Amber opened her eyes to look up at Arcee. She was very surprised and more than a little confused because Arcee was letting her rest her head against the bot's side. Arcee hadn't protested, and she hadn't done anything but place an arm around her to make sure that she stayed in place. She wasn't being touched between her legs and she wasn't being made to play a stupid game… she wasn't even being asked to play one of those games! Arcee was only holding her so that she could relax and rest.

Amber was a bit surprised to see that Arcee wasn't really paying any attention to her. The Autobot was focused on the quiet conversation between her and the other adults. Amber kept quiet to avoid disturbing them and closed her eyes again.

"She's not falling asleep is she?" Gail asked softly.

"No, Amber is not going to sleep. In fact she just looked at me a second ago." Arcee replied easily.

"Okay, just making sure. I'm not about to take a chance of her drowning." Gail said quickly.

"Not to worry Gail; I have a constant scan running on Amber at all times, so she can't even get a slight cramp in one of her toes without me knowing about it. If anything happens, I am right here and I can put a stop to it immediately. Amber is perfectly safe." Arcee replied evenly.

"I'm not asleep… it's just… this does feel really good." Amber protested softly.

"That's fine Amber. Just relax and let the water sooth some of your aches and pains, okay?" Arcee said with a light smile as Amber looked up at her.

Amber nodded her head before laying back against Arcee's side. She normally hated to be touched because her Papas had always used light touches and caresses to start their games, but Arcee wasn't doing anything like that. Strangely, Arcee wasn't even trying to do anything to her! It was something that Amber really noticed because it was not something she was familiar with. Amber realized that she liked the feeling of being held as long as the one doing it wasn't trying to start one of those games she hated. She snuggled a little closer to Arcee's frame, and found that the femme only held her just firmly enough to make sure she didn't slip beneath the water if she fell asleep.

Emily nodded her head slowly. "Don't worry about her; she's fine. A couple of Hot Toddys'll make sure that she doesn't get sick of anything, and between those and the Hot Tub, she'll be able to relax a bit. Looks like she could use it too."

"You won't get any arguments from me. She was way too uptight yesterday." Mikaela said quietly. "A little relaxation will do her good."

"I agree and so does both Bluestreak and Ratchet. Amber needs to relax after what she's been through. Today she'll get that relaxation and have the chance to forget about the stress of the past few days." Arcee agreed readily.

Arcee had quickly noticed that Amber did not want to be touched by anyone. She knew that it was because of the girl's past. The four men who had raised her had used the girl for a pleasure bot with the difference being that a pleasure bot also received pleasure as well, plus… that pleasure bot was also a willing participant. She knew, or rather she was convinced that Amber had never experienced any type of pleasure from the actions of those men, and the multitude of bruises and their differing ages was ample proof that Amber had not been a willing participant.

Amber felt Arcee get a good hold on her side. She was acutely aware of the hand on her side, but that hand wasn't sliding up or down to touch her in places that her Papas had always used to start their games. Arcee was only holding her so that she didn't slide under water and that was a lot different than she was used to. She knew that Arcee had told her that she'd like to be a friend. She also knew that Bluestreak seemed to be the kind of friend she'd seen in her movies… the kind that her Papas had told her didn't really exist. Friends that did something nice for you just because they liked you weren't supposed to be real, but then mechs from outer space weren't supposed to be real either. Maybe Arcee did want to be the kind of friend that she saw in her movies! She'd just have to wait and find out.

As everyone got out of the hot tub, Arcee noticed that Amber was a bit unsteady. A quick scan of the girl showed her that Amber was still intoxicated, so she placed a hand on Amber's shoulder to brace her as they headed to the locker room.

"Just stay close to that bench while you dry off and get into some warm dry clothes." Arcee told her gently.

"If you lose your balance, I'm right here." Arcee said as she placed Amber's dry clothing on the bench next to her.

Amber nodded her head and when she did, she noticed that it did throw her balance off a little. She stood up to remove her wet underwear and dry off some. Arcee placed a single hand on her left shoulder to hold her steady. Although she was very apprehensive about removing her underwear and being naked around the others, she also knew that Arcee was just as naked as she was and that helped her feel a bit better about the situation.

When the girl stood up and removed her underwear to dry off, Emily saw the bruises covering her groin and she gaped in a mix of shock, disbelief and anger. She looked over at the others while her mouth hung open in mute protest to what she saw. The faces of everyone else betrayed the same outrage she felt and now she truly understood why they had brought the girl to a female only hot tub.

Amber finished drying off and started to put on her clothes. When she was almost dressed she looked up to see that the others were still naked because they were paying more attention to their conversation than they were what they were doing. That made her feel very nervous because she did not want to play anymore of those games. She pulled on her stockings and shoes before pulling a brush out of the bundle of towels and other things she had. Amber brushed her hair straight back before she looked up at Arcee.

"Amber, will you sit right there and not try to get up until I get my armor back on?" Arcee asked.

Arcee was slightly concerned because even though Amber wasn't legally intoxicated, the girl had never developed any kind of tolerance for alcohol, so her coordination and balance were not what they should be. She was very glad that she had deposited her armor with in five feet of where Amber was sitting on a bench watching the others. She kept a sharp optic on Amber as she donned her armor before she noticed that everyone else was also keeping watch on the girl.

Although 2nd Lieutenant Emily Rodriguez maintained a light banter with the three Officers she had shared the hot tub with as she dried off, she had to fight to swallow her gorge every time she thought about what she had seen on Amber's body. The locations of those bruises along with the shapes of them made their cause immediately apparent. From the number of them, she knew that there had been more than one man involved, and she wanted the bastards castrated! She didn't care that Amber was safe now, because those responsible needed to face justice. As far as she could tell, Amber had several Gatekeepers looking after her in addition to a pair of Autobots. She'd only met Arcee, but she knew that the one called Bluestreak was friends with Amber. That would help the girl a lot, because although she only just met one of them, she did know about them.

Since she didn't have a uniform to put on, Mikaela was the first one dressed. She went over to the bench and sat down next to Amber while Arcee was still putting her armor on.

"So how'd you like the hot tub Amber?" Mikaela asked casually as she tried to get the girl talking.

"It was great! But… I feel really weird right now." Amber replied sluggishly.

"That's from a combination of things Amber. In the future, we won't allow that combination to occur. From now on, you'll get a full meal before you drink a Hot Toddy… if you ever need another." Arcee said as she stepped over to the girl.

Amber nodded her head and waited until everyone was dressed before she followed the women out of the locker room. Arcee was on her right with her left arm across Amber's shoulders to help her stay steady. When they got back to the barracks where Amber was staying, Bluestreak was parked right out in front with Arcee's purple frame right next to him.

"I'm glad you're back Amber. Did that hot tub really help? You were there for a long time, but Arcee stayed with me while you were soaking. Did you like soaking in that hot tub? I hope you did, because you look like it helped. You even have a little more color than you did yesterday, so I think it did help. So do you feel better after soaking like that?" Bluestreak asked as he transformed and stood up.

"That hot tub felt great. Arcee said that she'll get me a swimsuit today, and that means I'll be able to the hot tub again. Ratchet said that you can get another alt mode today. Does that mean you'll be a different kind of car?" Amber asked as she smiled at her friend.

"Yes, Amber, it does. Bluestreak will be a different car entirely, so he'll end up looking a lot better than he does right now." Arcee answered.

"Have you decided what kind of car you want?" Amber asked interestedly.

"Not really. I haven't looked at any of the vehicles that humans have available because Ratchet told me that there are so many to choose from. I thought I would just drive around until I find one I like and that will suit my frame. I know Iwant one that will be nice for you to ride in and that you'll like riding in, that way you'll stay around and we can be together a lot." Bluestreak answered.

Emily's eyebrows rose as she stared up at the Autobot. The eager, excited rambling had taken her by surprise and she wasn't really sure what to make of it. Amber on the other hand, didn't seem to mind at all and even waited patiently while the bot spoke. It was pretty obvious that Amber and Bluestreak were good friends, because they each seemed to care about the other.

BREAK

Amber was in the front passenger seat, while Rachel was behind the steering wheel. Gail, Mikaela, and Serena were in the back seat, while Arcee followed them with her blue frame.

"Can you turn into that one?" Serena asked while pointing at a black Mercedes 350 SL.

"Sure I can change into that one, but that one isn't gray. I like gray and that's the color I've always been. I don't really think I want to be another color. I know other bots have changed their colors before, but I like being gray. Maybe one day I'll change my color into something else, but I want to be gray. That's the color my Carrier chose for me and that's the color I want." Bluestreak answered.

"What's a Carrier?" Serena asked interestedly.

"That would be Bluestreak's mother. A Carrier is the mother, while the bot's father is called the Creator." Arcee supplied over the open comm system.

"Well if this is the color that Bluestreak's mother picked out, then that's what he's going to be! This is his color and that's all there is to it." Amber said defiantly.

"Very true Amber. Bluestreak's mother wanted him to be this color, and by staying this color he'll be doing something that his mother would be happy about." Rachel said as she reached over and patted Amber on the shoulder.

Amber leaned away as she tried to avoid Rachel's hand, but the woman had already finished and was watching the road.

The reference to Bluestreak's mother sent chills down Gail's spine. She had just been told earlier that morning, that he had spent two entire Gail's spine. She had just been told earlier that morning, that he had spent two entire years trapped beneath the dead body of his mother. She knew that two hours was enough to cause countless nightmares, and two days would scar a person for the rest of their life. But two years? She could imagine what kind of horrors that would cause someone to suffer, and she didn't want to either! But Bluestreak had gone through it. She knew that there wasn't a single torture in existence that could equal the emotional and mental trauma that Bluestreak had already endured. None the less, Bluestreak had saved Amber's life, and for that, she felt she owed the Autobot.

"Is there any way you can take the color from one car, and the style of another?" Gail asked.

"I wish I could, Gail, because that would make this a whole lot easier for me, but my scanner doesn't work that way. I wish it did because then I could scan the color of that truck over there and then save that until I find the kind of car that I like. But then that might be too easy and it doesn't work that way, even though I wish it did." Bluestreak answered.

Amber quickly looked around and only saw one truck which was a sort of light gray. She wasn't at all impressed with it because it was a flat color without any gloss or shine to it what so ever. She actually made a face that showed her dislike for the primer gray.

Nissan, Buick, Mazda, Chevy, Toyota, Cadillac, and even a BMW had been suggested by the passengers. Bluestreak however, didn't really like any of them. They had been driving around for more than an hour looking at different vehicles. Trucks, vans, motorcycles, minivans, coups, and wagons were all ignored. Not one of the five passengers could believe just how difficult it was to find a gray sedan among all the choices.

"Hey Bluestreak, what about that one?" Amber asked excitedly as she pointed to the right of an intersection.

It was a metal flake silver Chrysler 300 equipped with a twin turbo charged Hemi engine. It was a color that Bluestreak liked, a size that would suit his frame perfectly, and it had enough speed available that Bluestreak could outrun most pursuers. It was perfect!

Even though she was still looking at it, Amber missed the visible scan of the car. Suddenly, she was sitting in a nice leather bucket seat. She looked around at Bluestreak's interior and her mouth dropped open. Real wood paneling for the trim, with leather and chrome all over the place!

"Wow!" Amber whispered in awe.

"You can say that again!" Rachel intoned breathlessly.

Mikaela started laughing. "I wasn't in his cabin when Bee did the same thing, but I know how you feel Amber. Seeing that happen is pretty amazing isn't it?"

"Yeah! It was like magic or something." Amber replied still in awe.

"That's the kind of thing that takes your breath away." Serena gasped.

"No kidding!" Gail exclaimed.

That was when Arcee started laughing over the comm system. "Believe it or not, but that change looked very impressive from my point of view as well, and I've done that before."

There were various comments of agreement as each of the four women and one young teen admired the new interior of the car they were riding in. Before, it had been run down and more than a bit shabby, but now? Now it looked brand new! Rachel understood why that was when the light changed and the original car went through the intersection, and she saw the Dealership price sticker in the rear driver window. Somehow, they had lucked out and Bluestreak now had a brand spanking new car as his alt mode.

"Now Ladies… what's next on the agenda, getting Amber the clothing she needs, or something for lunch?" Arcee asked cheerfully.

"Lunch!" Amber answered immediately in a loud voice that wasn't a shout.

"Sounds to me like we have a plan." Gail replied instantly with a light smile.

Gail knew that having skipped breakfast, Amber would be hungry. She wanted Amber to be able to concentrate on what they were doing while picking out clothing, and she knew the girl wouldn't be able to do that properly on an empty stomach. There was also the fact that as a Gatekeeper, Amber's wellbeing was her responsibility. That meant that lunch was the next thing on the menu.

"Sounds good to me. Who's buying?" Mikaela asked brightly.

"I am! So that means I get to choose where you'll be eating!" Arcee answered quickly. "We'll get some take out and go to a park to eat."

"Sounds great to me." Amber exclaimed.

"Yeah, same here. Let's go." Mikaela added.

Bluestreak followed the directions provided by Arcee and pulled into a Kobe Steakhouse. At the drive through, Amber let everyone else order first by saying that she was still thinking, and then she gave a smug and ordered what she wanted in flawless Japanese. The other four passengers were gaping at her while she spoke to the attendant. When the attendant replied in Japanese and Amber held a conversation with them, everyone was looking from Amber to the drive through intercom in astonishment.

"Hai! Domo!" Amber said as she sat back with a grin.

Rachel looked over at Amber surprised disbelief. She clearly recalled Amber telling them that she had learned how to speak Japanese from her movies. She had assumed that Amber's use of the language would be somewhat hesitant or halting at the very least. That hadn't been the case at all! Amber had spoken so fast that she would have thought the girl a native speaker of the tongue. This was definitely something to think about.

Bluestreak couldn't believe his audio receptors. Little Amber had spoken in another language as easily as he would have spoken Cybertronian. While that was a bit surprising, it also illustrated just how intelligent Amber is. It was another piece of information about his friend that he was glad to know. He accessed the internet and downloaded the entire Japanese language so that he could always understand his newfound friend.

Arcee had heard the exchange but she wasn't the least bit surprised by it. She had actually recorded the entire conversation at dinner the previous evening, so that she could learn more about Amber. Some of what she had learned through research on the internet was not pleasant to know. The movies that Amber liked to watch for example. While the anime, and manga weren't necessarily a problem, the Hentai was! However, she would have to wait until such a movie was actually in use before taking action about it. The fact that Amber had learned to speak Japanese from watching her movie collection though, did nothing but demonstrate her intelligence, and that was something Arcee approved of.

Bluestreak pulled up to the window and Mikaela handed over the card that Arcee had insisted she take to use for Amber. She actually blanched when she heard how much the bill was. A glance to the side where Arcee was waiting, showed her the nod she was given to go ahead. They had just blown a week's pay for someone who earned minimum wage on lunch… just one meal! The credit card was handed back to her and a few minutes later the food was also passed to her from the attendant.