In which Alison has a family reunion, hears a story, and gets a confession.
The weekend passed by easily, with no major incidents between the new 'Bots and COTA members. There was a noticeable lift to Optimus and Ironhide's moods though, and even Elita and Chromia seemed a lot less tense than they had been upon first arriving. A late night visit to a car show just outside Vegas got the team their alt modes. Elita became a pink Ferrari F430, Chromia a light blue Dodge Challenger, Arcee a magenta Ducati 848, and Sides and Sunny became - what else? - Lamborghinis. Sideswipe was a red Murcielago and Sunstreaker a yellow Gallardo. Ella commented that they weren't exactly blending in, but I pointed out that we couldn't blame them for picking really nice alt modes. After all, if they're gonna be stuck with them for a while, might as well get ones that make them look good.
After some debate, it was decided by the 'Bots that Arcee would be Mikaela's guardian, due to both her medical training, and the fact it was more believable that Mikaela would have a motorcycle than a billionaire's sportscar. From the bit I interacted with Arcee, she was fairly fun, and didn't hold too serious a grudge against the 'Cons, which was a good thing with Barricade around.
When it was time to leave Sunday night, we wished everyone goodbye and happy Thanksgiving, for we wouldn't be coming to base until the first weekend of December. Every Thanksgiving, the Witwicky clan gathered at Uncle Sparkplug's farm, something I had either forgotten, or just glossed over until Dad mentioned it the week before. That night, my dreams consisted of my memories of past trips to the farm, revealing my Dad was the middle son of five, as well as a younger sister, Uncle Sparkplug's wife was Aunt Josephine, and their sons were Spike and, to my great surprise, Sam.
For a few minutes after I woke up, I was worried that Sam would somehow know about the movie universe, and the fact I had ousted him from his position of protagonist. Then the AllSpark laughed and told me I was being ridiculous, so I stopped worrying about it so much. I decided, if he did know, then I'd deal with it, and if not, then all would be well.
Our school gave us the whole of Thanksgiving week off, so early Monday morning, we loaded up Bee and my parents' car, sat Arcee on a trailer borrowed from Mikaela's aunt, and set off for Oregon. The trip was about nine hours, including lunch and breaks, and we spent most of the ride just talking, occasional napping, and enjoying ourselves. When I mentioned the size of the Witwicky clan, Bee jokingly suggested I write them all a reference sheet, which I almost took seriously until Mikaela distracted me.
It was around five in the afternoon when we pulled up to the farm, and it as very picturesque for a cold November day. The whole thing was five acres, with the acre closest to the road being the "family space", holding the main farm house where Uncle Sparkplug, Aunt Josephine and cousins Spike and Sam lived, a wide gravel driveway that almost doubled as a parking lot, the guest house where most of the relations would be staying, a camper which also functioned as a kid's clubhouse, and a yard with a duck pond, dog house, and chicken coop. The barn was right about where the second acre started, with the fields and cow pasture around and behind it.
When we pulled up, my uncles were all on the porch, while out by the chickens were some of my cousins. Janet was the oldest of my generation, only daughter of uncle Ben, twenty-two and just finishing a law degree. She was married to a man called Charlie Bierce, and they just had a baby, Benjamin Daniel, named after both his granddads. She was holding baby Ben while watching Laura, Mikey and Nicky Porter, my Aunt Beth's three kids with Uncle Robert. They were twelve, nine and six respectively, and seemed to be having a grand old time feeding and chasing chickens with Spike and Sam's dogs Junkyard and Pips.
When we climbed out of the cars, Arcee and Bee's holos active, Uncle Sparkplug came down the steps to greet us. He looked almost identical to his G1 appearance, with close cut dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a strong frame. Instead of an oil rig worker uniform, he was wearing a white and tan plaid shirt with jeans and boots.
"Ron! Great to see you again!" He wrapped Dad in a hug, then turned to Mom for the same. "Lovely as always, Judy. The drive up wasn't too bad, was it?"
"Oh, not it was lovely," Judy said. "Helped that Alison decided to put all her friends in her car."
Sparkplug turned to me as I stepped up and wrapped me in a hug too. "Great to see you again, Lil' Al."
"Hey Uncle Stan," I hugged him back and stepped back. I opted for a long sleeve t-shirt under a vest for today, and with my coat on, no one could see my scars yet, which suited me fine. I motioned to the other three of our party. "This is Mikaela Banes, my girlfriend, her cousin Sadie Tennison, and our friend Ben Honey." That was the cover story we had come up with the night before, since Arcee was a bit unexpected. It might not hold against deep scrutiny, but I didn't expect anyone to dig that deep into her story.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Witwicky," Mikaela said, extending a hand to Sparkplug, who shook it.
"Please, Stan, or Sparkplug. There are too many 'Mr. Witwicky's here for the title to do any good."
"Too many?" Uncle Ben said from the porch. "I only see two of you. Isn't that right, Sargeant Witwicky?"
"Absolutely, Colonel," Uncle Ben said. Both men shared Dad and Sparkplug's brown hair and large builds, but Ben's eyes were blue instead of brown. Uncle James was also the father of my last cousin, Buster, but he and his wife were in the middle of a nasty divorce, and Buster had taken his mother's side of it all, so he hadn't come.
"Sounds like home," Arcee said, smiling and making her own handshake. Her holo, unlike Elita and Chromia's, actually looked like the actress from the movies, except Arcee also had magenta streaks running through her hair, and the bright blue eyes that seemed the defining trait of all Autobots. Her standard outfit was a dark purple leather cyclist suit with the Bot symbol on the arms and chest, but she switched it out for a magenta shirt under a black leather jacket, jeans, and boots. "Less crashes though, of course."
Bee snorted. "The twins aren't here, of course it's quieter."
I looked around and noted a few people unseen. "Uncle David inside?"
"He and Claire are with her family this year," Uncle Robert said. "Your aunts are inside, gossiping as usual, and Spike and Sam are upstairs." He, contrasting my blood uncles, was slim in frame, and had very dark hair with a close trimmed beard.
"You say that like that isn't exactly what you men get up to out here," Mom said.
We were suddenly interrupted as the kids and dogs realized we were there and raced over, calling out to us and Mom, Dad and I all charged by a little body, while Junkyard, a black Labrador, and Pips, a Boston Terrier, came to investigate Mikaela, Bee and Arcee. Considering I've been spending each weekend with the affections of the hatchlings and the human missile known as Meghan Burke, I easily caught Nicky and spun him into a hug, while Mom and Dad were almost bowled over.
"And how are my favorite cousins doing?" I asked, smiling down at the kids. Laura and Nicky had their mom's blonde hair, while Mikey had the same dark hair as his dad. He and Laura also had their dad's green eyes while Nicky had hazel.
"We're good," Laura said, switching targets with Mikey before both came to me. She then turned her attention to Mikaela and the 'Bots. "Which one is your girlfriend?" she asked.
Arcee laughed, casually pushing Junkyard off her and kneeling to pet him. "You're very forward."
"Well Alison told us all last year she didn't like boys, so it has to be one of you two, and…" She squinted. "You're too old, it's you!" She looked right at Mikaela.
Mikaela smiled. "Yes, it's me. I'm Mikaela."
"I'm Laura." She held her hand out for a shake. "I hope you know if you hurt Alison, I'm not afraid to find a hole for you."
"Laura!" Robert scolded. "Sorry, she gets that from my side of the family."
"Not always a bad thing," Arcee said, holding out a fist to the girl, who bumped it with her own. "I did the same thing to both of my sisters' husbands when they first started dating. Not that my sisters needed the help, but loyalty, you know. I'm Sadie."
"Laura. Are you the big sister?"
"Little sister. But that just means I spot things they might miss."
Laura smiled, then Mikey called out, "Wow! Is that a Ducati 848?"
"It is, she's mine," Arcee said, and was pounced by the nine year old.
"Where'd you get it? What's the fastest you've ever gone? Why is it pink? Can I have a ride?"
Janet, who had followed at a slower pace, laughed. "I'd suggest you run, but it's too late for that. Mikey loves bikes, he'll be able to tell you everything about it, if you want to listen." She was tall, and had long brown hair that was currently in a braid down her back, a rich tan, and her dad's bright blue eyes. Baby Ben was looking to take after his dad, with a shock of black hair and Charlie's soft grey eyes.
"I'd be happy to," Arcee said, and Mikey grinned up at her before launching into a spiel.
Laura rolled her eyes and turned to Bee, who was giving Pips a belly rub. "Who are you?"
"Ben Honey. I'm a friend of Alison's. I can't celebrate Thanksgiving with my family this year, so Alison invited me to join you guys."
"Is Honey your real name?" Nicky asked.
"Actually," Bee looked around conspiratorially. "Can I tell you a secret?"
Nicky nodded quickly and scrambled out of my arms as Bee leaned in and stage whispered, "I grew up in a cult, and they named me Bumblebee. I only got the name Ben when I became a government agent." Well, it wasn't entirely a lie, though the AllSpark huffed a bit at the Knights being called a cult.
Nicky giggled. "That's silly. Bumblebee's a cute name, and government agents aren't cute."
"That's why they changed my name!" Bee smiled.
"Dinner will be ready around seven," Sparkplug said. "Why don't you guys go get your bags stowed, let Mojo out, and we can all go in the house."
"Sounds like a plan," Ron said, heading to the trunk to get the luggage.
Mikaela, Arcee and I were sharing a room, while Bee had the choice of either a couch or sharing with Mikey and Nicky. All other couples had their own room, and Janet and Charlie were sleeping in the camper with baby Ben. Once we had our bags (which for Arcee and Bee were just stuffed with a bunch of my and Mikaela's clothes), we headed into the house where we were set upon by the aunts.
Aunt Josephine, nee Montañez, was Sparkplug's wife, and mom to Spike and Sam. She had gorgeous olive skin, dark brown eyes and thick, almost black hair that she always had up in some fancy style, a remnant of her time as a diplomat before getting married. Aunt Nia, nee Addams, was Uncle Ben's wife and Janet's mom, and she shared her daughter's height, but was a good deal paler, with a prominent hawk-like nose, glossy black hair and sparkling green-blue eyes. Aunt Beth, now Porter, was almost her exact opposite, short and plump, with a dark farmer's tan, blonde hair held back by a bandanna and hazel eyes like mine. All three of them descended for hugs and kisses before Bee, Mikaela and I managed to escape upstairs to find the last members of the family, Pips following on our heels.
Sam's bedroom door was closed when we went up, but we could hear him and Spike talking behind it, as well as the sounds of a video game, so I knocked, and was immediately met with, "Just a second!" Sam opened the door and smiled when he saw me. "Alison! We thought we heard you pull up." He wrapped me in a hug, which I returned.
"Good to see you too, Sam," I said, hugging back, then waving at Spike over his shoulder. "Hey Spike."
Spike hit pause on the game and stood, coming over as well. "Hey there, Alison." He gave me a hug, then pulled back and looked me over. "Whoa! What happened to your eyes?"
"Contacts. They're all the rage at school." We all stepped into the room, and it was a bit of a surprise that, minus the ensuite bathroom and the placement of a few windows, Sam's room looked about identical to in the movie. But this just meant we had plenty of room to sit, Spike taking the desk chair, Sam a stool, and Mikaela, Bee, and me on the bed with Pips.
As we sat, I looked over my cousins. Sam was exactly like he had been in the movie, short brown hair and eyes, heck, I think he was wearing the same shirt from the party scene. Spike, like Sparkplug, looked like he'd been pulled directly from the cartoon, with brown hair, brown eyes, and even wearing a yellow button up with jeans, only this shirt was plaid and worn over a white concert t-shirt.
"Sam, Spike, this is my friend Ben Honey, and my girlfriend, Mikaela Banes." I leaned slightly against Mikaela, holding her hand.
"Wait, you're Mikaela?" Spike asked. "The girl Alison's been crushing on ever since she discovered the difference between boys and girls?"
"Seems my reputation precedes me," Mikaela said with a laugh. "Yeah, we became friends towards the start of the school year, and started dating a couple weeks ago."
"Damnit," Sam muttered and reached over to his desk to pick up his wallet. He pulled a couple bills out and practically threw them at Spike, who smirked. At my raised brow, he explained, "I made Sam a bet you'd get a girlfriend before he did. It also means he's the last in the family to do so."
"Mikey saying he passes notes with a girl on his bus does not mean he has a girlfriend," Sam argued.
"Honestly Sam, I know how you feel," Bee said. "I spent a long time in a friend group of couples. It was a relief to get away to Tranquility and not deal with it."
"You just moved to Tranquility?" Spike asked.
"Yeah," Bee smiled. "I actually set these two up."
"Oh yeah, loosening the distributor cap so Mikaela and I would be stranded after the party was a great idea," I said, rolling my eyes.
"Hey, it worked didn't it?"
"I'm sensing a story here," Sam said.
And so Bee, Mikaela and I gave the modified version of how we all met, which more or less was Bee and I met at the start of the school year and became friends, then he initially loaned me his car to try and impress Mikaela, and upon seeing how much I loved it, gifted it to me. He was of a military family, but had moved to stay with his grandmother while his parents went overseas, and grandma went to stay with her second husband's family for the holiday while he joined us. By the time we were done talking, it was dinner time and we rejoined the rest of the clan.
The next couple days were fairly relaxed, mornings before and just after breakfast spent working on farm chores, then the family dispersed or gathered as we wished. Arcee took a ride at least once a day, patrolling just to make sure there were no unexpected surprises, and then when she was around, she spent a bit of time with Charlie and Janet. Most of mine, Bee and Mikaela's time, after we did our exercise routine, was spent with Spike and Sam, though I definitely loved playing with Laura, Mikey and Nicky.
On Thanksgiving itself, we were busy from the crack of dawn. Farm chores were done, wood for a bonfire gathered, and breakfast made and served before eight o'clock. Then, once the breakfast dishes were in the dishwasher, it was a dash to flee before we could be drafted by General Josephine to help prepare for our feast. Bee, Laura and Mikey didn't make it, and was conscripted to peel and chop vegetables, so Mikaela and I joined them in solidarity. After an hour, our places were swapped with Janet, Uncle Robert and Uncle James, so we fled to the living room.
Sparkplug, Uncle Ben, and Charlie with Baby Ben were relaxing and talking as we came in, while Nicky was coloring in an activity book in front of Sparkplug's chair, Junkyard curled up and dozing against his side.
"Where's Sadie?" Laura asked.
"She was getting ready for her ride," Nicky said.
"No! She's got to hear the story!" She dashed off, Mikey behind her while Nicky grinned and looked to Sparkplug.
"Oh, and I thought you kids would have forgotten about that old story," he said with an exaggerated exasperation.
"It's tradition!" Nicky said. "And Ben, Sadie and Mikaela haven't heard it yet."
"Which Ben you talking about?" Charlie asked from his seat in Aunt Josephine's rocker.
"Both!"
Laura came back right then, pulling Arcee behind her. At her questioning look, I gave a slight shrug, though I had the niggling feeling I should remember this story, like I'd almost had it memorized, but hadn't thought on it in a long time. The four of us took a seat on the couch while Laura sat on the other side of Junkyard. After a minute, Mikey returned with Spike and Sam, the two of them leaning against the wall while the boy joined his siblings. Once everyone was in place, Sparkplug began speaking.
"Now, this story took place a long time ago, when I was Laura's age. I was spending a week camping out with my friend Jamie on his farm, in a tent in his backyard. On the third night, we had just finished eating our dinner and were putting out the campfire before going to sleep when we heard this loud noise. We looked around for what it could be, and finally looked up to see a huge fireball, falling out of the sky. Jamie and I were frozen, we were almost certain it was going to hit us, and we half wondered if it was a Russian missile, meant to destroy the town. But, as luck would have it, it missed us, and the farm house, just grazed the top of Jaime's favorite climbing tree, and went into the fields.
"Jamie ran back to the house, cause the tree had caught fire, and he wanted to save it. But me, I was too curious as to what the fireball was, and I followed where it went. I ran as fast as I could, as straight as I could, and eventually came to where Jamie's farm met the next one. There was a big irrigation canal, which had been full because we had rain all the last week. But when I got there, it was nearly empty, and a huge cloud of steam was rising from it, and sitting in the middle was the source of the fireball."
He leaned down to look at the kids. "Now, this fireball was like nothing I'd ever seen, before or since. It wasn't a missile, which was a huge weight off my shoulder. But it wasn't a meteorite either. Meteorites look like hunks of rock, and this was no rock. It was silver, possibly the silveriest silver I'd ever seen, and huge. At least the size of a small trailer. It was also smooth, and round, like some kind of pod." I felt the blood drain from my face as I recognized that description. "I couldn't get too close, because of the steam, but I was determined to figure out what it was, so I waited on the edge of the field, watching.
"Then, the pod started to open. Not like a hatch, but splitting and folding open. It made more steam, as new parts were exposed to the water, but I was still able to see it as it changed to a new shape and stood up. It was an honest to God, twenty foot tall robot."
A Cybertronian!? I glanced at Bee, Mikaela and Arcee, and they seemed just as shocked as I was. How had something like this been missed? Was this one of Soundwave's people? But, they had their ship, didn't they?
"Well," Uncle Sparkplug continued, completely oblivious to my revelation, "I was stunned and amazed by the robot, and as the steam was starting to clear off and it stepped out of the canal, I wanted to get a closer look. I stepped out of the cornfield, quiet as I could, but I guess it heard me anyway, cause it turned to look at me. Its eyes were the deepest, brightest red I'd ever seen, like if blood could glow. I froze, and was almost certain that was the end for me. I was going to be squashed like a bug, or vaporized by some kind of laser weapon.
"But neither happened. Instead, it turned from me and started looking around. There was an old tractor in the field, it had been sitting there for a few months waiting to be dragged back to the barn, but no one ever got around to it. The robot's eyes turned green and a laser shot out from them, running over the tractor like a scanner. Then, the next moment, it changed, folding down into an exact replica of the tractor. It revved its engine a couple times, then took off, faster than any tractor has a right to, following the path of the canal. I almost wanted to try and follow it, but when I looked back at the farm, I saw the climbing tree completely engulfed in flame, so I raced back to try and help. But I will never forget I saw an alien, and I don't want any of you to believe I didn't."
The kids were appropriately awed, but Sam just scoffed a little. "He's been telling that story since we were kids, and I don't believe it."
I looked back to see Spike shoulder check his brother. "Let the kids have fun," he said.
"You've been telling the exact same story as long as I've known you," Charlie commented. "You'd think the tale would have grown."
"Why inflate an already incredible tale," Sparkplug said. "That would just ruin it.
I shared a glance with Bee, Mikaela and Arcee. "Well, we're going to go back to the guest house for a bit. Call us if you need us." The four of us quickly dashed for the guest house, then for our room. It had a bunk bed and a twin bed, so we had plenty of room for everyone to sit.
"Okay, so, we have an unknown cybertronian running around," I said. I glanced at Bee. "That wouldn't have happened to be you, would it Bee?" There was a slight plea in my voice, though we all knew the answer.
He shook his head. "I only got here in o'five, plus my optics have always been blue. It wasn't any of Starscream's 'Cons either, they only landed earlier this past year."
"So who is it?" Arcee asked, crossing her arms. "Does the AllSpark have any hints to it."
I closed my eyes and asked ~Got an answer to that?~
~No. I do not know who it was. They never discovered myself or Megatron, and so I have no knowledge or memory of them.~
"She says no, no information whatsoever," I said, and looking to Mikaela and Bee, I knew they picked up I was also referring to my pre-Jump knowledge.
"So, we have a 'Con who's been here since the seventies, and other than the fact they took a tractor alt mode once, we have no information on them," Mikaela summed up. "They could still be out there, for all we know."
"I'm going to run my patrol." Arcee stood to do that, then Bee snapped his fingers.
"Simmons!"
We looked to him. "What about him?" I asked.
"During the negotiations, Simmons mentioned there were two NBEs that S7 never caught, which is why I'm NBE 4," Bee said. "He could tell us more about this one."
Looking back, I recalled what Simmons said. I had assumed that third NBE was one of Soundwave's 'Cons, but if not, then Bee was right, he was our best bet for info.
"We'll ask him when we get back. And we'll be careful until we know more." I looked to Arcee. "Don't get yourself hurt, Mikaela's still learning how to fix you guys."
"I will, and you too." Arcee left, and the three of us kinda sagged, especially me.
"So, is this one of those things they never mentioned in the movies?" Mikaela asked.
"As far as I know, never. Maybe there was a bit of backstory in the fourth one that I missed cause I never watched it, but as far as I knew, they never filmed in Nebraska, just Texas."
"Don't worry, Alison," Bee said, moving to sit next to me and sling his arm over my shoulder. "We'll figure this out, and we won't let this 'Con stop us. It's just a road bump. Who knows, maybe they're already dead."
While the idea of a dead cybertronian kinda rubbed me wrong, I appreciated Bee's words and leaned into his side for a moment, bumping him with my head. "Thanks Bee." I sat back up. "Well, on a less worrying note, it seems Sam is as oblivious to cybertronians as he was at the start of the series."
"That's certainly good. I know you were letting that get to you a bit," Mikaela said.
"Hey, I already told you that things will go bad if OP knows stuff, Sam could be just as big a disaster."
"Well, crisis averted. As long as we can keep him for anyone else from overhearing us talking about this, and no one sees a root mode." Mikaela looked to Bee. "Speaking of, how are you holding up? I know you don't like not being able to stretch your legs."
"I'll be fine," Bee said. "If anything, we can go for a drive later today or tomorrow and I'll find a spot to transform for a bit."
A knocking came to the door. When we called it was open, Spike stuck his head in. "Hey, Mom said she wants you guys to help with the desserts. I think she wants to share some recipes with you, Mikaela."
"Sounds like fun," Mikaela said, standing up. "We'll be right there."
The desserts didn't take too long to put together, and by the time they were cooking, the main feast was ready and we all gathered in the dining and living rooms to eat. Two roast turkeys, homemade cranberry sauce and jelly, sweet potato and green bean casseroles, glazed carrots, corn on the cob, three kinds of potatoes (mashed, baked and scalloped), and one glass of wine for everyone over sixteen, with sparkling grape juice for the underage crowd. The desserts ranged from pies (pumpkin, cherry and apple), homemade cake, brownies, and trifle, and suffice to say, everyone was stuffed when we were done.
After the feast, everyone scattered a bit, some to watch the Thanksgiving football game, some to nap, and some to otherwise entertain themselves. Bee got pulled by the kids into their game, and Mikaela leaned against my shoulder, arm sliding around my waist.
"Let's get away from everyone," she murmured. "I want you to myself for a bit."
I smiled. "Sounds like a plan."
We grabbed our coats, hats and gloves and decided to take a short walk around the duck pond, our hands laced together. "So, what do you think of the Witwicky clan?" I asked her.
"I like them, they're all a lot of fun. I haven't had a big holiday like this in… ever. It was always just Dad, Aunt Starry, and me, and then Dad got locked up, and the holidays kinda lost their appeal." She looked at me. "What about you? Is this different from your pre-Jump holidays?"
"Mostly yeah. My old dad's family was even bigger, but we lived in a different state than everyone else, so usually the holidays consisted of either just our family together, or my old mom's sister would host us and her friends. I forgot how great holidays could be with so many people."
"Do you miss them? Your old family, and old life?"
I was quiet as I thought about it. It had been a fleeting thought in my mind, but I've never really confronted that question until now. But, when I had my answer, I was resolute. "I miss my old family, especially my sister. But, honestly, I don't really miss my life there. I was very directionless, back there, just floating and drifting along. I had vague ideas for the future, but not really the drive to go for it. Here, maybe it's my foreknowledge, or the double memories, or the AllSpark, but I have a plan now. I can see the future I want, and I want to push to it." I turned to face her. "I want peace between the 'Bots and 'Cons. I want humanity and cybertronians to be allies. I want to spend the rest of my life with the most beautiful woman at my side, if she'll let me be." I brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and Mikaela blushed.
"You really think that, don't you," she said.
"I have never been dishonest about my feelings, and I never falsely flatter - unless it's a politician." We both laughed at the joke, and Mikaela's eyes sparkled.
I could see a flicker of emotion cross her face - Determination? Certainty? - and she said, "I love you."
I just blinked for a second, letting her words sink in, then I smiled. "I love you too, Mikaela." I leaned in to kiss her, and she met me in the middle. Fireworks went off in my head, and we laced our fingers together, and that moment was just perfect.
AN: ... Until Junkyard races by and jumps into the pond, pursued by Spike.
So what'd ya'll think of the Witwicky clan? Can anyone pick up on the subtle reference I left in there (hint: it's for a video game)? What about Uncle Sparkplug's story? Let me know in the reviews!
Witwicky Clan FCs
Uncle Robert - John Hamm
Charlie & Janet - David Henrie & Maria Cahill
Aunt Josephine - Inma Cuesta
Sam Witwicky - Shia Lebouf (duh)
And the rest of the clan needs FCs, so if you have any ideas, feel free to share them (but only on this chapter, cause they aren't really that important).
Guest Review Replies
Guest 1 (CH 16): Glad things are coming together more and more. Are we gonna get some Allison and Mikaela time? Maybe a date? A school day? Just hanging out?
Well it's not a full on date, but there's some cute Alison/Mikaela time here at the end. There is also a couple more scenes of them being a cute couple throughout the fic, I wish to utilize "show, not tell" for their relationship,
Gerard DuGalle (CH 16):Old style Elita and Chromia, modern style Arcee. I wonder if this has important plot meaning or just a reference to the usual fan interpretations of the characters. By the word "original" I meant the first and second versions of fanfic. Not a movie canon. The last questions remains. Jeffire stands in a museum with clearly visible insignia. Really, none of the visitors and staff did not see this and did not post photos on the Internet? How was he missed in the canon with scanning Internet traffic? Or will you correct this moment?
It's more so I didn't want to worry about the logistics of OP and Elita being a couple when she is basically the size of his leg, and while the "one mind in three bodies" thing Bay tried was cool in theory, not in execution. Their actual alt modes are references, Chromia to her actress, and Elita's to my favorite Elita One rper on tumblr.
I understood what you meant, and even to the first and second drafts of AllSpark, ch 14 is original, as Asami wasn't introduced until after Thanksgiving, the scene with Simmons was much shorter and tacked onto the hatchling chapter, and there was no scene with Copper and the hatchlings.
You actually made me have to think on this one, and I did come up with a reasoning for it, which I will explain when that plot point becomes relative, so thank you for that.
Garard DuGalle (CH 16): One belated thought. What is the chance that a cargo plane from ROTF is autobot Stratosphere?
In relation to AllSpark, none, I actually had no idea this character even existed until you mentioned him.
I'll see you all next week, same 'Bot Time, same 'Bot Channel!
