Hello, again! How're you doing? I hope you're ok, wherever you are.

Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.

-ELEVEN-

WELCOME PARTY

Arcee couldn't help but stretch her back as she checked her chronometer. It was about time for her to go back home and get some deeply needed recharge; however, what truly delighted her, was to remember that, tomorrow morning, she would be on Earth. It was yet hard to believe she loved that planet better than her own, but it was true… Besides, she has missed Jack and June. Sure, writing helps, but it was always a sad reminder that they were now trillions of light years apart. "Can't believe I've to thank Knock Out for this…" mused the two-wheeler, chuckling and relaxing on her chair. It was also true; after all, wasn't for the Decepticon's troubles, Bumblebee wouldn't have come up with the idea.

The radar at the control tower blipped, detecting an incoming vessel, so she checked. Autobot origin; it was the third that cycle.

As with the previous ones, she hailed the ship and asked the captain to identify; nonetheless, when her message was answered by a young and cheerful voice, she couldn't help her shocked expression, for she recognized that voice-print.

"Moonracer?" The blue femme asked, excited.

«Huh? Who's this? How did you-…? »

"It's me! Arcee!" She interrupted, grinning.

The answer as immediate: a joyful cheer was heard through the communication system, followed by half dozen others. It didn't take a genius to realize that it were all femmes. "It's them!" mentally thanked the two-wheeler, whom, for eons, had wondered what became of her old team. All she knew was that the leaders fell during the final exodus; but the fate of the others had remained a mystery until now.

After granting them permission to land, the fem-bot grabbed a data-pad and ran outside to register them all ―just an excuse to have the chance of properly welcome them back.

By the time she arrived to the platform, the vessel was already opening the hatch, so its crew could come out. Her spark was elated, the moment in which the first one stepped outside; it was almost too hard to believe that they had returned home! After so long of having no news from the femmes' army, she had begun believing the rumors stating that the fem-bots were almost extinct; herself being one of the very last…

"Arcee!" yelled a young, short, four-wheeler of teal and white armor, who nearly tackled her to the ground in a spinal-strut breaking hug. Moonracer, one of the youngest among them; and the best sharpshooter they ever had.

Against her usual self, the two-wheeler soon returned the gesture, smiling widely.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is!"

Another voice she hadn't heard in a while, and which made her let go from the youngling, in order to better receive the former third in command of her old unit: Firestar. The tall, orange and golden femme, with fuchsia accents and holographic flames coming out of her helm was walking up to her with open arms; always the motherly type ―except when in battle; Arcee has seen the personality change in those moments. As before, the two-wheeler shared a hug with this other femme, though for a shorter time.

"It's been so long, girl…" Firestar sighed, smiling in a sad manner.

Behind her, Arcee could see the others: Greenlight and Larcer, both from Crystal City, the two only engineers of the team; Override, the former racer from Velocitron, who unfortunately was on Cybertron when the war broke out and got trapped in between; and, closing the march were two femmes of very different age. The first one was Minerva, the medical officer who had tended to all their wounds at some point; and Galatea, another sharpshooter, of milky white and lavender armor, and who was of very young age ―in fact, she must be rounding Bumblebee's age, now that she thought about it. Arcee never got the chance to meet her as much as she did with the others, since she started helping the mechs about the time in which the white femme joined.

Soon enough, Moonracer was back at the two-wheeler's side, pulling from her servo with a wide grin, saying they had to celebrate having found each other again.

Arcee's smile immediately fell into a sad grim.

"What's wrong?" Firestar questioned, noticing her depression.

"I would love to catch up with you, guys… But I'm leaving Cybertron tomorrow" admitted the blue bot.

"What?!" Moonracer cried scandalized.

"Hey, now, Moony, no need to scream" Override stated, calmly, smirking under her blue visor. "Where you going, girl?" She, then, asked, turning to look at the two-wheeler.

She, then, proceeded to explain her old team why she was leaving for Earth within a handful of joors…

…

At sunrise, Bumblebee and Knock Out were on their way to the space-bridges' port. None of them could believe that they had to wait almost three quartex to have their visas and passports, all thanks to the new policies. Ultra Magnus wasn't kidding when he said that the new Council installed excessive measures! The formularies were endless, and they needed to present them by triplicate. Triplicate! The yellow bot couldn't remember a single time in which he needed to make three copies for a request. Even getting into the army was easier! Deep inside, the warrior was feeling sorry for his friends, because they went through the same thing, all thanks to his plan… Sighing, he hoped that it would work.

"Cold feet?" Knock Out wondered from behind him.

"Not really" answered the youngling. "Just feeling sorry that my friends had to go through all this too…" He admitted, mentally shrugging. "I can't remember the last time I had to wait so freaking long for a data-pad!"

"Right… I tend to forget you were sparked after the war started" mumbled the medic, as if getting lost on his own thoughts.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bumblebee rebuked, confused.

"That you never had to deal with stuff like this before."

"Oh, and you did?"

"Have you ever had to endure the excruciatingly long wait for the Science Academy's Medical Board to ―finally! ― extend you your certificate of graduated doctor?" retorted the Velocitronian.

"Uh… I think we both know the answer to that, to be a 'no'?" The yellow bot stated; his voice indicating he was arching an optic-ridge.

"Point made, then." Knock Out stated, then, finishing the discussion.

They kept driving in silence for a while longer, until a third roaring engine started to catch up with them. Smokescreen had joined them, and was now cheerfully chatting with the former scout, saying how excited he was of going back, of seeing their old friends; and, also, he was glad of getting some distance between him and the new director of the Elite Guard Academy. The only good thing of the job, was the fact that his two best buddies, Side Burn and Hot Rod, were back; the three of them were the last batch of recruits who went through the training ―even if it was in a hurried, and somewhat unfinished, way, since, due to the war, none of them had a graduation ceremony.

Then, the blue mech focused on Knock Out, who was rearing them, and asked the medic if he was ready to go back to Earth. The red mech huffed, but said nothing. No. He wasn't happy of returning to that planet, though he could agree with the fact that he would be much safer there than on Cybertron; nonetheless, the idea of stepping onto that rock wasn't making him jump in excitement. Most of his irritation wasn't towards the planet itself, though, but to the fact that this meant he would spent the rest of his parole surrounded by bots he used to call enemies…

After the answer, and giving it a thought, Smokescreen had to admit that, being the roles reversed, he wouldn't be looking forward to this either.

At the space-bridges, Arcee and the Wreckers were already waiting for them. Immediately after transforming, the Elite Guard ran to greet his friends, happy of seeing them after so long; and Bulkhead was the first one to bump fists with the youngling, lively starting to share anecdotes between them… Of course, the smiles faded away as soon as Knock Out's silhouette came into view, behind Bumblebee. All pairs of blue optics now glued on him, the medic averted their gaze, pretending not to be interested; but the truth was that he was nervous about this, about leaving the planet in company of these bots. Part of him was wondering if it was yet too late to ask his ward to turn tail and go back to the apartment.

But the yellow warrior wasn't paying much attention to him at the moment; he was scanning his surroundings, as if expecting to find someone else at the place. When that didn't happen, the young bot asked his friends about Ultra Magnus' whereabouts, but his only answer was a group shrug. Nobody knew, and, honestly, Wheeljack was relieved of knowing that the commander wouldn't come to wish them luck. Though they mended their differences a long time ago, the two mechs still tended to start a fight whenever it came to specific matters.

Well, if nobody else was missing, it was time to leave.

Presenting their passports and visas, the team walked towards the bot in charge of the space-bridges, who, after checking the documents (and asking a few questions to Bumblebee and Knock Out), opened the portal. "Here we go…" thought the Velocitronian, following the other bots into the vortex.

The coordinates weren't the ones of Jasper, Nevada, thing that the medic pointed out when they came across the bridge, which closed behind them. Bumblebee, thus, explained him that it was because his friends decided to do it the old fashion way: they would bridge themselves to an unpopulated area, somewhere on the planet, and then ask for a ground-bridge. Due to this, the Autobots appeared at the top of some snowy mountain, and soon found themselves knee-deep on frozen water; but none of them minded the cold, they were on Earth! The Wreckers soon allowed themselves to scream in joy at this… Thing that earned them a hiss from Knock Out. The former Decepticon felt obliged to remind them that they could start an avalanche ―much to her own surprise, Arcee agreed with him on that. Yet, nobody could calm their companions, who were way too excited about meeting with their human friends again. Knock Out 'tsk'-ed and looked away. "I'm happy my probation was so fragging fantastic for you lot…" thought the Velocitronian, crossing his arms and frowning.

After a minute or two, Bumblebee called back to their old base, requesting a ground-bridge.

Before he could hung up, a green portal opened in front of them, and, smiling, the bots walked into it without hesitation. All but Knock Out…

"Something wrong?" The yellow bot asked, turning to look at the medic, who didn't move an inch ―not to mention that he seemed to be trembling.

"Oh, no, I'm great…" answered the red mech, with a sarcastic smile. "What do you think?!" He, then, snapped, tensing his shoulders, arms on both sides of his body. "I know what's at the other end: your human friends, which I've threatened in the past, and your former CMO, whom I've fought in the past! And lost!" Knock Out ranted, pointing at the swirling vortex with a sharp digit, while eyeing it with widened ―kind of frightened― optics. "What made you believe I would be safer here, than back at our own planet?" He finally asked, sounding nearly desperate.

"Cybertronians can terminate you, and they've already tried, remember?" stated Bumblebee, smiling and arching an optic-ridge in a rather calming way. "Humans don't even know you exist; and, the ones who does will listen to my reasons."

"And the old med-bot?" pointed out the Velocitronian, narrowing his optics and arching both eyebrows. "Last time I checked, he was a Cybertronian too."

The warrior dared to chuckle at the remark.

"Yes, and he won't do anything either." He assured, walking up to the medic. "Come on, now. You'll be fine." He, then, promised, patting the former Decepticon on the shoulder, encouraging to get into the base.

At this, Knock Out sighed in defeat and stepped into the ground-bridge, finding that the others were yet in transition and waiting for the two of them. Once they saw he agreed to come along, the Autobots smiled and kept walking all the way through to the exit; Bumblebee was the one closing the march now.

After a flash of light, all of them found themselves within the new base of which they've heard so much over Ratchet's messages. It was yet at Alden; however, it was several meters underneath the human base, now. It had, thus, two elevators; one was human-size, designed for Fowler and the children, while the other was for vehicles, so the bots could come and go as they wished. Its exit was located behind a fake wall at one of the hangars atop ―Hangar E, to be precise; the medic felt it was appropriate, given all the things they went through at that building. Then, there were all the designated areas, all of which connected by a maze of corridors. At the moment, however, they were all taking in the new control room, which was bigger than their last one; one of the walls ―the one opposite to the ground-bridge― was covered in blue screens, showing multiple diagnosis of the mainframe, base, and the security feed of the cameras atop. The Autobot insignia was proudly painted on the floor.

There were catwalks installed all over the place too, barely above optic-level; also, at the control room, there was a platform at shoulder-level. There was the exit to the human-sized elevator, which was located next to the vehicle one; and there were human computers connected to the mainframe too. Evidently, this was all designed for Fowler and the children to move around the facility without having to endanger themselves like in previous joints ―the medic clearly remembering his first comment about the kids accidentally getting underfoot…

As the ground-bridge closed, the team noticed that the white and orange mech was standing at the vortex's controllers; still located at the usual spot, near the base's exit. Ratchet, once the portal was fully deactivated, turned and welcomed his friends with a smile, which was reciprocated as the bots walked in, calling the old mech's designation. However, as they all shared their hugs, greetings, and occasional patting on the shoulder, one question came to the visitors' mind: where were the children? They hadn't seen them in two years! They were aching to greet them in person, instead of a written message or video!

Ratchet's smile fell into an embarrassed grimace at the query…

"Yes… About that…" started the medic, averting his optics. "They couldn't make it…" He announced, walking closer to the mainframe keyboard, and being followed by everyone ―the disappointment evident in the air. "Between time-zone differences, exams and otherwise commitments, they weren't capable of attending." He admitted with a shrug, as he stopped and clicked some things into their systems.

And, now, the team was positively pouting… Thus missing a quick glance from the medic towards a catwalk, and gasping in surprise when confetti begun pouring onto their frames from a small trap settled on the ceiling's beams; in a spot which was exactly atop of their heads. Their shocked expressions were enough to make the usually grumpy doctor snort.

"Surprise!"

The three children came out of their hiding, around a corner at one of the catwalks, next to Fowler and June; Jack was still holding the cord they used to open the small trap. The three of them were grinning in satisfaction, which soon made the Autobots laugh out loud, realizing what happened.

"I can't believe you played us, Ratch!" Smokescreen cried, grinning and laughing; meanwhile, the humans were making their way to the platform, cheering that their plan worked.

The medic crossed his arms and shrugged.

"Their idea" admitted the white and orange mech, pointing their human companions with his helm.

"C'mon, guys! Did you honestly think we wouldn't come to welcome you? Shame on you!" accused Miko, with a lopsided smile and pointing at the bots with a finger, although in a playful way.

"Yeah, after two years we could barely wait to have you back!" Jack admitted, getting beside the girl, and placing an arm on her shoulder; both teens exchanged a look that meant they were the main masterminds behind the whole prank.

"So, we planned to catch you off-guard!" Rafael completed, fixing his glasses, and stepping beside his two friends.

Two years were barely acknowledged on Cybertron and its population; but here, on Earth, it was immediately noticeable… Especially when taking in the looks of their human partners. Raf, for starters, was now nearly as tall as his friends; his face was less child-like, but said factions were still noticeable… He dressed similar to the last time Bumblebee saw him, with blue jeans, and a white shirt, of short sleeves; although, this was open, showing an orange t-shirt underneath ―which had a formula written on the chest, in black letters. Miko and Jack were mostly the same, although the fact that they were reaching adulthood was beginning to show. Nonetheless, the major difference was their dressing code: the boy, who now owned an actual bike, tended to dress black biking pants and a navy blue biking jacket; he was also wearing buskins, and a grey t-shirt. The Japanese girl, on the other hand, had cut off her hair, although preserving the pink highlights on the trims, and on the bangs; she still wore black boots and dark denim shorts, but, now, she accompanied it with white hose-socks, a light white jacket and a teal tank top.

The special agent, and the nurse looked exactly the same, still dressing either a suit or the hospital uniform.

The bots chuckled and rolled their optics at the explanation from their counterparts.

"Well, mission accomplished" humored Wheeljack, smirking while dusting off some confetti that got stuck on his helm and shoulders. "Consider us surprised."

The three teens celebrated by sharing a high-five, and going to play some music.

"As you may have noticed, they've missed you greatly" stated Ratchet, smiling, as he walked out of his corner, going to pick up the cubes of Energon he had prepared for the newcomers.

At the same time, the humans were bringing out the food and sodas they'd stashed on the mini-fridge located at their designated area, and placing it all atop a small table. Some things were nearly exactly the same as the old base, such as the large couch and coffee table, plus the human-sized TV. However ―and for everyone's best interest―, this time the stuff was new… There was also a desk on the corner, right next to the elevator, where there were some books, and the backpacks of the kids, same as Jack's helmet. Nonetheless, what called everyone's attention was that the wall itself was covered in pictures; all of them from the team, mostly from two years ago. It was the now designated 'Miko's corner', where the girl displayed all the pics taken by her ever since she entered the team.

Ratchet came back, and started handing cubes to everyone, including a nearly frozen Knock Out, who accepted the drink, although mechanically… He didn't exactly know what to do with this whole 'welcome party'. "To which you're not invited" mentally told to himself the surgeon, as he lowered his optics in a gloom expression, going to stare at the cube in his hands and nothing else around him. This was noticed by the others, but they weren't all too sure of what to do. Because of it, Fowler grabbed a glass and walked up to the platform's security riel, smiling.

When the Velocitronian saw the man, however, a cold chill ran down his back, wondering if he was going to bring up the incident from two years ago, when he hijacked him… And that woman. Which was Jack's mother… The boy who was partners with Arcee… "Why the frag did I come again?" Knock Out thought, questioning his own sanity.

But, once again, his fears were pointless; for reality surprised him again, considering that the middle age man simply proposed to make a toast, without really minding the presence of the former Decepticon ―who couldn't help but look at the group, suddenly realizing that they've somewhat forgotten him; and, thus, wondered how it was even possible. Could they really be ok with this arrangement? Even Ratchet seemed not to mind his presence at all, and they've fought toe to toe in the past. They nearly terminated each other, for Primus' sake!

Meanwhile, at the platform, Fowler was trying to come up with a little speech… Unfortunately for the agent, it was going nowhere, and the entire team was beginning to notice, if their amused looks and smirks were any indication; but, luckily for him, the children took notice too and, sharing a few smiles, trying their best not to burst out in laughs, decided to save Fowler by taking over.

"For friendship!" The three teenagers cheered in unison, while raising their glasses.

"For friendship!" The Autobots and the adults answered, while raising and tapping their cups, happily. They all were laughing, clearly pleased of being back on Earth with their friends…

"Friendship…" Knock Out mumbled in a whisper, away from the others, barely lifting his glass.

From his spot, the red mech had a perfect view of the Autobots and the children as they tried to catch up, enthusiastically talking about the things they missed since the last time they saw each other. And, if he hadn't felt like a stranger before, he sure did now… So, sighing, he scanned the room and went to find a far and comfy corner where to stand, feeling like, if he went any closer to the group, he would be intruding. Thus, as he walked up to the furthest corner he could find, the surgeon stared at the scene ―where the bots talked and played with their human partners― with clear melancholy; drowning in his own personal misery, Knock Out couldn't help but wonder how it would be, had Breakdown survived ―had any of his friends survived, actually. He couldn't help but imagine them all right there, at the control room too… Probably chatting with the 'Bots, as if the war never happened. He knew Breakdown would in a spark-beat. "A real party. Who would've thought?" thought the surgeon with a sad smirk, unable to remember when was the last time he attended one of those. Part of him wanted to join, but another kept reminding him that this celebration wasn't for him, but for Bumblebee and the others. He was a mere stand-by witness…

"Hey, Doc-Knock!" Miko called, suddenly, waving at the bot across the room in hopes of getting his attention. Eventually, his optics focused on her. "Why so down in the dumps? There's a party over here!" She said, gesturing him to get closer.

The medic arched an eyebrow. Were they actually… inviting him? He wanted to retort, to give the girl one of his famous flippant replies, but nothing was coming to mind. He wasn't prepared for this development; and, to tell the truth, he was also desperate to feel somewhat comfortable around here. So, if it would help, the surgeon decided to roll with it… At least for now.

"Uh… Excuse me, but 'Doc-Knock'?" repeated the red mech, nearly crumbling the word on his mouth, while pushing himself off the wall, and arching an accusatorial optic-ridge, as he walked closer to the platform. "Where the scrap did that come from?" He questioned, one servo going to perch on the side of his hip.

The boys sighed, humorously, sharing a knowing look.

"Miko has a thing for nicknames" explained Bulkhead with a chuckle and a nonchalant shrug. "She has had one for each and every 'Con we've faced." He added, still in high spirits.

"Most she learned from us, though, Bulk" amended Wheeljack, with a wink, obviously proud of it.

"Nice…" Knock Out commented, flatly and unamused, with narrowed optics staring at the two Wreckers. "But, I don't think we're on the nicknames' level yet; so, I would appreciate if you don't call me that in the nearby future. Thank you." He told the girl, pretending disinterest, as he took another sip from his drink.

Beside the surgeon, Bumblebee, who now seemed to have developed the ability of seeing right through him, simply rolled his optics and shook his head. A smirk, clear on his lips.

"You used to lie better" commented the former scout, staring at the red mech with an arched optic-ridge.

"And you used to be less irritating" retorted the Velocitronian, frowning at his ward.

"Great! Bot-fight!" The Japanese girl exclaimed in excitement.

"Whoa! Slow down, Miko!" Jack, called, patting his friend's shoulder. "There'll be no fighting, remember?"

Immediately, she covered her mouth, while her eyes widened in realization.

"Right! The parole-thingy!" She recalled out loud. "Sorry, I forgot…" apologized the girl, then, shrugging and smiling toward the two mechs.

This called the medic's attention, who now couldn't help but stare down at the humans. "Did she just-…?" Only now did his processor realize that everyone in this room-…

Groaning, he face-palmed and hung his head in irritation.

"They all know, don't they?" He groaned against his servo.

"Well, of course" interjected Ratchet, scoffing at the notion. "Bee knows better than to just bridge you here without explanations of any sort." He stated, gesturing at the youngling.

"Ratch called me a while ago, when we started to get jumped by Neutrals; that's how this idea came to mind." The yellow bot explained, smiling and placing a hand over the Velocitronian's shoulder. "So I told him and Fowler, and got the all clear."

"Well, you forgot to tell someone: me!" barked the former 'Con, slapping away the scout's servo, and scowling at him. "You could've, at least, told me this when we were on that fragging mountain!" Then, he allowed himself to let out a sighed growl, holding onto the platform, and lowering his head one more time. "And to think I actually believed I was about to be ripped apart, rivet by rivet… Ugh… I know I just lost a good couple vorns from my probable lifespan, back there…"

Somehow, what he said made the children laugh out loud. They were enjoying to see the former Decepticon medic losing his cool and sarcastic attitude, so he could, actually, be himself. Now, they were really happy of being about to spend some time with the surgeon, because that meant they would see more sides of him…

And, also, because something told them that the red bot had already started to change.

That's all for now; hope you liked it. Please let me hear your thoughts.

See ya.