The last thing Ellie's expecting is to be woken up by her kids on a weekend morning. She's quickly roused awake by their hands shaking her and she sits upright as one signs and the other speaks at the same time. She waves at them both, "Whoa, calm down! What's the matter with you two?"

Charlie signs, 'Big alien robot! Outside!'

"I- what?" She blinks and turns to Maddie.

"The Autobot," she says, pointing out the bedroom window, "Something's wrong with him, Mom."

Ellie doesn't need to be told twice. She jumps out of bed and clambers to the window, looking out to see the garage door wide open. Her eyes widen. She turns around, signing and speaking, "Who opened the garage door?"

Both kids point outside. Maddie answeres, "He did. It was open when we looked."

"You went outside and looked?"

They both nod. Ellie sighs, "Did he... say anything?"

Charlie and Maddie look at each other. Her daughter answers, "He wanted us to get you."

"...Okay, um," quickly blinking the tiredness out of her eyes, Ellie opens her dresser and pulls out some clothes, "I'll be ready in a moment kids. Don't go back out there without me, okay?"

They obediently wait in the living room while Ellie gets herself dressed. Both of them are crowding the back door when she comes down. She glances through the glass, seeing nothing but the open garage door again and internally prays that Crosshairs hasn't done something. Why would he send her kids to get her?

Trotting across the yard, her worries are immediately answered when she reaches the garage and peers inside.

Sitting against the back of the garage is Crosshairs, in his true form, with his knees pulled up and his head in his hands. It's not that which grabs her attention though; it's the empty cans of paint on the floor. She picks one up, gaping as she comes to realize what he had done.

"...Crosshairs?" she calls.

He looks up. Save for his silvery face plating, there isn't a single piece of him that isn't pitch black. He looks like an entirely different Autobot than the one she's taken care of for the last few weeks. On the floor she sees chips of the red and blue paint he once had. Ellie gapes at him, "Oh, Crosshairs. You..."

"Was tired of lookin' at myself," he mumbles, "and seein' what happened..."

Charlie picks up another one of the empty paint cans and hands it to her. Ellie takes it. It's one of the few cans of black paint she's kept in the garage since her ex had bought them but never used them. At least they've finally been used, she muses. Gently putting it down, she looks back up at Crosshairs, who doesn't look entirely pleased with what he's done with himself, leaving her to think it was probably done in an emotional spur of the moment.

"Well... at least all that old paint got put to use," she says with a short chuckle. Crosshairs, clearly not amused, just continues to frown at her. Ellie sighs, "It doesn't look as bad as you may be thinking. It's... different, but-"

Crosshairs huffs, "'S not that."

Ellie decides not to pry, considering he very obviously isn't in the mood to talk about why he's painted himself completely black. It's going to take some time to get used to the new color scheme, but like she's mentioned, she doesn't think it looks bad. If anything this helps hide his identity, now that he's no longer red and blue like he is in his N.E.S.T. profile.

While momentarily preoccupied with her thoughts Ellie fails to notice her kids wandering the closest they've ever been to him. Maddie stops within a few feet but Charlie runs up to Crosshairs until he has to crane his head nearly completely up to look at the massive Autobot. Ellie moves to grab him, but something tells her to see what happens. Suppressing her motherly instinct, she decides to watch quietly. Crosshairs has never interacted with her kids before.

Charlie openly gaps at Crosshairs, who in turn only stares back down at the child. He tilts his head, looking at the little boy as if he's something he's never seen before. Actually, Ellie thinks, Charlie probably is the first human child he's been exposed to. She knows that others would think she's insane and a horrible mother to let him get close. But Ellie's come to know Crosshairs just enough to know that he will never intentionally harm her or her family. She trusts that he's careful enough to avoid hurting Charlie.

Maddie looks back at her mother, smiling knowingly. Ellie smiles back, her eyes focused on the scene. Charlie raises his little hand and waves it. Crosshairs hesitates, looks to Ellie for assistance, and it takes him a minute to see that she's mouthing at him to wave back. With a small movement he raises his palm in a sort of half-wave, but even that miniscule motion is enough to make her son bounce with glee.

When Charlie bounds back to his sister, Maddie looks up at the Autobot and says shyly, "Hi."

Crosshairs peers down at her curiously, "Hi. Name's Maddie, yeah?"

Maddie gawks but she nods while holding Charlie close, "U-uh, yeah. That's me."

He meets Ellie's eyes, mirroring her vaguely amused expression. Ellie just finds herself immensely grateful that he's being patient with her children, which only further proves to her that Autobots truly are peaceful beings, even if they look and sound scary at first. She's about to advise her children to give him space when Crosshairs slowly and carefully lowers his arm and extends his fingers to Charlie and Maddie.

"'M Crosshairs," he says, in the most gentle tone of voice Ellie's ever heard out of him. Both of her kids glance back unsurely at her, waiting for Ellie to nod encouragingly before they step closer to him. Charlie reaches out first, his little hand barely covering Crosshairs's index finger. Maddie is next, laughing a little nervously as she too touches him.

Ellie continues to watch, a smile on her lips. The two of them marvel at Crosshairs for a little while longer until he cautiously pulls his hand away and places it back into his lap. Maddie backs away, gently pulling Charlie with her and beams at Ellie, "I like him. He's cool."

Ellie laughs, "He is pretty cool, isn't he?"

Charlie waves to grab her attention and signs. She smiles after watching him and says to Crosshairs, "Charlie says he likes the black."

He utters a noise that sounds like an amused huff. Then he surprises her when he looks down at Charlie, brings his palm to his chin and drags it down into the 'thank you' sign. Enthralled by the gesture, Charlie grins. Suddenly sporting a scrunched face, he uses the sign for 'bathroom', which Maddie sees and offers to take him back inside. As her kids leave the garage, Ellie crosses her arms, "Where did you learn sign language?"

Crosshairs taps his head.

"Oh, right," she mumbles, "The internet. I forgot about that. So... does that mean you can speak a whole bunch of languages?"

"We can speak every documented Earth language," he says simply. Once again Ellie finds herself utterly fascinated by Crosshairs's kind all together. What other amazing things are Cybertronians capable of?

"Listen, I've actually been... thinking about taking you somewhere," Ellie says, changing the subject, "I have a place in mind that's really secluded. It's private property, meaning that no one outside of those in my family can go there. I was wondering if maybe... you'd like to get out of this garage for a bit."

Crosshairs looks interested right away, "Where's it at?"

"Somewhere you can safely walk around. I figure it's probably good for you to stretch your legs -your real ones, you know?" Ellie quirks her brow, "And your... new paintjob is actually going to make it much easier to take you there. That is, if you're able to drive again. You won't be recognized."

He looks down at himself, as if that's something he hasn't even realized until she pointed it out. Taking a moment to ponder on it, Crosshairs eventually nods and says, "Been wantin' to get outta here."

"Okay, good. I'll let the kids know and we can head out," she smiles, "I'll lead the way in my car and you-"

Crosshairs cuts her off with an unexpected offer, "I can take y'all."

"...Oh. Are you sure? I mean, you don't have to. I don't mind driving-" Ellie babbles on, but again Crosshairs interrupts her and shakes his head.

"'S fine. I can drive," he says, and then adds, "'S the least I can do, after what you've done for me."

Ellie decides to stop arguing. Crosshairs is apparently adamant on taking all of them instead, and what the heck? It'll save her some gas. Here's hoping that he's a good driver, "...Okay."


Crosshairs has never had humans in his cab before.

It's almost funny when he thinks about it. Before DC he would never have let anyone inside of him. All N.E.S.T. soldiers knew how peculiar Crosshairs was about it. He was among the handful of Autobot who, although respected humans, didn't feel comfortable enough to let the 'fleshies' ride around in them. He was never reprimanded for it, as it was just one of those quirks that humans and Autobots mutually respected. Not all Autobots were willing to be living taxis and those who had that view were never forced to abandon it.

But Ellie's different. She isn't some soldier in a base. She's enigmatic, and that uniqueness just seems to have a strange power to bring out the unusual in Crosshairs himself. He still isn't entirely sure what drove him to so readily offer to be the ride, but he doesn't feel like he regrets it. He's already in his vehicle mode when Ellie and her two children come outside. He's since activated his holoform and has had it leaning against his driver's door patiently.

Without a word he moves to the side, opening his doors for them. They all look a little surprised at that. He supposes it's because his car doors opened without his holoform moving at all. That, too, is still an unusual feeling. His consciousness is split between two different forms and yet he can still manipulate both. He wonders how some of the other Autobots had gotten so accustomed to using their own holoforms so quickly.

When none of them move he inclines his holoform's head, "We goin' or what?"

"Oh, uh," Ellie snaps out of it and ushers her kids forward. They both look a little unsure still, so Crosshairs uses his holoform this time to recline his seats forward. Charlie, fearless as ever, is the first to climb inside, more than likely just excited that he gets to ride in a '98 Corvette. He sends Crosshairs a bright smile that hits him in the spark unexpectedly before the little boy settles in the backseats.

Maddie is still a little hesitant, so Crosshairs says with a half-smile, "Ain't gonna bite you, I promise."

That seems to do the trick. She giggles a little and again there's a pinch deep inside Crosshairs's spark that he's not sure what to make of. He decides to ignore it, if only for the moment, and turns to Ellie. She fidgets with her hands, "Are you sure this is okay? The kids don't annoy you or anything, do they? I can still-"

"Ellie."

Before he realizes he's doing it Crosshairs reaches out and grabs her forearm with a gentle grasp. It stops her from rambling again, her eyes wide at his unexpected touch. He freezes for a moment, too, not having expected to feel so compelled to touch her. Ellie doesn't take her arm back, though, so luckily Crosshairs doesn't think she minds it.

"Just..." he lets her go, mildly conflicted by his own actions. He sighs and simply gestures with his head, putting on a small smile, "Just get in."

Smiling back in a way that touches his spark one last time, Ellie does.


Ellie navigates Crosshairs through a parkland area in the rural part of the city. There's a trail deep in the woods, one that would eventually lead to a photoesque riverside with water that sparkles in the afternoon sun. It's peaceful and perfectly secluded from the rest of the world.

The kids climb out and eagerly approach the water's edge. Ellie closes her eyes and breathes in the smell of freshwater and woodland. Childhood memories echo in the back of her mind. She opens her eyes to see Crosshairs's holoform climb out as well, his bright blue eyes immediately taking in his surroundings.

Ellie approaches the river and sits down on the bank. She beckons Crosshairs to come and do the same.

"I used to come here with my sister all the time," she says as he settles down next to her. She crosses her legs and leans forward, smiling sadly, "Our parents owned this land. They had planned on building a house here, before they died. I own it now, and I like to bring the kids here every now and then. Sometimes I come here by myself, while they're at school, just so I can relax."

"What happened to them?" Crosshairs asks, looking over at her, "Your creators?"

Ellie pauses for a short moment, remembering suddenly through N.E.S.T.'s leaked files that Cybertronians do have an entirely different terminology. Crosshairs seems to catch on to it and clears his throat, "Parents, I meant."

Ellie looks down into her lap, "Dad had cancer. Mom died of old age shortly after."

"...'M sorry."

She shrugs, "It's okay. We knew they were going to pass eventually. That's the thing about human life. We don't live forever, so... there comes a time in our lives where we expect death. It was hard, but I know they're in a better place, together."

They sit in silence for a while after that, quietly watching as Charlie and Maddie take turns skipping rocks across the water's surface. Ellie glances at Crosshairs, chuckles, and remarks, "You know, I brought you here so you wouldn't have to use this."

She gestures at his holoform. He quirks his mouth.

"I told you it's safe here. Trust me," Ellie says with a smile, "I wouldn't have brought you here if it wasn't. It's okay."

He stares at her for a long moment. Then, in a sudden flurry of cackling blue sparks his holoform is gone. Ellie blinks a few times, wondering if she's really just seen that, when she hears noises behind her. She whirls around just in time to see the black Corvette begin to split apart and transform.

Ellie's instantly in awe. Though she's aware that Cybertronians can transform like this she's never actually seen Crosshairs do it. It's mesmerizing, seeing parts and plates flow over one another, watching him rise and rise until he's standing in all his twenty-eight feet glory. Charlie and Maddie stop what they're doing to watch as well, all open mouths and wide eyes.

Once he's done transforming Crosshairs stretches various parts of his body, uttering relieved noises when joints crack and hydraulics whir. Ellie's positive that she's made the right choice, seeing that Crosshairs must have been uncomfortably stiff for some time. There's no skin and muscle that flex in response to his movements, but his armor shifts and rolls in ways that convey the same message; Crosshairs is undoubtedly powerful. It's amazing to Ellie how gentle he was with her kids when he's intimidating, large, and strong enough to kill a human with a flick of a finger.

Easing down slowly, Crosshairs settles on his knees. His glowing eyes fall dim for a long moment and his armor grows slack. It's the most relaxed Ellie's ever seen him and she stays decidedly silent, allowing him to find the peace she's always found for herself when she comes here. He definitely needs it more than her at the moment.

"...Blue would've liked it here," Crosshairs mumbles sadly.

Ellie frowns. She settles next to him, saying quietly, "I'm sorry."

He shakes his head, eyes brightening, "Thing is, we can live forever. Death don't come easy for us. We ain't prepared for it, so when it happens... dunno, guess that's why it's hard to get over it."

"Well, trying to get over it is your first problem," Ellie says, earning her a deep, confused frown from him, "Yes, it's important to move on, but you shouldn't force yourself to. I don't know about you guys, but we humans have something called a grieving period. When we loose a loved one, there's a period of time where we have to mourn. That's the only way we can move on. I get that you're all tough and war-hardened, big guy, but even the strongest have to grieve sometimes to get themselves together."

Crosshairs looks away, mulling on what she's saying. Ellie hopes she's gotten her message across, she's never been good at advice. Charlie and Maddie sit down next to her, arms full of rocks they've collected to flip across the river. Maddie frowns at Crosshairs, and then silently signs to Ellie, 'Is he okay?'

'He's been through a lot,' Ellie signs back, 'He just needs time.'

Maddie glances up at him again, 'Bringing him here was a good idea, I think.'

Ellie takes a look at him herself, smiling sadly, 'Me too.'

It stays like this for a long time. Ellie tosses rocks with the kids and Crosshairs watches nearby, completely unaware they he's just slightly smiling the entire time.


Ellie's sad when they leave, having not gone to her parents' lakeside for a long time. By the time they return home the sun is setting, painting the sky with a beautiful array pinks, yellows and oranges. Looking out from the window, it's one of the things she enjoys about living in the countryside. The kids are asleep in the backseats, slumped against the doors. She hopes that isn't a bother for Crosshairs.

His holoform stares steadily ahead, one hand loosely resting on top of the wheel, giving the perfect illusion that he's a human being. His brows are furrowed together slightly and his mouth is set in a firm line. There's certainly something he's thinking about but Ellie chooses not to prod. She's come to figure out that there's only certain times when Crosshairs is willing to open up some. Other times he keeps his feelings advertently hidden away.

"Kids," she whispers, shaking them each until they wake, "We're home."

Ellie helps her sleepy children climb out once Crosshairs pulls in. She glances at him gratefully when he holds his door open and says, "Thank you, for driving."

"Yeah," Maddie speaks up, smiling at him, "Thanks Crosshairs."

Crosshairs nods a little, seeming a bit unsure of what to say. Ellie takes Charlie's hand, grabbing his attention, 'What do you say, Charlie?'

The little boy looks between her and Crosshairs's holoform for a moment. She expects him to thank the Autobot, but instead she's surprised to see him come forward and wrap his little arms around Crosshairs's waist in a big hug. His holoform's eyes widen at the unexpected embrace and he doesn't reciprocate, but Charlie doesn't mind one bit. He backs away with a big and innocent smile and signs, 'Thank you.'

Slowly, Crosshairs half-raises his own hand and signs a bewildered, 'You're welcome.'

Grinning even wider, Charlie bounces, thrilled that Crosshairs is capable of signing back. Aside from his sister and his mother and the interpreters at school, he's never been capable of communicating with many people very well. But being able to communicate with an Autobot is simply exciting to little Charlie. Ellie gives a short laugh and gently pulls him to her. She turns to Maddie, "You two head inside, okay? I'll be there in a bit."

Once her kids enter the house Ellie turns back to Crosshairs, "I'm sorry about that. I didn't know he was going to do that. I hope it didn't-"

"Ellie," he says, in that same tone he'd used just before they left for the river. Realizing that she was babbling again she chuckles and looks down, "Ah, sorry. I ramble sometimes, I know..."

"'S fine," he says, his expression amused, "Kid's fine, too. Didn't bother me."

Ellie meets his eyes and smiles, "I'm glad. I, uh, read that some Autobot's aren't as human-friendly as others and I've been worried that the kids and I have been a nuisance to you and I don't want to make you uncomfortable and I just-"

Crosshairs grabs her wrist, silencing her immediately. His grasp is firm but not at all harmful. Ellie swallows, trying not to think about how his hand can wrap around her entire forearm. She utters a tiny disgruntled noise when he tugs her a little closer.

"Stop," he says simply, placing a finger under her chin and using his free hand to make her look up at him. Ellie's instantly drawn to his piercing blue eyes. He examines her face for a moment and then mumbles, "You worry too much."

"I know," she says softly, "I'm a worrier. It's just what I do."

Huffing in short amusement he lets her go and walks to the front of his real form, sitting on his hood. After a brief moment of hesitation Ellie joins him, sitting down next to him. She's surprised to feel his hood softly vibrating, like he's purring underneath her.

"Did the riverside help at all?"

Crosshairs nods, "Little bit."

"Good," she smiles, "I hoped it would help clear your mind a little."

They watch the sunset for a while, content in each other's presence. Eventually Ellie can feel his eyes on her and she turns to see Crosshairs looking at her with a strange expression, "What?"

His eyes flick downwards, "I can feel that."

"Feel what -Oh!" Ellie snaps her palm up like she's been burned, realizing with horror that she's been drumming her fingernails on his hood, "I'm so sorry! I didn't even realize -that must have felt really annoying!"

With a pink tint to her cheeks Ellie firmly places her hands in her lap, as if she doesn't trust them not to touch where they shouldn't. She hears an exasperated sigh and then a much larger hand pries hers from between her thighs, placing it back on the black surface of his hood. She gapes as Crosshairs, surprised.

"Relax," he says, taking his hand off of hers, "You act like I'm 'bout to kill you."

Laughing nervously, Ellie clears her throat, "Yeah, you're right. I'm s-"

"Don't you fraggin' apologize either," he says in an annoyed growl, turning to her, "Ain't nothin' you've done wrong."

"...Right, okay," she murmurs. She looks down at her palm on his hood and, with curiosity, she drags her nails up and down. Crosshairs glances down, clearly bemused by the strange sensation.

"So you can feel this," she says.

Crosshairs nods. Ellie takes her hand and places it on his holoform's arm, squeezing softly, "But you can also feel this."

Again he nods, "Kinda like havin' two bodies. Can feel sensations in both."

"That sounds really amazing and weird at the same time."

Crosshairs just exhales in amusement. He turns his arm around so that his palm faces up. With a tilt of his head he lets Ellie's much smaller palm fall into his. She allows the contact only for a short moment before taking her hand back. The urgency doesn't go unnoticed by Crosshairs. He frowns and quirks a brow at her.

"Do I scare you, Ellie?"

There's alcohol in his breath. She struggles, writhes and fights but she can't escape. Tears run down her face as his fingers dig into her scalp and yank. She feels like she can't move, can't speak, can't even breath, or else he's going to beat her. Again. She can hear her baby boy crying in his crib upstairs.

"Thomas, don't, please," she cries, "I need to get to Charlie, I need-"

He strikes her across the face, hard enough for her to hit her head against the side of the refrigerator. He grabs her by her throat and pins her against the counter. She's sobbing in pain, her face and body bruised, her heart pounding in her chest.

Leaning forward until they're inches apart, he grins with malice. The smell of alcohol is almost unbearable.

"Do I scare you, Ellie?"

A hand on her shoulder shakes her back into the present. Ellie chokes out a distressed noise and tenses. She can't help it. Instincts borne from her marriage come flooding back and she nearly screams when all she sees is a large man leaning towards her. For a fleeting moment she forgets where she is, what she's doing, and who the man is who's so desperately trying to bring her back.

"Ellie-"

"NO!" Ellie yelps when he tries to touch her again. She springs from the hood, and when the man moves to follow her she does the only thing she can think of. She hunches her shoulders, brings her hands up and pleads, "Please don't!"

Nothing happens, to her complete surprise. There's no punch or slap or ugly words. Slowly but surely she comes back to her senses, lowering her hands to see a very confused Crosshairs staring back at her. He has his hands raised but looks as if he's now afraid to even reach out to her.

"I-" Ellie starts, but she can't form any words. She brings her hands through her hair, shakes her head and turns away, "I have to go."

She hears Crosshairs call her name but Ellie rushes into her house, leaving him alone and confused. He stands there long into the night, wondering what in this Primus-forsaken universe he had done wrong.