Authors Note- Well, look at this I finally got around to updating this fic. As you can gather by now I don't own Transformers Hasbro does. I only own the plot. Now that we got that out of the way here is Chapter Three of First Do No Harm.
I hope you enjoy.
Chapter III: Safe Place.
Look at her, he thought darkly. A scowl on his face as he watched them. Look at how they act. Like they can live their lives without me. He sipped his coffee, as he watched as June scanned the crowd around her. So, she knew he was here, a thrill ran down her spine as he saw the fear shining in her blue eyes. Good, he thought, you should be afraid. June, he thought, as he tossed the now empty coffee cup in the trash before turning away from her. You should have never left me. Then none of this would have ever happened.
Nodding to himself he then disappeared into the crowd, leaving June to wonder where he was. He cast one final glance as he walked off, he was done watching her for today. As he walked through the crowded mall his thoughts went back to a time when he and June were together. When they were happy well, when he was happy. But obviously that was not the case for June as she left him, taking his unborn son with her when she did. Gritting his teeth he vowed to make her pay. And when he did she would never leave him again...
"Mom?" Jack spoke, causing June to jump slightly, and turned around to face her son.
"Huh?" she murmured.
"I asked if you wanted to go home, or if you wanted to wander around the mall once more." Jack said.
Swallowing June cast another look around, eyes scanning the crowd surrounding them, she didn't want to go home, didn't want to spend the night feeling paranoid and jumping at every little noise.
"Let's wander around." She told him, forcing a smile to her face, a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Been so long since I've been here I figured we'd look around."
Nodding Jack forced a smile as he offered his hand to his mother, the two of them walking hand in hand as they wandered the mall. As they did so Jack watched his mother from the corner of his eye. Hoping that someday, she would open up about what was bothering her...
Ratchet was frustrated. Not for any reason whatsoever, though, after all as of right now things were quiet. Aside from the sound of Bulkhead laughing at something Wheeljack had said, a noise that Ratchet would normally be able to drown out. Hell, normally he would be able to drown out the background noise and focus on his work, and yet.
"AHH!" Ratchet growled, sparks flying from the device he had been working on. Causing a string of Cybertronian curses as he shook out his hands, hissing between his denta.
"You okay, doc?" Wheeljack asked, moving to Ratchet's side, placing a hand on the table where Ratchet was working.
"I'm perfectly fine." Ratchet growled, turning away from Wheeljack.
"Really?" Wheeljack pressed, arching an eyebrow ridge at the medic. "Seems to me that something is on your mind." The corner of Wheeljack's mouth plate turned upwards.
Ratchet sighed, turning away from him. Why couldn't he just leave him alone? "What's on my mind, Wheeljack." Ratchet said, grabbing the smoldering device he had been working on, tossing it away. "It that I've been trying to work. Something I find nearly impossible with you and Bulkhead chatting away." He snapped, and instantly regretted from the corner of his optic he saw Bulkhead flinch, as the medic turned to face the two of them.
"We aren't even that loud." Bulkhead protested.
"It doesn't matter I can't concentrate while you two are hovering around here." Ratchet growled.
Bulkhead and Wheeljack looked to each other then back to Ratchet, questioning looks in their optics as they complied and left Ratchet alone. Ratchet watched as the two wreckers left, before turning the room before heaving a sigh, guilt gripping his spark as he turned back to his unfinished work.
Why had he acted that way? He knew those two weren't doing anything wrong, narrowing his optics as he looked down at his various tools and bits of wires and scrap metal littering his work table. He wasn't normally like this, what was wrong with him? Biting down on his bottom lip maybe there was something wrong with his systems?
He had, after all, been pulling more than a few all nighters than usual. Perhaps that was finally taking its toll on him? Giving his head a shake Ratchet scanned his systems and found...nothing. This did not help with his already darkened mood. But, before Ratchet could dwell on it any further his audios picked up the sound of both Arcee, and an unfamiliar vehicle approaching.
Turning away from his table once more, he watched as the blue femme let the boy off before transforming. Watching as Jack greeted Ratchet, and moved to the mezzanine where Miko and Raf were. The girl was focused on doodling something in her sketchbook, and Raf, as usual was focused on something on his laptop.
However, Ratchet's attention was soon drawn to the white car parked off to one side, and out stepped June Darby, and at that precise moment? It seemed for Ratchet that time stopped, all of his problems he had seemed to melt away. However, those feelings soon disappeared when he saw the look on her face. A frown forming on his face plate as he continued to watch her. Seeing that haunted look on her face didn't sit well with Ratchet. No doubt this co-worker of her was still bothering her. If what she told them was true.
Ratchet couldn't put his finger on it, but something was wrong, and it had nothing to do with any co-worker. Perhaps, Ratchet thought, as he placed a hand on his chin, his optics tracking then woman as she moved to speak with Raf and Miko, he would find time to talk to her privately. When he got the chance. An odd thought he knew, Ratchet hardly ever spent time with their human companions. Well, except for Raf that was.
But for some odd reason he found himself drawn to June Darby.
"Miss Darby." Ratchet spoke, resetting his vocalizer, when he had realized he had been staring at the woman for far too long. His face plates heating up when he realized what he had been doing. "What brings you here?"
June shrugged her shoulders, a small smile on soft pink lips. "Had the day off so I figured I'd...help out around here." There was that faraway look in her eyes once more. Ratchet noted, but quickly brushed it off.
"Well, I don't know how you can help out. Things around here have been really quiet but, uh..." Ratchet rubbed at the back of his head, as he wracked his processor for something she could do while she was here.
Miko and Raf had finished cleaning, so that was out. Worrying at his bottom lip he let out a sigh, optics still glued to the woman, watching as she turned to face him, eyebrow arched. When suddenly an idea formed in his head.
"Miss Darby." He spoke.
"Please, Ratchet call me June." She told him, catching the old medic off guard.
"Very well, I-I was wondering if you would like to assist me in a project of sorts." He asked. As those words escaped his lips he blinked, what was he thinking? And what project did he need her help on?
June looked to him. "Oh, really? And what kind of project?" she asked.
Ratchet thought for a moment, all the while mentally kicking himself for how he was acting. Ratchet couldn't put a finger on it but there was just something about the human woman that made the old medic want to spend time with her, to get to know her.
"W-well," Ratchet stammered, looking away for the briefest of moments. When it suddenly hit him there was something she could help him with. He was originally going to ask Raf to help him up until June had shown up, thoughts of the young boy disappearing from his mind momentarily as he moved to where June stood. "Well, I've been working on a little project, however there are areas too small for me to reach. So, I could use the help of someone with stable hands." He told her.
June worried at her bottom lip as she looked up at Ratchet then to Raf, who had stopped what he was doing to watch the two of them, a look of uncertainty shining in her eyes as she looked to Ratchet once more.
"Sure," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I got nothing better planned so why not?" As she said this a smile formed on her lips.
Watching as Ratchet held out his hand to her, she hopped on. Gripping his thumb as she slowly held her up, and headed down the hall, leaving the kids alone. As they walked down the hall June looked up at Ratchet as he told her about his little project he wanted her help on. As she watched him talk June couldn't help but find herself drawn to him. Ever since she had first been introduced to the Autobots.
Of course she never realized it at the time as she had been so enamored in Optimus. But as time went on she soon found herself turning to Ratchet in the few times she had visited the Autobot base, and now she was here spending time with him. And as she was she couldn't help but feel safe with the old Autobot, comfortable in his presence. Even though the kids and the other Autobots always thought him as grumpy and unfriendly, always focused on some project or other, or making sure the base itself didn't crumble down all around them. Or if he wasn't doing that he was making sure the other Autobots were in tip-top shape for the next battle, June found him...Interesting.
Something about him reminded her of one of the many doctors she worked with daily. Though most of them never gave her the time of day, or if they did it was to bark orders at her. Where as Ratchet seemed to always take time to talk to her no matter how busy he was. Biting down on her bottom lip she looked up at him once more, a new thought forming in her as she brushed a few strands of hair from her eyes, as Ratchet looked down at her.
"Is...something wrong?" he asked her.
June was silent for the longest time before looking away. She wondered could she trust him with what was going on in her life? Tell him about- She quickly shook her head, and looked away. "It's nothing, just lost in thought." She told him.
Mentally kicking herself as they continued on. If she couldn't bring herself to tell Jack about what was going on, how could she tell him? How could he even begin to understand? She thought to herself as they disappeared into one of the bases many rooms. Her thoughts going back to him.
Authors Notes- And here I am again with yet another chapter to First Do No Harm. Sorry, it took me a while to get back to this story, I'm currently job hunting and it's kind of stressing me out. But that aside I hope you liked it. And this is The Exhausted Writer signing off. Have a good day!