face turned to absolutely fury.
"But don't you ever do that again do you understand me Charlie Bruce Evans?" she hissed, jabbing her finger at him. His smile was quickly wiped off his face. Ratchet and Optimus recoiled, completely shocked by her sudden twist in behavior.
"But I promised—" Charlie tried to defend himself.
"You are much much more important than a stupid jacket!" she growled.
"But it's your dad's—" the boy tried to continue.
"I don't care! Don't you ever put yourself in danger like that ever again! God! Do you have any idea what you put me through?" Charlie winced. "I thought you were going to die!" Jaime continued. "If you ever ever pull such a stupid stunt again…I swear I'll…" Jaime paused to catch her breath.
"You'll what?" Charlie challenged. She stood up and stared coolly at him.
"I swear I'll never tell you another story ever again," she scowled. Any leftover arrogance the small boy possessed washed away immediately. His face became horrified. Ratchet and Optimus—who were completely lost on the importance of these stories—stared at Jaime, then Charlie, then Jaime again.
"You wouldn't…" Charlie gawked at her.
"Try me," she raised an eyebrow.
"Ok, I'll be good," Charlie hurriedly apologized. "I'm sorry Jaime." Jaime gave him a forgiving smile.
"What's so important about a fragging story?" a gruff voice muttered outside the emergency vehicle. Jaime turned just in time to see Jazz elbow Ironhide. Jaime noted that the fire department had arrived and had finished putting out the fire. Luckily there was no wind today. Optimus squeezed past her and stepped out of the hummer as he and Prowl proceeded to have a discussion with the authorities.
"Jaime?" The girl turned to face Jazz's holoform. "There's someone tha' wan's t' talk t' ya." He gestured over his shoulder. Brian gave her a sheepish smile, although it looked more like a grimace. She regarded him coldly.
"What do you want Brian?" she finally asked.
"Um…" he shuffled nervously on his feet. "Can we talk?" She opened her mouth to say no. "…Please?" She paused. Brian never said please. She pursed her lips in thought.
"Fine," she relented. She turned to Charlie. "You going to be ok?" He nodded. Jaime turned to step out of the rescue vehicle.
"Jaime." Charlie's voice stopped her. "We were wrong about him." She looked over her shoulder, giving the boy a doubtful expression. But Charlie was done speaking and closing his tired eyes. Jaime hopped out of Ratchet's alt form and followed Brian a little distance away from the others.
"What is it Brian?" she asked sharply. He glanced at the ground and mumbled something Jaime didn't quiet catch.
"What was that?"
"I'm sorry," he repeated. Jaime blinked in surprise
"…What?" Brian glanced up at her.
"I'm sorry for picking on you," he apologized. "It was wrong and immature." Jaime stared at him. "I have no excuse that can condone my behavior," he continued, "only a reason that doesn't justify my actions."
"…Which…is?" the stunned girl managed to get out. He grimaced.
"I…I was jealous of you," he admitted. "I still am actually." Her mouth dropped.
"Y-you're jealous…of me?" she squeaked. He nodded. Why in the world would he be jealous of her? "…But…why?"
"Because you're so…lucky!" he threw his hands up in the air. "And you hardly seem to notice!"
She frowned at him.
"You think I'm lucky?" she growled lowly. "I lost my parents—"
"So did every other kid here." He interrupted.
"Lost my best friend a few days ago—"
"At least you had one."
"And I lost my bloody freaking arm!"
"I lost my baby sister," he whispered. She stopped. Brian had been at the orphanage longer than her but the closest thing she'd ever learned about him personally was that he ignored the younger girls. She hesitated, unsure what to say. "I watched her die," he mumbled. "…her name was Emily. My mom died giving birth to her but I still loved her. You only had to look in her eyes and you just couldn't be mad at her. Dad was a lawyer. We were pretty well off, too well off. Some burglars tried to rob us one night but dad heard them." He tightened his fists. "I don't know why or how, but one of them had Emily with him. He used her as a hostage. Dad—he had his shotgun—he was furious…It-it happened s-so fast," he stuttered. Jaime held her breath. "The guy holding Emily got jumpy. The gun he was pointing at her went off…She dropped and the two fled…Dad chased them…" They were both silent for a few moments.
"What happened?" Jaime finally asked softly.
"They double teamed him," He tried to shrug indifferently but Jaime saw through it. "They shot him in the head…I held her as she died…tried to comfort her."
"…How old where you?"
"Nine…I hate guns now."
"Understandable," Jaime muttered.
"We didn't really have any other family," the boy continued. "So I was sent here. I was so hopeful at first that I'd get adopted…You know how it is." Jaime nodded in understanding. She was familiar with the optimism of being adopted when she first arrived. "Yea well, I learned like everyone does that adults only want cute little kids…so I got pretty bitter." He scoffed. "My dad owned a mansion and here I was living in a stupid run down building…And then you came along…" Jaime frowned.
"Me?" He nodded at her.
"Yea…See, I was the newbie before you so I got picked on a lot." She stared at him. "Miss Narcissa used to pick on me. She said I was a snotty rich kid who needed to learn what it was like to be average. Well, when you came along…"
"…I became her favorite target," she finished. He nodded. She glowered at him. "You knew what it was like, to be singled out! But you picked on me too! You're no better than her!"
He dropped his head in shame.
"I know, I'm sorry…It…it was nice when everyone left me alone," he sighed. "And I began to pick on you to…fit in…I guess. I noticed right away that was the fastest way to get into Miss Narcissa's good graces. If it weren't for her I'm sure you would have made friends with almost everyone." She looked up at him in surprise.
"Why do you say that?"
"People only stayed away from you because they'd get singled out by Miss Narcissa." Jaime felt her gut clench.
"So…Charlie…"
"Actually she left him alone mostly. So long as she saw me picking on him." Her brow furrowed.
"When you were picking on his ears—"
"She was in the hallway."
"You pushed Charlie into a wall."
"She was in a really foul mood that day."
"You punched Charlie in the lip!"
"She was going to put him in the box."
"…She was?" Jaime asked. Charlie had never been in the box and Jaime had done everything in her power that it stayed that way. He nodded.
"…Do you know why he got the belt?" Brian hesitated. "Why did he get the belt Brian?"
"She was trying to discourage him from being friends with you," he mumbled. Jaime froze. She couldn't speak. Her little brother had been punished because of her. And he'd still wanted to be friends with her. Jaime didn't know whether she should feel guilty or touched.
"When you left, we all tried to help each other out. She's been in such a bad mood these last few days. I don't know why. I've never seen her this bad," the boy shrugged his shoulders.
"Maybe she knows she's being investigated?" Jaime suggested. Brian made an agreeing sound. The two turned to gaze at the half burned orphanage.
"Think they'll even bother trying to rebuild it?" Brian asked.
"They should have let it burn to the ground," Jaime muttered bitterly. The boy nodded in agreement.
"Not that it affects you now," he added as an afterthought. She looked back at him but he wasn't even looking at her. He was looking at the Autobots.
"Which one adopted you anyways?"
"Will, the guy with the brown hair and military fatigues," she pointed him out. "Why do you ask?" Brian shook his head in exasperation.
"Because not only do you have a nice dad, you have a bunch of people who care for you." Jaime gazed at him.
"How…how can you tell?" she inquired. He rolled his eyes.
"The tall guy in blue ran into a burning building for your friend, they all tried to comfort you when Charlie was still inside, the guy in the silver acted as an overprotective bodyguard when I wanted to talk to you, and the scary looking one in the black hasn't stopped glaring at me since we started talking." Jaime glanced at Ironhide. It was true. The weapons specialist was giving Brian a dark look. She grinned at him.
"Yea they're…they're…pretty cool," she flushed. Brian shuffled his feet.
"Um, so…yea…I just wanted to apologize for everything." Their eyes met. "I know you probably still hate me but…maybe we can start over?" He offered his hand. She stared him down for a few moments. She remembered Charlie's words and sighed.
"You're going to have to prove yourself," she grumbled, accepting his hand. He grinned at her.
"I'll make it up to you. I promise." He seemed surprised but relieved that she was giving him a second chance. She had surprised herself. A week ago she would have blown him off without a thought. But she had listened to him and hadn't ignored his offer. She was…learning to trust again. She suspected meeting the Autobots—especially Jazz—and Will had changed her. Brian left to rejoin the other orphans. Jaime headed towards the Autobots, noticing that the firefighters had left. All that remained were a couple of cops talking to Prowl. She was a few feet away from Jazz and Ironhide when a black expensive looking car pulled up. She froze. All the children stared at it because they all knew who it belonged to. The driver's door stepped opened and out stepped Miss Narcissa. Jaime gulped. The headmistress looked furious.
Kurohane Ookami: Haha. Not exactly...Yes, Miss Narcissa started the fire but for other motives...And yes! Optimus saves Charlie!
Jazz hasn't given up yet. A heart to heart is coming up. Not saying what will happen but they will have a chance to talk.
As for the orphans...guess you'll just have to keep on reading to find out :)
Did I pass your interrogation? :D
Golden Eagle 603:
Jazz recognized his allies yes. But Jaime never knew about their alt modes. Their transformations were left out of her dreams and Jazz didn't tell her about them. And he didn't tell Jaime because he lets her learn things for herself. I tried to allow Jaime to focus on each one when she met them (a few chapters ago). As for Sideswipe and Sunstreaker...well...they're not on earth right now...but it may be a possibility :) Thanks!
xXRetrobotXx :
Haha! Don't steal Jazz! I need him to motivate me to keep writing! :)
Rayne :
Thanks. And duh, the evil person has to get whats coming to them. Good always triumphs :) You'll soon find out who started the fire. I feel bad for making Jaime and Jazz having this little road bump in their relationship...but yea...Jaime and Jazz will soon get a chance to talk out their differences.
Phoenyx Starr: Awww thanks! I'm so glad someone else gets as much enjoyment out of them! Yes, Charlie is alright. Heh heh. The kid is saved by his hero and he doesn't even realize that...Irony! :D That sure would be neat if he actually got to meet Optimus *wink*
Jazz's lil ninja: Well that would be pretty flipping awesome to be adopted by Optimus Prime...but it's not in the cards. Thanks! But you are close...Charlie will get adopted eventually...
WingBladeWeaver1357: Haha Thanks! And I know how that is. Your laptop shocked you? O.O Wierd. Charlie is saved by Optimus! Yay! And I have a sneaking suspicion that you are right about Miss Narcissa :P
Thank you to the guest who left a review! And thanks to everyone who is following (or has favorited) I Feel Home! I appreciate the support!
Author's Note: There you have it! Another chapter! Whee! Hmmm I seem to be getting into the bad habit of ending at cliffhangers. Oh well...Please leave a review! Or else Prowl will throw you in the brig!
Prowl: *Indignant* I will do no such thing.
Hubero: This is my story buddy. You'll do whatever I say :)
Prowl: *Optic twitches* That is not logical.
Hubero: Just tell the people to leave a comment already!
Prowl: …Your comments would be most appreciated. Hubero reads all her reviews and responds to each one with enthusiasm.
Hubero: *Scowls* You just made me look like a creeper with no life.
Ironhide: *Enters* Do you have a life?
Hubero: …That…was so harsh.
Ratchet: *Enters* What's going on out here?
Ironhide: You stole my weapons.
Hubero: No I didn't! Who told you that! *Grumbles* Dang you Epps…
Ironhide: *Smug* You just did.
Hubero: *Blinks* Uh…no I didn't.
Prowl: Hubero didn't admit to anything, but her suspicious behavior suggests that she knows where your missing weapons are Ironhide.
Hubero: *Eye twitches* Shut it Prowl or I'll make you glitch in the next chapter!
Prowl: *Glares but says nothing*
Ratchet: *Levels a wrench at Ironhide threateningly* Solve your differences elsewhere…Not in front of my med bay. *Stomps back inside*
Ironhide: *Turns to look back at Hubero* Hey! Where did she go?
Prowl: *Looks around before replying* It would be logical to assume that she made her escape while we were distracted by Ratchet.
Ironhide: *Grumbles and tromps down the hall in search of Hubero*
~Hubero