AN: Before we get started, I have to address a few things. 1. I know the last chapter was short and lacking a few details; but my tablet was being kind of a jerk. So I was in a bit of a hurry to get everything done. 2. I suck at describing things. June's car probably wasn't tan; and Arcee may have had more pink on her body. I was just going by what I saw on the show, and I haven't watched it in a while. And lastly, I'm new to fanfiction, so I'm bound to make a few mistakes. But I ask that you be patient with me. So with that being said, let's jump into it.

Chapter 2: The adjustment

As the Groundbridge closed, questions were raised when the other Autobots saw Arcee carrying a small crying human in one servo, and dragging a destroyed car with the other. The first to break the silence was Ratchet. "By the Allspark, what happened?" Ratchet murmured. Ratchet was orange with white panels, and had two horns that looked like eyebrows protruding from his helm. He was only a little taller than Arcee, measuring up at 25ft; and to those that met him, might be considered a bit of a grouch. "It's a long story" Arcee responded. "We got time" Cliffjumper shot back. Cliffjumper was Arcee's partner; he was roughly the same height as Ratchet and Bumblebee. He was mostly red with some parts silver, and he had small horns growing out of the sides of his helm. You probably wouldn't meet an Autobot with more wise cracks than Cliffjumper. Both Bumblebee and Bulkhead walked over to Arcee, to get some answers. Bumblebee was yellow with black stripes. The poor scout's voice box had been damaged by Megatron during the war; now he just speaks in beeps. Bulkhead was 30ft and was mostly green with black. He was a wrecker, which meant that he was the toughest of the tough.

"Seriously, what happened?" Bumblebee beeped. "Yeah, tell us, Arcee" Bulkhead stated. Suddenly, loud footsteps could be heard, signaling the arrival of Optimus Prime. Optimus was 35ft, both his arms and torso were red; he also had a blue helm and blue legs. To the other Autobots, Optimus was seen as the wisest and bravest out of all of them. That's probably why he was the leader. "Arcee, explain yourself" Optimus ordered. Arcee suddenly found herself the center of attention, and she did not like it. After Arcee set the car down, she started to tell the others what had transpired that day. She told them about her fight with the cons, how she tried to help the humans, and about the promise she made. "You don't seriously intend to go through with this, do you? I mean, what could you possibly know about raising a human child?" Ratchet declared. "I gave her my word, Ratchet; so I owe it to her and myself to follow through."

"While I commend your dedication to keeping your word, Arcee; do you truly believe this is a feat of which you can accomplish?" Optimus questioned. "Honestly Optimus, I don't know. But what I do know is that I wouldn't be much of an Autobot if I gave up without trying. This human, Jack; he has no one now, and that's something I can change right here, right now. I'm not going to let him be alone, not if I can help it." Optimus looked at her with a new found sense of respect. Because he knew when you have the chance to make a choice, it's always important to do what you believe to be right, instead of focusing on how hard the choice may be. To see her realize that at such a young age, by Cybertronian standards; shows a level of tremendous growth. "I can see your mind has been made up. Would I be correct in assuming there is no changing it?" Optimus inquired. "No Optimus, there isn't" she answered. "Very well then, Arcee. We shall leave the child in your care." Arcee seemed to be happy with this discussion; as a matter of fact, almost all the Autobots seemed to be happy with this discussion, all but one. "WHAT?" Ratchet screamed. "Optimus, with all due respect; the child is in just as much, if not more danger here, as anywhere else. Should he get underfoot, he will go squish" Ratchet stated. "Then for the time being, Ratchet, we must watch where we step" Optimus responded.

It was then that the proximity alert went off. The screens came to life, showing a helicopter landing on the roof. A man with dark skin and a exceeding gut stepped out. He was wearing a gray suit with a white button up shirt. He also wore a tie and dress shoes. He was Special Agent William Fowler, liaison to the Autobots. Fowler had a no nonsense kind of attitude, and a very by the book way of dealing with things. As he stepped into the elevator and made his way down to the base, he would soon learn just how complicated the day was getting. "PRIME!" Fowler shouted at the top of his lungs. "I just got a report saying that there was a brawl between two giant robots, almost an hour's drive from Jasper. Not exactly keeping a low profile, are you?" When Agent Fowler saw Jack nestled in Arcee's servos, he was less than pleased. "What's this; you bots managing some kind of daycare? Where did that baby come from?" Fowler demanded to know. It was at that point where Arcee revealed today's events to Fowler. Fowler had a few choice words to say about Arcee's decision.

"You want to keep him? He's not a pet, you know. Look, the point is, if you have this fantasy about being that boy's mother, then you have to push that thought out of your mind' Fowler stated. "What's a mother?" The Autobots asked, not understanding the reference. Agent Fowler tried to find the right words to describe it. "A mother is a woman who gives birth to a child." "Oh, you mean like a sire, right?" Cliffjumper asked. "Kind of, but not exactly. It's actually the partner of the sire. You know, the mate." Agent Fowler did his best to explain it scientifically. He explained that being a mom wasn't just a woman who gives birth; but also someone who would raise and love you. At the end of the explanation, the Autobots understood what he meant. "Anyway, I'm sure the government will want to take that boy into custody." Fowler said as he walked down the stairs to take Jack from Arcee. Just then, all the other Autobots stood in front of Arcee, blocking Fowler's path. "Arcee's mind has already been made up. She's keeping him, and that's that. Unless you want to start something you can't finish." Cliffjumper said with confidence. Finally, all be it reluctantly; Fowler gave in. "Fine, but this can't get in the way of your work" Fowler said.

The next few hours were filled by Fowler trying to explain basic child care to them. He even went so far as to dig up information on Jack's real mother. Apparently, her name was June Darby. She had married her old college boyfriend, only for him to leave her when he found out she was pregnant. She became a nurse at a hospital in Jasper; and just a few days ago, she gave birth to a son. Fowler had made the arrangements for a cover story to be made. All the news reports would say is that June Darby was killed in a car accident; and that Jack became a ward of the state. After that, the next couple of days were filled with Fowler teaching Arcee how to be a mom. He got her all the supplies she would need from the store. He even got her some parenting books; and he built her a crib to put Jack in. As the days went by, Arcee began to experience the trials and hardships of being a mom.

Day after day, it was always the same thing. Whenever Arcee wasn't on a mission, she would always make time for Jack. She would change his diapers, made sure he was fed and put him down for a nap. She even moved his crib into her quarters to be closer to him. It is true that there were obstacles to overcome, but her biggest challenge to face was when he would wake her up from power down at all hours of the night. She would get up from her berth to get him out of the crib and attend to his needs. While she was rocking him back to sleep, he started to smile and laugh before he grabbed onto one of her servos. It was at that one moment that Arcee realized that motherhood has its rewards. Knowing that there is this small life that you're nurturing and preparing to enter into the world. To her, that felt like the greatest feeling in the world. After he fell asleep, she put him back in the crib and said "Don't worry, everything's going to be okay, I promise."

Soon after that, days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Then one day when Arcee was finished feeding him, she held him in her arms, and he spoke for the first time. "Mama" he said with affection. When he said those words, Arcee started to smile as her spark was filled with joy. "Wow, his first words. According to Fowler, that's supposed to be a big deal. Give it a little while and he'll be walking in no time" Cliffjumper half joked. Although Arcee didn't think it was too funny. Then she set Jack down so she could talk to the other Autobots. "Hey guys, check it out." Everyone looked to where Bumblebee was pointing with amazement. There on the floor, was Jack standing on two legs; and then he started walking. Slowly but surely, he made his way to Arcee. Arcee started to smile and got down on her knees and held her arms wide open. "That's it, come to mommy" Arcee said. When Jack finally reached her, she scooped him up in her arms and kissed his head. "That's my boy. I'm so proud of you" Arcee said with pride.

"Amazing, the kid's strong, just like his mom" Cliffjumper said. "You got that right, Cliff" Arcee said knowing exactly what Cliffjumper meant. Arcee didn't know what the future holds; but she knew that as long as she had Jack, it would be a bright one. She loved him and she would scrap anyone who tried to hurt him.

AN: Just so you guys know, I based this part of the story off of a movie; but you won't find out which movie until the next chapter. Until next time.

STAY AWESOME!