Welcome Back Home

Sleep

Oh hello again, to be back is a glorious wonder that I haven't beheld in time past gone! On another note, I'm so glad to be back! I wish I could have a solid excuse for being gone for so long, especially after I said I'd get you out a chapter A.S.A.P. Life got busy, work got super busy, and well, I lost track of time. Finally I said to myself, stop being a baby and just do it like you want to. This ain't war strategy, it's fiction! *Cough* Well, I am truly sorry for being gone so long, and I do hope to be back more frequently - I dunno, maybe in a couple years when I graduate I'll be able to write and upload my stories while my students take their tests? XD

Anywho my beloved and extremely patient followers, after too much time of hiatus, I am pleased to present 'WELCOME BACK HOME'S' return!

ENJOY!

04:00 hours: Autobot Base

To say the least, a large explosion exactly adjacent to ones audio receptors was not the way to be awoken. Nor was it the way to conserve such a beautiful land mass. Despite the heftiness of what was raining down on them, the Autobots kept fighting with all their willpower.

"Why couldn' they jus' sleep in like normal humans!" Aquanette screamed over another blast, which happened to be of her own making. "I mean, is four in the mornin' really necessary,"

"Technically it's ten in the morning here," Stardust commented, her back ramming into a tree. She aimed at a moving shadow and shot.

"That's not a good enough excuse for what they've done to us!"

"Stop arguing and keep fighting," Arcee leaped from the branches, her arm aiming at more shadows that were quickly closing in. She fired openly and many of the shadows fell with a grunt. Staring at the two girls she motioned for them to move in and they followed her closely behind.

Aquanette screamed as an explosion landed right next to her. Turning around, Arcee saw the fire and smoke raising from where the femme stood. "You're out, looks like it's just me and you Dusty." The two marched forward, using the trees and shadows as their allie against the enemy. Firing rang in their audio receptors like church bells, nagging at them both with a migraine. Arcee motioned for Stardust to stay put and wait until their assailants came their way. The tactic worked, for the most part. They got four or five cons out before ones came from the shadows behind and planted a shot into Arcee's head.

The forest faded into a deep gray and calmed until steel gray walls replaced the lush and fiery forest. Arcee sat up, holding her head with a groan. Looking around she saw all her teammates glancing her way. Most looked dead tired, and some had even fallen asleep on each other in hopes to get a little bit of rest.

"Well, that was an adventure," Stardust chuckled as she helped Arcee up to her feet. "I wasn't expecting you to go out before me."

"I wasn't expecting that either," Arcee nodded and took her hand back. "You all did good, we just need to try harder next time."

"Arcee," Jade's bleary voice broke over everyone's sighs. "We've been training like his non-stop the past few weeks, and we've gotten no where closer to being out in the field than when we first started. Don't you think we need real experience?"

Arcee wanted to laugh, maybe it was the exhaustion, maybe it was her own depression, maybe it was something entirely different. She didn't know, she didn't care, she just wanted to not feel like she had to wash off every comment as an insult. Before her mouth could open though, Optimus's voice broke the rooms tense atmosphere.

"Jade, your inquiry is accurate, in means that it would do you good. But I'm afraid that fighting the Decepticons is not as easy as brushing another one of Brittnianne's comments off. Whom we fought before are back in their element, and they are not willing to hold back on once humans who don't understand our way of life. I mean this in the most sincerity, as I myself had to get used to being a human and was far out of my element - but despite that, I had heard of your species, even spent time with a few of them, so I had, we had, an upper hand in the situation."

"Optimus," Jade walked up to him, her form slumped from sleep exhaustion. "I'm not speaking this with spite, or with a want to be ripped apart. . . But we're all one of you now. We all have to survive this war, I just want to be a part of it like you all were before you entered our little universe."

"Jade, when the time comes that there is a fight that you and your sisters would be able to fight in without much damage, I will call for you all. Though as of now, you must respect that we are thinking solely of your safety, not of your training experience." Optimus looked at her until she nodded with an understanding. "I suggest you all get some rest, it is early for you and I can see it has worn down on you, especially with training." Everyone mumbled thank you's as they walked out of the training room and to their quarters. Arcee didn't follow, only watched until each one was gone and out of hearing range. She looked up to Optimus, her optics falling with need for sleep. "Arcee-"

"I'm fine, I don't need sleep like they do."

He rested a hand on her shoulder and she groaned. "I know, I just-"

"You need sleep, now, go, please rest yourself." He rested her chin in his hand and she pressed her hand against his. "Arcee, you're just as important to this team as anyone else, and I think you know how important you are to me. . . I can't let anything happen to you."

She ran her hand down his arm and sighed. "There's just so much going on right now, I can't stop thinking about all of it."

He swooped her up into his arms and she wrangled her arms around his neck, her optics widened. "What the- put me down."

Optimus glanced around before narrowing his gaze at her and smiling. "What was that lullaby that was used back on Cybertron?" A soft smile sent her body into calmness. "Hush little sparkling don't you cry, I'm going to sing you a lullaby."

Arcee giggle, shoving at his chest. "You're embarrassing me, Optimus," Surely if she were human again her cheeks would have been flaring a new shade of red.

"Through the fog and weary tears, I will be here to dry your tears."

Knowing that resisting was useless, she settled down in his arms as he began walking her toward her quarters.

"The moon shines bright above our helms, our planet brighter than all other realms."

And despite the fading embarrassment, the lullaby was working. His voice was soft against the lyrics and it all reminded her of when she was a sparkling when both her parents would enter her room and her father would rock her as her mother rubbed her helm and sang the song until she fell asleep.

"I'll hold your spark so close to mine, so please don't cry little sparkling of mine."

Her mind began to seep into a blanket of darkness.

"As scary as it may seem, your optics will glow and endlessly gleam."

Her body, tense from the fight and from the need to keep going until she couldn't any more, drifted into a calm state where she couldn't lift a limb.

"You'll cast out the shadows of fear and pain, over your world you will reign."

She felt her body being rest against a berth but she didn't fight it. Instead she openly welcomed it and the exaustion that finally began to take its much needed course.

"Hush little sparkling don't you cry, I'm going to sing you a lullaby."

And within only moments she was gone.