I do not own Transformers, Nor do I own any other brands, shows, or patented materials that I may mention in this story now and in the future chapters.

Big Thank You to; validole, WaterFireMoonSun, jordanbillings8, fechoritas, Junior-Einstein, linares.b117, failedfanfiction, Lady Liberty- The First and TenebrisSagittarius for Following this story!

Big Thank You to; CrystalAris, validole, WaterFireMoonSun, fechoritas and failedfanfiction for adding this story to their list of Favorites!

KaiKaiRee: Yeah...that's not something that they'd want to hear. Don't worry though. You'll see their reactions down below! Thanks so much for your review!

CrystalAris: Oh thanks! You'll have to let me know what you think of it. I just posted a new chapter with a major plot point over there! Lol, yeah you may find that to be true as this story continues! *Restrains grumpy Sunstreaker while glaring at him; 'Keep in mind, I write you. You hurt my reviewers and I'll repay the favor cosmetically. Now go sit down outside with your twin'* **Sunstreaker leavs grumbling** Thanks again for the review!

Silverleone: I'm glad that you liked the last chapter. I thought that Sunstreaker needed to have that fight and I'm glad that you agree! Bee is adorable! I love him as a character so much, and your point about his communication is true. He has to work harder to express himself just to get his point across and it can be hard to write that without focusing on him being immature or the lyrics too much! But in this chapter, I may have found a work around! I hope you like it! Thanks so much for your review!

validole: Lol, hello! I'm glad that you love my story so much and think so highly of it! I hope you like this new chapter just as much! I'd hate not to meet your expectations! And of course I'd love to hear what you think of the new chapter too! Thanks so much for your review!

Em: Lol, I'm glad that you love her! I wanted to make her as real and likable as possible so I really appreciate that you feel that way. As for the bond, there is something there, but you'll have to read on below to find out if you're right! I am so glad that you find this story awesome! I hope you continue to think and feel that way as I continue to write it! Thank you so much for your review!


{"Text"}- Com. Links/text messages/projected text. this is specified.

'Text'-Internal monologue/inner thoughts

XXXXX- Time change/text break


Bumblebee had been tracking the femme for at least a half hour before her energy signature began to get stronger indicating that he was on her trail. Said trail led him out of the suburbs and out of the greater Tranquility area and onto a freeway. Bumblebee was starting to get worried. A child walking by herself up the freeway was extremely unsafe for a number of reasons. Not only that, but it left the both of them open to attacks that could come from numerous places. He wanted to find this femme and get her back to base as soon as possible! As such, he was traveling up the freeway doing slightly above the speed limit. Suddenly, he saw something pop up on his sensors causing him to slam on his brakes. Thankfully, there weren't too many humans on the road with him, so no one was in danger. Checking his sensors, he saw the femme he had been looking for! She looked terrified.

{"Bumblebee to Optimus Prime."}

{"Optimus Prime here. Go ahead."}

{"I have located the femme. She is on the side of the freeway headed North out of Tranquility."}

{"Very well done Bumblebee! Does she know you are following her?"}

Said scout noticed that the child started creeping further into the dark.

{"I believe so. There are no other humans around. May I engage?"}

{"You may but do so away from the road so that other humans are not alerted to your presence."}

{"Yes sir."} Bumblebee said as he started to reverse down the hill. Just as he was about to be parallel with the child, she turned and ran.

'She's fast!' Bumblebee mused internally as he left the road to follow the child.

He followed her all the way to the side of the hill they were climbing where she stopped at the edge of a sheer cliff drop.

"Well come on then! Do your thing so we can get this over with!" She snarled. Bumblebee was surprised at her aggressiveness at first, until he realized that she probably believed him to be a Decepticon. Optimus did mention that she and Sideswipe had encountered a few on their way to Nevada. Slowly he transformed so as not to scare her into falling off the cliff.

"Go ahead! Do your worst!" she growled at him. He surmised that she still couldn't see his insignia, so he quickly gestured to her that no, he was not the enemy, but an ally as he pointed to the red insignia on his helm.

Lilac squinted before being able to fully see the insignia for what it was.

"Oh. You're an Autobot?"

Bumblebee nodded his helm yes cheerfully. 'Thank goodness she knows that I'm not here to hurt her. That was a close fragging call!' Lilac sighed and hung her head.

"Can you do me a favor then?"

'Favor? What would she want me to do? Maybe she will request I return her to base-'

"Please, drop kick me off this cliff. I don't want to live anymore."

'What the frag?'

{"Uhhhmm. Optimus? Sir?"} Bumblebee asked cautiously. Optimus was put on alert by his scout's tone.

{"Yes Bumblebee what is it?"}

{"Was Ratchet treating the youngling for wanting to self-terminate?"}

{"No. Why?"} Optimus was immediately on guard now. While Jazz and Jolt did confirm that the child was unhappy, they did not say anything about her wanting to offline herself.

In response Bumblebee allowed his optical and audio feed to be shared with his leader in real time. This way, Optimus could see and hear whatever Bumblebee could. Optimus sent the feed to the large monitor he and the others were using to track Lilac's movements just as she started talking again.

{"Please, I am begging you, just do it! Just drop kick me off of this ledge already! I don't want to live anymore!"}

"What the frag…" Jazz trailed off as Optimus stared with wide optics at the monitor.

Bumblebee looked down at Lilac with wide optics of his own

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!...What…do you…mean you don't…want to live…anymore?" He asked stringing together several sound clips. Ratchet was not fully able to fix his vocalizer after the battle of Mission City. He was able to cut down on the pain and repair it enough so that Bumblebee could speak for short periods of time, but it was nothing compared to what the medic wanted to do for him.

"I mean that I'm so effing done with this shit!" Lilac snarled as she kicked a small rock with all her might sending it flying into a seam in Bumblebee's thigh plating.

"Ow! Hey,…watch it!" He said stringing more clips together as the child growled, clenched her fists and stalked forward.

"I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS ALL OVER AGAIN DAMN IT! I'M SO TIRED OF THIS…THIS…BULLSHIT!" She roared as turned around and paced backwards worrying the scout with how close she was getting to the edge.

"Whoa now…let's…take it easy there…How about we…step away from…the edge there…huh?"

"Why do you care?" She sneered.

"Cause…I do…deal with it!' He said back as he scooped her up and started walking towards the cave.

"PUT! ME! DOWN!" She barked as she tried to fight her way out of his grasp.

Bumblebee placed her on the ground where he watched her continue to stalk back and forth.

"I'm not going back with you. You can't make me!" She snarled glaring up at him. Bumblebee raised an optic ridge amused.

"You…wanna bet?" Lilac glared at him before turning her back on him. Bumblebee smiled gently, noticing that the child was a little calmer now.

"I have…to take…you…back to…the base of operations. They…are worried sick…about you right now."

"No, they're not."

"Are too."

"Yeah right! All they wanna do is lock me up in the Medbay again!"

"Not the way I heard it."

"Oh yeah? And what'd they tell you?"

"They…said they wanted…you to be safe…and healthy…Worried you are hurt…and need…repair…Need you at base…to begin the plan." He said as he accessed the notes that Optimus had shared with him about Lilac. In addition to her energy signature, the Prime had also added the notes from the meeting the command team had about helping Lilac. Normally, Prime wouldn't do such a thing, but he had told Bumblebee most of the pertinent information contained within the notes anyway, so he thought he might as well allow his scout to fully know why he was requesting the child be found before the human authorities could locate her. Aside from the obvious reason of course.

Lilac looked at him utterly confused and petrified.

"What plan?"

"To…get you away…from…bad parents…find you…a family…unit…of your own…" Lilac froze as terror and unbridled rage gripped her heart.

Bumblebee noticed this and frowned.

"Is that…not…what you want? Do you…wanna have…a…family?"

Unbeknownst to Bumblebee, (and the growing crowd watching his optical feed for that matter) that question was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Do I want to have a family?" Lilac asked trailing off. She sounded hollow. Bumblebee nodded his helm yes, trying to confirm his question.

Lilac exploded.

"OF FUCKING COURSE, I WANT TO HAVE A FAMILY! MY GOD! WHY DOES EVERYONE ASK ME THAT STUPID ASS QUESTION?!" Bumblebee backed up a step in surprise as the child continued to rant,

"ALL I HAVE EVER WANTED IN THIS FUCKED UP WORLD IS A FAMILY! ALL I'VE EVER WANTED WAS A PLACE TO BELONG! BUT NOOOO! I DON'T GET THAT LUXURY, BECAUSE I'M A WORTHLESS, STUPID, USELESS, PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A KID!"

Bumblebee put his servos up in a placating manner, but Lilac wasn't finished yet. Bumblebee was surprised to see tears in her eyes.

"ALL I'VE EVER WANTED WAS A MOMMY AND A DADDY, AND A HOUSE WITH A CUTE LITTLE FENCE AROUND IT…LIKE YOU SEE ON T.V….And….and…and I can't have it!"

She said as her voice suddenly cut out. He body shook with angry sobs as she continued.

"I'm not allowed to have nice things like that. I only ruin them!"

"That's…not true…"

"It is true!"

"No it's not…"

"Yes it is! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UUPPP!" She wailed as she jumped up and down like a spoiled brat.

"I want somebody to hold me when I'm scared! And to tuck me in at night! I want someone to tell me bedtime stories, and to kiss my owies and boo boo's all better!" Lilac bawled.

"I want someone to hug me when I cry and tell me that everything's gonna be okay even when it's not! I want someone to tell me silly jokes and funny stories just to see me smile or make me laugh! I want someone to hug me when I want it and need it! I want someone to cuddle me up and tell me that I matter! That they love me no matter what! I WANT PARENTS! I WANT A MOMMY AND DADDY! I WANT A FAMILY! Why does everyone else get this stuff but I don't?! It's not fair! It's not fair! It's not fair! It's not fair! It's not fair! It's not fair! It's not fair! It's not fair! IT'S! NOOOT! FAAAAAAIIIIIIIRRRR!" She wailed as she fell to the ground, kicking her legs and pounding the sand with her fists. Lilac was throwing a full fledge tantrum.

Bumblebee stood there shocked at what he was seeing. He had to search is memory files for the last time he had seen such a display of childish behavior.

Sure enough a file came to the front of his processor. He was sitting in the parking lot of a mall. A femme and her youngling left the store and the youngling was clearly upset. He complained about not being able to get a 'G. ' from the toy store. The femme told the youngling that he had enough toys and that the answer was 'no' as she placed her bags into the vehicle. Said youngling twisted his face up, screamed and threw himself to the pavement kicking, crying and hitting the pavement with balled up fists, just as Lilac was doing now.

The cardinal difference being that the youngling in the parking lot was clearly much younger, very spoiled, and well cared for. Bumblebee had noticed that the bags the femme had stowed in the vehicle had a few sets of clothing for the youngling, as well as a few new toys amongst other trinkets most likely meant for the femme herself. At the time, a quick search of her license plate through the motor vehicle department yielded Bumblebee a slew of information. The sparkling throwing a fit was an only child to a somewhat wealthy couple who always ensured he had the best care possible; new toys, designer clothes, organic foods, private preschool which later led to a private elementary school. That youngling was very very, spoiled.

And yet the child in front of him, as far as he could tell, was not. All she wanted was the most basic of things that a caregiver would usually provide. And yet, by some travesty, she had been denied these things (as it sounded) for most of her life. She was right. It wasn't fair.

Bumblebee looked down at the crying child and clicked softly. He gently scooped her up and cradled her to his chest gently taking a digit and wiping away some of her tears. Turning he sat down on the ground partially facing the interior wall of the cave.

He held Lilac and gently stroked her head like he'd seen other humans do with their upset sparklings. It took a few minutes, but Lilac eventually calmed down and stopped crying.

"Better?" He asked her. She wouldn't look at him, but what of her face he could see told him that she still felt miserable.

He sat there in silence for a few moments before deciding to take a new approach. He tapped the side of his helm, allowing a projection of his hud to appear on the wall. Lilac looked up surprised.

{"If it's any consolation, I know how you feel."}

Lilac looked up at him with a confused and questioning glance.

{"I lost my family unit when I was still a sparkling. I never knew who my real parents were, or if I had any siblings."} Lilac looked at him with anguish and guilt.

{"Don't feel bad. I may not have known my creation family unit, but I did get to grow up with a really great adoptive family unit."}

"Really?"

Bumblebee chirped and bobbed his helm in a nod making the hologram dip.

{"Do you wanna see my earliest memory of them?"} He asked her making her nervous. She wanted to know, but she didn't want to intrude….

Hesitantly Lilac said yes.

With a smile Bumblebee projected his earliest memory from his perspective.

He was crying, and cold, and scared as he stared up at the white lights above him.

Lilac frowned as she heard several other voices shouting over the crying when suddenly Bumblebee helped her out by providing English subtitles.

{"Why is he still crying?! He didn't want the energon bottle!"}

{"I don't know! Where is that medic when you need him?!"}

{"Getting the sparkling a thermal blanket like I told you slag helms! He's probably cold."} Came the familiar grunt. Lilac's eyes went wide when she saw none other than Ratchet come into view.

{"There now, it's okay sparkling. It's okay."} He soothed as he gently wrapped Bumblebee up. Much to Lilac's surprise, she saw several familiar faces. Their paint jobs were a little different, but she saw Jazz, and Ironhide standing nearby. All at once she realized they were the ones who were shouting!

{"Jazz, that bottle is too cold. Ironhide, hold him while I show Jazz how to warm it up correctly."} Ratchet said as he handed Bee off to the currently red mech.

{"I can do it! I don't need your help!"} The currently black and white Jazz protested.

{"It never hurts to be shown something like this again Jazz. When was the last time you learned basic sparkling care? At the academy?"} The red and white medic asked as he walked over to a machine on a counter. Jazz pouted as he followed mumbling that it hadn't been that long.

Once the two were done warming up the bottle, it was given back to Ironhide who began to feed Bee.

Suddenly a loud whoosh was heard and Lilac watched as Bee was turned to see a large set of automatic doors. There stood none other than Optimus Prime. He was mostly red, and he didn't have flame decals, but Lilac could easily tell that it was the large leader because of his helm shape.

{"Good orn, Ironhide, Jazz. Ratchet, how is our newest patient doing?"}

{"His systems are still stabilizing. So long as we continue to keep him warm and ensure he is fed the appropriate minerals and energon he will make a full recovery soon."}

{"That is very good to hear. Has anyone come forward to claim him?"}

{"Unfortunately, no. I fear that there is no one to claim him. His spark shows no evidence of an established bond, which is normal given that he is still within the age range of being a newspark, but by my scans, he barley even has the beginnings of a creation bond."}

{"Poor little mech. All alone in all that rubble."} Jazz said sadly.

{"Somebot obviously wanted to protect him. His sparkling carrier had level five blast shields on it as well as a parachute."} Ironhide added gruffly as he continued to feed him.

{"I suppose whoever created him knew the war was coming and feared the worst outcome. That could explain the sparkling carrier and the lack of a bond."} Ratchet surmised.

Optimus Prime frowned.

{"I suppose then, we'll need to assign him a caregiver. The Decepticons have targeted and attempted to destroy most of the youngling centers. Jazz your intel shows that it is probable that they are going to continue?"}

{"Unfortunately, yes."}

{"Well then, who is going to look after the little scraplet?"} Ironhide asked as he put the bottle down making Bumblebee whine and reach for it.

{"The most logical choice would be me. He will need to stay in Medbay for a few orns more for observation."}

{"You sound like Prowl, talking about logic."} Jazz joked as he gave Ironhide another bottle that he had prepared.

{"Do you want to take care of him then?"} Ratchet asked raising an optic ridge teasingly as the saboteur gave him a surprised look.

{"Well…I don't think I'm the best choice…"}

{"And why is that?"} Optimus asked sounding amused at his saboteur's subtle nervousness.

{"Cause I'm always in the field. For that matter, so are the rest of you."} Jazz pointed out.

{"I suppose you have a point. Perhaps I should hold a short meeting to ask for volunteers…"} Optimus thought aloud as Bumblebee finished his second bottle.

Lilac watched as the picture began to narrow.

{"Looks like he is ready to go back into recharge."} Ratchet said softly as he tried to take Bumblebee from Ironhide.

Lilac jumped when a loud shrieking started. Bumblebee shook gently with laughter, causing her to look up at him in surprise.

"Watch…" He said to her.

{"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"} Jazz yelled

{"I WAS JUST TRYING TO TAKE HIM FROM IRONHIDE!"}

Ironhide spun a little trying to figure out what to do.

She watched as Optimus stopped clutching at his audios, grabbed an empty cube off the counter and swept some loose bolts from the counter into it. He gently shook it side to side creating a strange tinkling rattling sound. At first it didn't work, but soon Bumblebee stopped crying and reached for the cube as the Prime continued to shake it.

{"Thank Primus…How did you know that would work Prime?"} Ironhide asked as he readjusted the squirming sparkling.

{"I did not. I recalled seeing a similar toy at a youngling center the last time we dropped off rations."}

{"Well, it got him to stop crying. Pit that mechling's got a strong set of vocal components."} Jazz swore as he and the others walked closer to a medical berth.

{"He most certainly does."} Optimus said as Bumblebee was gently laid down.

{"We'll have to tell the others that. Wouldn't want them to volunteer without knowing what exactly they're getting into"} Ironhide said smiling.

Lilac watched for a few more moments before Bumblebee stopped playing the memory. Looking up at him she realized something.

"They became your family?" She asked incredulously. Bumblebee shook with laughter once more before nodding his helm yes.

"But you were so small! And they're…they're…"

{"Old?"} he projected onto the wall. She laughed a little.

"I was going to say leaders in the middle of a war." She tittered.

{"Ah. Well, that is true. But they did raise me."}

"To be a soldier."

{"Scout actually. And I made that choice on my own when the time came. As did Sideswipe and Sunstreaker."}

"Wait…! YOU'RE BUMBLEBEE?!"

Said mech nodded his helm, allowing her to continue.

"Sideswipe said that you're younger than him and Sunstreaker."

{"I am."}

"Then how did you come of age, when Sideswipe basically said he's like a teenager?"

{"I said when the time came. I'm still technically a youngling and so are they."} Lilac paled as she looked up at him, guilt flowed over her anew as he gave a short half laugh.

{"Easy. You have nothing to feel sorry for. No, I did not get to have the same youngling-hood as other generations. But I wouldn't change it. Nor would I change who raised me."}

"But…but how did they do it? Weren't they too busy fighting?"

{"Sometimes. But they took turns. When I was that small, it was easy for them to trade me off every so often to another person for a little while."}

"And when you got bigger?"

{"They would still trade me if they needed to. Honestly, I spent a lot of time with Ironhide and his mate. You could say they were my primary caregivers. Guardians, really. Once I started getting older, I started wanting to follow them around more. I wanted to do what they were doing."}

"Really?"

{"Yeah. Growing up this was all I knew, and I thought it was cool to fight and fire weapons. The others weren't very happy about that. I bet they still aren't."}

"Why?"

Bumblebee vented a sigh as he looked down at her before answering.

{"They never wanted this kind of life for me. They wanted me to be able to do, or be anything I wanted…"}

"But the war…" She said sadly as Bumblebee sighed again.

{"Yeah. The war. Honestly, part of the reason I chose to become a scout was for them."}

"Huh?"

{"Well…I knew that if I went straight into espionage like Jazz, they'd all fritz secretly. Becoming a combat specialist and weapons specialist like Ironhide would take vorns, I'm still 'new' so being a leader like Optimus wouldn't really work, for a lot of reasons, I don't have the patience, or mental ability/stability to be a tactician like Prowl, and I don't have the fortitude to be a medic like Ratchet."}

"Fortitude?"

{"I don't like seeing what's on the inside of our bodies. I'm not too squeamish, but still to have to do surgeries, Eughh!"} He shuddered a little making her laugh.

{"Besides, being a scout means that I can repay the favors they've done for me."}

"How so?"

{"Well, my job is to go ahead of them and get them important information. I can see what they can't sometimes and warn them if I need to. I can look out for them and protect them, like they did for me growing up."}

"Wow…I never really thought about that. That's really cool. Do they know?"

Bumblebee shrugged as he looked down at her with a small smile.

{"I'm not sure. But the one thing I do know is that they love me. And I love them too. We may not always say it, but we know it."} He said with a smile and a half shrug

Lilac smiled at him fondly before sighing.

"Do you really have to take me back?"

{"What do you think?"}

"Well technically no, you don't!"

{"Then I'd be disobeying orders."}

"From a soldier side, or like not listening to your parents side?"

Bumblebee laughed before answering, {"Both."}

"Yikes! I cant imagine what that would be like. Man, training must have been brutal! It's probably a good thing you didn't go into any of their fields. They're all the masters of their respective crafts! They would have been so hard on you."

Bumblebee laughed again, this time a little harder.

{"It was. They were the ones that trained me in my basics! And they had help from others!"}

"Ouch. That had to have been hard…and annoying."

{"It was sometimes-"} He laughed before continuing {"They were always the hardest on me. But I know now that they were only trying to protect me, and that they wanted the best for me. That meant that I had to be the best for them."}

Lilac cringed. "And you want me to go back to them. So much structure…" she shuddered making him laugh some more.

{"You don't like structure?"}

"To a point. What you just described makes my skin crawl." She said shuddering and rubbing her arms.

{"Maybe so, but it probably wont be like that for you. After all you are in a slightly different situation than I was. Who knows, maybe they'll find you a home with another of your race."}

"Yeah right. Like that will happen." She mumbled.

{"You won't know until you try!"} He said as he sat her down on the ground so he could stand back up. He smiled down at her as she looked up at him hesitantly.

"They'll probably be mad at me…"

{"Probably. More worried if anything."}

"They'll probably hit me, or give me some other horrible spirit breaking punishment…" She trailed off fearfully. Bumblebee frowned.

{"Never. Autobots don't harm humans. And to break your spirit would be to behave like a Decepticon."}

"You really think I have a chance? That I should go back?"

{"What have you got to lose?"}

"My freedom, my identity, my free will…my lunch…"

{"I promise you won't lose any of those things."}

"It was because of the last promise one of you made to me that we're standing here right now."

{"And I'm sure he intends to keep his promise. But he can't if you're all the way out here."}

"I don't want to get hurt again, okay?! I've been through enough."

{"Okay. Honestly, I promise that if you go back everything will work out. You won't get hurt. I personally guarantee it."}

"That's kinda what Sideswipe promised me. And take a good look at where I am."

{"Do you trust me?"}

"No."

{"Wooow. Really?"}

"Would you trust a stranger after being chased through the desert in the rain by them?"

Bumblebee started at that.

{"Touché. But now you have two Autobot promises. That has to count for something!"}

Lilac looked at him with a dry expression. Bumblebee decided to bring out the big guns.

{"C'mon please go back to the base with me. Pleeeeeaasssse?"} He said while giving her the same big blue optic expression Sideswipe would when he wanted something.

"Oh come on! What is with you guys and the big blue eyes trick!"

"Pleeeeeease?...C'mon I'm beggin' here!" His radio repeated as he clasped his servos together in a begging position. Lilac sighed. Not wanting to give in to the adorable mech's expression but finding her resolve crumbling.

"FINE! Alright alright! I'll go back to base with you!"

"YES!"

"BUT-" She cut in stopping the scout from celebrating.

"If you or Sideswipe are wrong, and or you break your promise, I will escape again and I will not be taken back or be made to return! Do you understand? I'm giving up a lot here."

Bumblebee nodded his helm in agreeance. She sighed once more when the mech kneeled and held out his hand to her.

"Deal?"

"Okay, deal."

"Awesome!...Now…let's get back to…base!...you wont be sorry!"

'I sure hope not.'

XXXXX

Meanwhile at the base; 11:00 pm.

The Autobots as well as Captain Lennox and Sargent Epps watched Lilac throw a tantrum through Bumblebee's optics.

Shortly after Bumblebee confirmed the child's location, Optimus made an all call to the others informing them to return to base. Ironhide, Lennox and Epps had returned recently, already having debriefed the other members of N.E.S.T. on the situation. Ratchet would be the next to return due to his closer proximity to the base.

The twins were still a solid distance away due to having to drive the farthest.

The growing crowd watched in awe and sympathy as she broke down.

"Poor lil' femmlin'!" Jazz said softly.

"Truly, all she has ever wanted was to be cared for." Optimus added.

"Loved." Epps corrected. Everyone looked to the Sargent in surprise.

"Everything that she has said does happen when someone cares for you, but really, a person does all of those things for someone they love. She wants to be loved."

He explained as they watched Bumblebee calm her down.

Shortly after Bee started playing his memory on the wall, Ratchet returned.

"Is that shortly after we rescued Bumblebee?" He queried as he took a large rag out of his subspace and began drying himself off.

"Yep. He's tryin' to convince Babyspark to come back."

"There's no convincing. She needs to return to base immediately." Ratchet said gravely before he and the other Autobots were momentarily distracted by being called 'old' by their youngest.

"I'll show that little slagger just how 'old' I am." Ironhide grumbled as Optimus turned to his Medical officer.

"The Decepticon signal?"

"Lost it with all the precipitation and looking for the sparkling. But I can and will confirm; there is a Decepticon presence in Mission City. She must return to base, and Bumblebee to his post as soon as possible." Ratchet said.

"Well, it looks like Bee's convinced her to come back." Jolt added.

"Is what he told her true?" Captain Lennox asked curiously. The command team of bots looked at the man who was standing on the newly installed scaffolding.

"Is what true Captain?" Optimus asked, cautious about revealing information.

"You know…that you raised Bee." He said sounding genuinely curious. The bots looked at each other before Optimus spoke.

"We all had an integral part in raising our youngest member, yes."

"Ironhide had the largest part though." Jolt added with a smile.

"He liked me more than the rest of you slaggards! All due respect Prime." His weapons specialist said with a respectful nod.

Optimus nodded in kind as Epps wondered aloud; "Did you guys know that he chose to be a scout for the reasons he gave her?"

"Partially yes, though I can not speak for the others." Optimus answered as he got a confirmation message from Bee informing him that they would return to base within half an hour.

"I've always had an idea, but I didn' wanna pry." Jazz admited with a smirk.

"I had no knowledge of that being his reasoning." Jolt admitted.

Ratchet and Ironhide gave unreadable expressions, so Epps decided to let the question drop.

"Well, I think it's nice that he thought of your feelings. You can tell he really thinks the world of you guys." Lennox said honestly as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

Both Ironhide and Ratchet grunted as an answer. "You're going soft Captain." Ironhide muttered good naturedly. Will snorted a laugh in reply before pointing out how Ironhide seemed to lose his edge when his daughter looked at him. Optimus watched his Weapons specialist vehemently deny this as his other troops started to get interested and poke fun at the Black Veteran for his obvious love of sparklings. Ironhide continued to loudly deny their accusations while trying to make some of his own.

{"Sideswipe to Optimus Prime."}

{"Optimus here. Go ahead."}

{"Sunstreaker and I are on our way back as requested."}

{"Acknowledged."} Optimus said noticing the curious silence from his usually jovial frontliner. Smiling inwardly, Optimus realized that Sideswipe was more than likely hoping for an update on his friend's whereabouts.

{"Bumblebee has informed me that he and Lilac will be arriving to base shortly. To the best of our knowledge, she is not injured. But she is upset."}

Sideswipe mentally exhaled before trying to hide it to no avail. Optimus spared him from his amused laughter at his concern.

{"That's good."}

{"Tell me, was she easily upset on your travels?"}

{"No, not really…but when it came to talking about her having a home, or having a family unit, she would get upset. She often asked if we could change the subject, or she would change it on her own."}

{"I see."}

{"But I did learn quickly how to make her smile. I don't think she would admit it but I think she is lonely. Talking to her makes her happy."}

{"Jazz and Jolt reported that her mood improved when she was allowed to speak to them. And to you."}

{"Probably. She told me she spent most of her time alone. The most time she spent around other humans is when she would go to town to get fuel and other things she needed. And to go to something called a library."}

Optimus was surprised by that last bit of information.

{"A Library is where humans may go to access information and gain knowledge on a variety of subjects that they wish to learn more about."}

{"It sounds like the archives."}

{"It is similar in a few ways."}

{"Ah. Well maybe she could tell you what she intended on learning when Bee drops her off."}

{"Perhaps I will ask. Thank you Sideswipe."}

{"You are welcome. Oh, could you ask Ratchet something for me?"}

{"Something the matter?"}

{"With me no. Uh, it has to do with the freckle on the bottom of Lilac's left foot pad. I was wondering why it was there. When I searched human freckles on the internet, there were multiple sources about them, and some mentioned that they could be a sign of declining health due to "Skin Cancer"."}

{"I see. I'll be sure to have him check on that. Thank you for your knowledge and concern."}

{"Certainly. Heh…when I asked her about it before, she didn't give me much of an answer. As it turns out, the sensors on her footpads are very sensitive, and easily overstimulated…actually, all of her sensors are easily overstimulated."}

He said with a half laugh.

{"I see. I will also make note of that. Thank you for your update. Optimus out."}

XXXXX

Sideswipe snorted a laugh as his holoform pushed off the wall where he was leaning pretending to be on his human style cellphone. He could feel his twin's purring vibrating along their bond as the jet fan dryers kicked on behind him.

The yellow mech was very hesitant about going through this "Car Wash", as his twin and the sign called it. So much so that he made Sideswipe go first. As he reached the end of the tunnel he was reluctant to admit that he enjoyed the automated process, but his twin knew. Sunstreaker enjoyed it just as much as Sideswipe did.

And Sideswipe was still enjoying it, having purchased the miniature detail package, he was currently under the tender mercy of the team of humans who were meticulously buffing, cleaning and protecting his interior and exterior. They had just finished shampooing his carpets when he decided it was time to inform his Prime that they were on their way back.

Sure, he hadn't mentioned that they stopped to get cleaned up, but to be fair, the base still didn't have a working set of washracks for them. When it was confirmed that Bumblebee had found Lilac, the two practically raced to the establishment which was still open thanks to some miracle of Primus. Because of that, they weren't due back for at least another hour and a half. Just enough time for them to unwind and get cleaned up.

Looking over his shoulder, he watched as an olive skinned adolescent strode out of the establishment. He wore straight legged black jeans, designer sneakers and a gold t-shirt that was framed nicely by a black leather jacket. As his twin's holoform exited the interior "waiting room" of the establishment he huffed a little, blowing a handful of strands of his jet black hair out of his right eye's line of sight and back into place where it framed his face. Much like Sideswipe, he too had long black hair, but with a few gold streaks in his impeccably styled bangs instead of crimson.

"Boss know we're on our way back?"

"Yep!"

"What's got you so chipper?"

["I told them about Lilac's sensor oversensitivity."]

"So…?"

"Remember when Bee used to run off?"

"Yeah? Get on with it already!"

"They're probably gonna do the same thing to her that they did to him."

"Again, so what?"

"She's gonna get the 'treatment'! If we can get a recording of that, the blackmail we could use it for later…"

"You need to get some help. Your processor is warped." Sunstreaker grumbled as he found a clean seat to settle into. He intended to finish enjoying his luxury detailing, even if it meant he had to tune out his glitched twin.

XXXXX

Bumblebee rolled into the main hanger stopping just short of the four command officers who stood with unamused expressions and crossed arms.

As he started to open his door, Lilac pulled it shut with all her might.

"What the?! Let…go! It's time…to…face the music kid."

"I don't wanna! They look really mad at me!" She whimpered softly as she watched Optimus, Ironhide, and Ratchet narrow their optics at her. She swallowed hard.

"Don't worry, be happy…that they have…that look. I didn't get off so easy." He said, continuing to string along song and media clips.

"Then why should I leave?! You already said they're mad! I don't wanna get punished."

"They…won't hurt you. They…just want to talk." He said as he finally wrenched his door free from her iron grip opening it.

"Please…" She begged barely able to hold back tears.

"It's time. Now…out you go!" Bumblebee said as his seatbelt unbuckled. Lilac swallowed the hard lump in her throat. She hesitantly stepped out of the Camaro who then transformed to salute his commanding officers.

"Scout Bumblebee reporting sirs!" He said using his soft yet still raspy voice.

"At ease. Thank you for retrieving the youngling. Especially given how you are currently on leave." Optimus said as he cut his optics down to Lilac who immediately looked to her shoes in embarrassment. 'I didn't know he wasn't supposed to be working! Aw man…'

"It was no trouble at all!" Bumblebee sampled with a nod of his helm.

{"She's really, really scared of you guys."}

{"So we see."} Ratchet confirmed over the communications link as he watched the child. It almost looked like she was trying to shrink and make herself smaller.

{"She's scared you're going to hurt her like others have."}

{"Nahhhh! We ain' gon' hurt her!"} Jazz confirmed.

{"But we are going to give her the same punishment you received when you were a sparkling."} Ironhide added

{"Which one?"}

{"The same one you got when you thought it would be amusing to wander off and make your caretaker fritz."} Ratchet added as he punctuated the statement with a memory file of said punishment.

Bumblebee had to fight to keep from outwardly laughing at the memory.

{"I see. That punishment. I suppose it could be seen as rather fitting. Surprised you have to use it now. Guess the human phrase is right though."}

{"And what phrase is that?"} Optimus asked.

{"Some things never change! Just the names and the faces!"} He teased playfully.

{"Yes, speaking of, do rush back to your charge. Us 'old' bots do have to look after the little ones."} Ironhide commented making Bumblebee tilt his helm subtly curious to what he meant until he realized his little slip up.

{"Aha…ahem. That…"}

{"Remember youngling, age is relative to whom you're around. You are considered quite old for this race's standards."} Ratchet reminded with a well hidden smirk as he pulled a wrench out of his subspace.

{"Right…got it! My bad!"}

{"Indeed."} Optimus added though his mental tone betrayed his amusement at his scout's embarrassment.

{"Just remember what will happen to your aft in training the next time you think it would be funny to call one of us 'old'"} Ironhide added.

{"Got it! Noted."}

"Good. Now I believe that you must return to your post." Optimus said, once again taking the conversation verbal.

"Yes sir! Thank you sir!" Bumblebee saluted as he played the two clips.

"As for you youngling…" Optimus began making the child let out a timid "eeep!"

"We are going to have a long conversation about your behavior." He finished in a stern tone as he quickly picked up the child with both of his servos and placed her on a Cybertronian sized table.

Lilac looked to Bumblebee with teary terror filled eyes.

"Go…easy….on her! She's…just a kid!" He said to them. The command team had their backs to her as they nodded their helms in understanding, fully displaying the amused and gentle expressions that a caregiver would have when about to trick a child.

"Your advice is acknowledged. Thank you." Optimus said as he nodded his helm to the scout in farewell.

Once Bumblebee was gone, the four Autobots turned to face Lilac who went pale.

"Lilac Andromeda Dixon," Optimus began making her swallow hard.

"You left Medbay unaccompanied, left this base unaccompanied, and proceeded to try and leave the nearest town for another state despite our informing you of the danger and importance of you remaining in Medbay. You caused myself and every other being on this base to worry about your absence and search for you this evening. What have you got to say for yourself?" Optimus chided.

Lilac's lower lip trembled, and she burst into tears.

"M'SORRY! M'SOOORRRYYYY! PLEEEEEASE DON'T HURT MEEEEEE!" she wailed as she fell to the tabletop on her knees, her hands clasped together begging.

"Leaking optical lubricant will not get you out of trouble." Optimus added. Though he and the other Autobots did feel bad for her. She truly was terrified of them.

"Per our rules, you are to be punished, just as any other youngling who does not listen or wanders off frequently would. We will all administer part of this punishment, for which I believe it is necessary for you to remove your foot coverings."

Lilac had flashbacks to when she was in foster care and still living with the Dixons. She had been beaten on the bottoms of her feet before. And it hurt like hell to walk afterwards. 'If they hit me on the bottoms of my feet, they might break! Is this how they'll ensure I don't run away again?' her subconscious fretfully queried.

Ratchet reached for her feet and she scrambled back shouting and crying several terrified no's.

"Remove your foot coverings child. Now!" Ratchet snapped at her making her flinch as she cowered. He reached for her again, only for her hands to dart down to remove her shoes as she sobbed.

"As it is, there is a unique skin pigment on the bottom of your footpad that needs examining. Lie down on your back and put your arms above your helm youngling." Ratchet ordered. Lilac complied still hiccupping with sobs as she did so. He scanned the freckle per his Prime's request.

{"This is simply a Junctional melanocytic nevi, or 'flat mole'. It poses no risk to her health."}

{"You are certain?"}

{"I am positive Prime. These can occur early on in human infancy. The melanocytes that make this kind of pigment dot are located at the junction of the epidermis and dermis. As time goes on, it may raise up to form a small, raised mole, or it may disappear as she grows older. Either way it poses no risk to her health. She does, however, have several new scrapes and bruises, as well as a few small cuts that will need to be cleaned when we are through. My scans show that she is not in current danger of infection, but I would like to get her back to Medbay as soon as possible to begin treatment."}

{"Understood. Let us begin then."} Optimus agreed. With a nod to Ironhide, Lilac's arms were gently pinned above her head by one of the Veteran's digits.

"No…please…I'm sorry! You don't have to do this! I'll be good I promise!"

"I am afraid that it is too late for that. It is time that you receive your punishment. Jazz, you may begin when ready."

The silver saboteur nodded his helm to his Prime in respect with a neutral expression before turning towards the child who squeezed her eyes shut and tensed up waiting for the pain to begin.

Jazz grinned wickedly wiggling his digits before delicately wiggling them across the bottoms of her feet.

"AHH!" Lilac yelped loudly expecting pain, only for her yelp to be replaced with bubbles of laughter.

The Autobots smiled down at her as she began to squirm and a wide smile stretched across her face. Jazz continued to gently wiggle his claws across the bottoms of her feet eliciting squeaks admis her laughter that many members of the command team found to be remarkably cute.

"D'awwww! Look at the sparklin' wiggle an' squirm!" he cooed.

"Sssstahhhahahahahahahaaap that! PLEASE! Whahahahahahahahat ahahahahaha are you doohoohoohoohooing?!"

"Ya see baby spark, this is how we punish lil bitlets that roam a lil' too far from their guardians."

"Whahahahahahahaat?! I- EEEEEE! NOT THERE! NOT THERE! STAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAP!" She howled as Ironhide gently prodded and wiggled one of his digits into her armpit and down to her ribs.

"Hmmm. She is rather sensitive along her rib struts. Ratchet, you might want to examine her left flank to see if this is the case for all of her struts." Ironhide mused with a small smile.

Usually, he wouldn't partake publicly in this sort of thing. But given that the youngling had caused him to go out and search the desert for her, in the rain and mud, after successfully escaping through holes in his security measures, he felt that he needed to get a little payback.

"Interesting theory. Let us see." Ratchet said as he too began to wiggle a digit playfully into her armpit and ribs. Lilac laughed even harder as she writhed between the two playfully prodding digits.

"Indeed. She is very sensitive along her ribs. It seems her underarms are quite easily stimulated as well."

"You gonna join us Prime?" Jazz asked pausing for a moment to look up at his leader. Optimus looked contemplative for a moment before nodding his helm. It was not often that he had the opportunity to partake in such activities. And there seemed to be one area left unprovoked.

"As I understand, human younglings are easily overstimulated in many areas on their frames. However, there is one last place we have not yet stimulated." Optimus said as he moved his battle mask into place and gently stilled the child's squirming by placing a single digit on her stomach.

"No, no please! Not there! Not that! Anything but that!" Lilac begged panting and giggling, quickly growing tired from all the laughter. Optimus smiled behind his mask.

"I am sorry child. But I must. Your punishment is not yet complete." He said as his digit began to wiggle making her squeal with laughter. Optimus and the others chuckled as the child began squirming more than before.

"NOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOO! PLEEEHEEHEEEAAAASSSE! NOHOHOHOHOHOHO MORHOHOHOHOHOHRRREEE! IT TIIIIICKLEEEESSSS!" She squealed.

"Awwww. Little one is ticklish all over her little belly!" Optimus cooed causing those under his command to snort in surprised laughter. Very rarely had they ever seen or heard their Prime act in such a way.

"Pretty femme, pretty femme! Coochie coochie coo!"

"AAAAAHHHH! NOHOHOHOHOHO! PLEASE! NOT BABY TALK!" Lilac squealed in response to the Prime's teasing. Optimus chuckled, "They are only words child. However, if they enhance the affect then perhaps, I should continue…"

"NOOOOO! PLLEEEEEASE! PLEASE! OH PLEASE! STHAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!"

"Hmmmm…." Optimus hummed thoughtfully.

"I dunno Prime. Do ya think she's learned her lesson?" Jazz crooned.

"She left this base and worried all parties involved in the search for her." Ratchet added as he switched back and forth between tickling Lilac's ribs and armpit.

"She exploited holes in my security systems." Ironhide grunted as he crossed his arms.

The mighty Prime looked down at the child before him, remembering what she had told them the first evening they met and in the note she wrote. 'She was only trying to protect herself.' He thought to himself. He ran a mental simulation wherein he experienced some of the tragedies and inequities she had in her life and his spark ached for her.

Nodding his helm he waved the others servos away. Gently he picked up the still giggling child and held her to his chest plates until she calmed down.

Looking down at her he watched as her cheeks turned red before she looked away shyly.

"I believe she has endured enough for now…"

Lilac exhaled softly in relief.

"It is late youngling, and you have stayed awake far past your usual recharge time. Ratchet must treat some of your new abrasions, after which you will be expected to begin your recharge cycle. Do you understand?"

"Yes…" she said softly. With a nod of his helm, Optimus began walking up the hall to the Medbay alongside Ratchet. When they arrived, Ratchet took Lilac from Optimus and walked her back to the bathroom.

"Same procedure as before child. Wash thoroughly and put on clean armor."

"Okay…" she said timidly as he closed the door.

"The youngling's blood sugar was low when I scanned her. I am going to get her something to eat before she recharges. Will that be enough time for you to speak with her in private?"

After having worked with him for so long, Ratchet learned that Optimus liked to speak to people in a 1 on 1 setting. Optimus was well known for speaking to captured Decepticons 1 on 1 in an attempt to learn more intel, convince them to change factions and broker peace. He was also known to speak to his troops 1 on 1 when they were injured or upset to see if or even how he could ease their pain.

Simply put, Optimus Prime was a people person. So much so that Ratchet could easily tell when his Prime wanted to speak to someone alone.

"I believe so. Thank you." Optimus said with a nod of his helm as his medic left the Medbay. About 12 minutes later Lilac opened the door and peered out nervously. Optimus couldn't help but smile at her antics.

"If you are looking for Ratchet, he went to procure you something to eat." He said startling her.

She sighed softly before walking over to the berth the leader sat next to. Incidentally, it happened to be the berth closest to the door, the same berth that Jazz used. Very carefully Optimus picked her up and sat her down on the berth.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome. May I ask you a few questions?"

"Ummm…yes?"

"Why did you run away from this base?"

"Ummm…" she trailed off looking at her hands and feet uncomfortably.

"I can assure you that you will not face prosecution for leaving."

"But I thought you guys were gonna punish me for leaving…" she said softly still looking at her feet.

"And we have. In our culture when a youngling or sparkling wanders off from their caregiver, numerous punishments can be used. Overstimulation being one of them and typically the one used for first offenses."

"You tickle your kids as punishment?"

"More in terms of a reminder. That reminder being that they bring us joy, just as we strive to bring them joy. Both caregiver and child would be sad without the other. And most younglings don't run off out of malice. I suspect the same of you, unless I am mistaken."

Lilac thought for a moment before answering.

"I didn't want to make anyone worry. It's just…"

"Yes?"

Lilac sighed. "Bumblebee told me that you all are trying to find a way to get the Dixons to relinquish or lose custody of me. Because of what they've done to me."

"Yes. No child should have to live in fear of their caregivers. No child should have to endure all you have had to."

"And I'm happy that you all think that but…" She said softly as she tried to find the right words.

"When Bumblebee asked me if I want a family, if I wanted parents…it hurt me. So many people don't understand that all I have ever wanted, or…or rather what I have wanted for a very long time is a family. I want parents, I want a place to belong…but I can't have that. Every time that I get close…something bad happens…to me and to somebody else."

"What if we could guarantee your safety. Ensure that you nor anyone else would get hurt?"

"But you can't." She sighed irritably before continuing. "I tried to explain the same thing to Sideswipe before we got here. There is no scenario wherein I don't get hurt at some point."

Optimus frowned thoughtfully. He was not sure what she meant. Seeing this Lilac's expression softened a little.

"If you guys somehow succeed, and the Dixons lose custody of me. What happens to me next?" She asked snapping the Prime out of his thoughts. He blinked once before he realized what she said.

"You would go back to foster care…"

"I would be pretty much back where I started. No parents, no family that wants me, nobody who would want me…" she said sadly before continuing. "How is that any better than living on my own out in the wild? I know if I go back to foster care, I won't get adopted. I'll get too old and then be aged out and be alone all over again. I don't want to go through that."

"Nor would I." Optimus said now understanding more but still a little confused.

"If you do not wish to be alone, why run away?"

Lilac sat stunned by his question. It was a few minutes before she answered.

"I…I don't know. I don't want to be here and…and make friends…and stuff…and then have to leave like I always have to because someone makes me…I…I don't know!" she cried as she buried her face in her hands.

Optimus frowned. He had no intention of making the child cry. Keening softly, he gently stroked her back with his index digit.

"I am sorry. I did not mean to upset you." He soothed.

"It's not fair…" she sobbed before reaching and hugging his digit. Optimus Prime was surprised but continued to stroke her back.

XXXXX

Once Lilac calmed down, Optimus decided to ask the child more conversational questions. Why she liked nature, what her home state was like, her favorite kind of weather and a few other topics to put the child at ease.

When Ratchet returned Optimus stayed and comforted the child as he cleaned her scrapes and chatted with her as she finished her snack.

Apparently, she held a strong fondness for milk and the circular treats called cookies. She had mentioned that she loved sweets and wished she could have more milk. Hearing this Ratchet offered to get her more, which made her fret and protest that he didn't have to, and that she didn't want to drink it all. It took the Medic quite some time to convince her that it would be alright for her to have another glass, as the soldiers frequently bought more.

After her second glass Lilac began to grow tired. Optimus and Ratchet bid her goodnight, promising to be nearby should she need anything before turning out the lights of the Medbay and leaving her to sleep in peace.

XXXXX

"So, how'd it go in there?" Epps asked gently as Optimus and Ratchet stepped into the hall.

"We heard her laughing both when she came back, and just a little while ago." Lennox added.

"The child is fine. She had a few new abrasions and bruises, but she will heal quickly."

"Any idea why she ran off in the first place? Or was the note really self-explanatory?" Lennox asked.

"Lilac is afraid of forming attachments. She tried to explain that previously in her life, when she became close with a person, she was made to leave them."

"Makes sense. Being in foster care and being homeless meant she probably moved around a lot. She probably doesn't want to get her hopes up that she can stay here." Lennox said.

"Well, why can't she stay here? We got plenty 'o room!" Jazz asked.

Captain Lennox and Sargent Epps looked at each other sadly before Lennox spoke next.

"It's not about the room Jazz. Legally speaking we can't keep her here."

"That child will not be leaving my Medbay for quite some time under any circumstances, especially if it is to return her to those sorry excuses your race call parents." Ratchet snarled.

"That's not what I meant Ratchet-"Lennox said while putting his hands up in a placating manor.

"Speakin' o' slag, did any of ya know that those two got a website bout Babyspark?" Jazz asked. Everyone looked to him in surprise. He frowned before retracting his visor and projecting the webpage on the wall.

"I keep erasin' any new info that gets posted, an' shuttin' down the site. But they're persistent fraggers. Within a couple hours they get it back up." He said angrily.

"Captain Lennox, is there anything we can do about that website?"

"Unfortunately, probably not. Freedom of speech is a part of our constitution- "

"But they're lyin' 'bout her! They're sayin' that she aint intelligent, an' that she's dependent on them! She's fragging smart! She doesn't need them!"

"Unfortunately, freedom of speech also means freedom to lie."

"But not to get away with it." Ironhide growled before continuing "Secretary Keller seems intelligent. He would not believe those lies if we provide him the truth."

"And we'll have a shot at doing that in a few hours. But the sad reality is, even if we can get Lilac out of their custody, she will have nowhere to go."

"Aw, c'mon man! That ain't right!"

"But that is the law. She'll become a ward of the state. She'll have to go back to foster care."

"Captain Lennox, is there not a person on this base that could foster her?" Jolt asked sounding impatient. He grew to enjoy spending time with and talking to Lilac. He didn't want her to have to leave.

"Yeah! Why can't you or Epps adopt her!" Jazz added.

Will sighed. "We've both thought of that, and while yes I'm sure that Sarah wouldn't mind, we're not sure if we could."

"What do you mean?"

"What he means is that when the state looks at placing a child in a foster, or permanent home a lot of factors are considered. Some of these factors include a safe living environment, proper access to food and water, access to an education, and the prospecting parents' financial ability to take on a new child." Epps explained.

Will nodded his head. "Sarah and I have the financial means. The raise I just got would make it more than feasible for us to take her in. And we could provide for her well."

"But…" Ratchet said tersely making Lennox sigh.

"The reality is, is that I'm not home a lot. And Sarah and I have a new baby. My job is high risk, and the state would take those factors in to account when deciding if Lilac could live with us. In all reality, if something happened to me, Sarah would be okay. I think she would struggle a little at first, but she's strong. She and Annabelle would be fine without me. The state, however, probably wouldn't see it that way."

"And that goes double for me. I'm unmarried, so Lilac would go to a single parent home, where her parent wouldn't be home most of the time. The state would laugh at me for even suggesting taking her in." Epps said sadly.

"Based on those parameters, no one on base is qualified to adopt her." Jolt said sadly.

"But that's jus' it. Babyspark needs a home. She can't keep livin' like this. She's miserable."

"I know Jazz, but there's nothing we can do."

"Perhaps there is." Optimus said drawing everyone's attention.

"I have given this some thought and while it may seem a bit unconventional, I believe that what I wish to suggest may work."

"What is it?" Lennox asked.

"I propose that I become Lilac Andromeda Dixon's legal Guardian. I would like to offer my proposal during our meeting with Secretary Keller." Optimus said.

"I…whoa…" Epps said as a smile grew on his face.

"You want to what?" Will asked in amused disbelief.

"I believe that through this course of action, Lilac will be protected from those who seek to do her harm while also providing her a home."

"But…" Jolt trailed off clearly amused and stunned.

"No offense Prime, but do you really want to be her guardian?" Ironhide asked.

"You know that guardianship is a massive responsibility." Ratchet added.

"I do. I do not make this suggestion lightly."

"But Prime…you're a Prime!" Jazz chuckled softly.

"And those who came before me adopted or had creations of their own. Just because I am a Prime does not mean that I am unable or incapable of having a family unit."

"I mean, with all due respect, you spend so much time because of your title working." Jazz amended respectfully.

"You barely get any down time as it is!" Ironhide added.

"I practically have to pull rank on you just to get you to recharge properly! Let alone make time for maintenance checks and refueling-"

"I am aware of your points." Optimus said in a tone that somehow conveyed his embarrassment and frustration. "But as I said before, I have thought about this at length. Our war will not last forever. Like most of you I have sacrificed many things because of this war, including starting a family. I do not wish to continue living as though this war will not end. I truly do believe that the child would benefit by staying in my care." He said with finality. The Autobots around him smiled, glad to see their Prime passionate about something that he wanted for himself.

Lennox frowned. He secretly prayed that what he was about to say wouldn't get him stepped on or shot at.

"I'm glad that you feel strongly about taking care of Lilac, but…" He said trailing off at the Autobots combined stares.

"'But' what Captain?" Ironhide growled.

"You...Optimus…(sigh) You wouldn't be able to adopt her."

"Why not?" Jazz asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Epps echoed with an irritated expression.

"With all due respect, I don't think the Government is going to let someone from another planet adopt a child."

"Please. Optimus could adopt Lilac." Epps snorted with a smirk.

"Oh yeah? How then? Don't get me wrong. I think it's a good idea, great idea, even. But…"

"But what? There isn't a law against Prime or any other Autobot adopting someone. It's not in the treaty, and while it's not common, people from other countries can adopt our kids, the same way people from America adopt kids from overseas." Epps explained as a smug smile formed on his face. Lennox huffed a laugh sensing his friend had a plan.

"Go on." Will said crossing his arms with an amused yet skeptical expression.

"The loophole is in the word Guardian. The Autobots can stay with humans who need protection from the Decepticons because of their very visible alliance with the Autobots as a guardian. So long as the human consents to the guardianship and the 'bot stays hidden, the government is okay with the setup. Hence why Mikaela, I, and a lot of others on base right now do not have one. Lilac has witnessed three separate Decepticon attacks inside of what? A week? On two of those occasions, she was nearly kidnapped by them because they presumed she was aligned with the Autobots. On that alone, she meets the qualifications for having an Autobot Guardian." Epps explained.

"That gives us a very good excuse for keeping her here. But what if Keller or someone else counters that she can be monitored while at the Dixons, or in foster care?" Lennox asked.

"It would be too dangerous. Sam lives in the 'burbs, the edge of the burbs in fact, but Bee's fast enough that he could get Sam and his family away to a more secluded area where we could give back up. Same thing for you and Ironhide. You live out in the middle of nowhere with enough land that if something went down, we'd be able to assist and not be seen or pose a risk to the general public. That can't be said about where Lilac would be."

"True…"

"Not only that, but if Prime does adopt her, it strengthens our alliance with the Autobots."

"How so?" Optimus asked curiously.

"If you adopt Lilac, that kind of guarantees that you wouldn't be able to leave Earth for at least 5 years. If you chose to become her legal guardian, you would have to care for her until she turns 18, which would be in 5 years. And to the best of my knowledge, you would not be able to raise her in space because the majority of the things she needs are here on Earth."

"We could make adjustments…" Jolt began only to trail off at the looks he received from the surprised humans and irritated 'bots.

"But…ah those adjustments aren't really good substitutes for what she needs here on Earth. He has a point sir."

"Thank you." Epps said with a nod of his head before continuing, "Caring for Lilac could also help everyone to see you as we do. Raising her may make you seem more human to the folks back east who don't know you. At the very least they may think that raising Lilac gives you a real reason to not see Earth destroyed."

"Have I not been explicit in my desires to protect your planet?"

"You have, but unfortunately some people have a hard time getting past the fact that you are an alien."

"Captain, you are just as alien to us as we are to you."

"And I know that Ratchet. Believe me I know…but to be fair, most humans didn't, and don't know life exists outside of what is on our planet. Plenty of people speculated and theorized that life exists somewhere out there…"

"But comin' into contact with it?" Jazz asked teasingly.

"Is an entirely separate thing. It's not like anyone expected to wake up and come in to contact with people from another planet!" Will laughed.

"I sure as hell didn't expect that." Epps laughed.

"Anyways, my point is that Optimus most likely would be able to adopt Lilac. Now, I'm not going to lie. The paperwork and process for this if it does go through will be unlike anything you have experienced yet on this planet. For starters, Keller will ask why you want to adopt her, and how you intend to raise and care for her. He'll also ask who will look after her when you are busy, and God forbid, should something happen to you, what your plan for her would be."

"I will explain to Keller the reasoning we discussed this evening when asked as to why I wish to adopt the child. As for how she will be cared for, I will be the primary Guardian, with others on my team stepping in to care for her when I am unable to. Your race has a saying that is a rather apt description; 'It takes a village to raise a child'."

"In our case, a small army." Jolt added.

"Like he said before, we all had a servo in raisin' Bee. Babyspark'll be no different."

"Perhaps. Although I would encourage you, Jazz to not teach the child in question more abilities that she can utilize to sneak off base or hide. Locating her this evening was challenge enough."

"Aw, c'mon! I didn' teach Bee everythin' he knows!"

"No. He did learn a lot through trial and error. But Prime is right. I would rather not have to track down the child for a check-up because you conveniently told her where the best hiding places on base are, just hours before she is due in my Medbay!"

"Nor would any of us like to track the girl down for wash time or recharge time."

"Now, hold up! I ain't the only bot to teach Bee to avoid things! It's not like ya strolled into Medbay for yo' appointments Hide."

"Or the washracks for that matter." Ratchet muttered making Ironhide glare at him.

"What was that medic? Thought I-"

"Needless to say, Lilac will have plenty of people to care for her." Optimus interjected cutting the black mech off.

"That's great. A strong support team will be important for the both of you." Epps said smiling at the antics of the mechs.

"Man! When'd you get so smart Epps?" Will joked as he jostled his friend playfully, making the other shove him away lightheartedly.

"Aw shaddup man!"

"No seriously, why do you know so much about this?"

Epps snorted a laugh. "Remember those big ass books you and the others used to clown me about carrying around?"

"Yeah, but that was like a year ago."

"Yeah well, I was reading those to finish my degree in social work. Got it right before we went to Qatar."

"Seriously? Why didn't you tell anybody? Thought those were some new manuals for a jet or something, they had so many pages! You read through those things at least six times!"

"Well yeah! I had assignments and tests I had to take on the computer for it! Can't do that and pass if I don't know the subject. And we had a lot of reading time out in that desert. Besides, I didn't want ya'll thinking I was gonna bounce once I got my degree!"

"I do not understand…why would you bounce after finishing your education?" Ratchet asked.

"He means he didn't want us to think that he would leave us once he was done. Transition to a civilian life."

"Don't get me wrong. I will someday, God willing. I can't run around and do this kind of shit forever, if you'll pardon the expression. When I'm old and grey, and I've had my fun, or when I finally get tired of being shot at, I'll retire. Then I'll go and serve my country in a different way."

"A truly noble cause Sargent. You have my respect and gratitude."

"Aw, thanks Optimus. But really, I'm happy to do it. It's the best part of the job, or so my mentor told me. We'll get this sorted out."

"It'll be nice to have another sparklin' runnin' 'round."

"Gotta warn you though, raising a girl, let alone a teenage girl is going to be a challenge. Are you all sure you're up for that challenge?" Will asked with a playful grin.

"We raised a good mech while fighting out a war on our planet before continuing to raise him as we traveled the stars. We can do this." Ironhide said with a smirk.

"How difficult could it be to care for and raise a femme youngling? I imagine it is not too different from raising a mech?" Jolt asked. He smiled bemused at the Captain and Sargent's laughter at his question.

"Keeping her healthy should be relatively easy. My treatment for her malnourishment involves implementing a properly balanced diet with additional supplements to help her frame begin to grow correctly. Then exercise to help her re-build her muscles when she has grown."

"I will oversee her exercise. As the Prime's youngling, she will need to know how to defend herself. Basic combat and weapons training will ensure her safety."

"I dunno if Babyspark'll like all that trainin'. She seems more like the type to sit an' chill. She enjoyed learnin' bout Cybertron an' music. Think I'll show her more of my stash."

"Make sure that is all that you show her. I swear to Primus if I hear that you taught her how to sneak around-"

"Oh, for Pits sake! Ya can't blame me for all the sneakin' 'round that Bee did!"

"Unrelated, can we ask why Lilac was laughing so hard earlier?" Lennox asked.

Optimus couldn't help but smile and laugh silently in his helm as he watched his Autobots, and their allies talk about child rearing. He hardly expected taking on such a responsibility when he and his team began their decent to Earth. But now, he couldn't help but be cautiously excited.

After several vorns of having to fight friends and family turned enemy, having to strategize and agonize over sending friends to fight for their lives or die in battle, and having to make spark breaking decisions such as leaving their dead planet behind in search of the one thing that could possibly save it, Optimus felt that he had been challenged in every way possible.

Now, he had a new challenge in front of him. One that happened to excite him and make him nervous all at once. One that if completed correctly, would yield himself and the child in question something that they both always wanted, a family unit.

'I am ready to take on that challenge Captain. May Primus guide me as I proceed.'


A/N: Well, here we are! The end of the first arc! It took waaay to long for me to finish this part but I'm glad that I could finally get here! This story will have approximately 5 arcs give or take! And OMG I am two reviews away from this story having 100 reviews! Thank you guys so much!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. That fluffy scene with the bots and Lilac is something that was plotted out on one of my walks with my late shepherd/husky mix. Like I said, this chapter was a long time coming! I know the plot point above may seem a bit cliche, but I don't see a lot of stories that have Prime as a guardian in this sense or that do it well. Most stories rush this part and part of my world building and character development involves a lot of time being spent on this. So, I hope you stick around to see what happens and bare with me as I begin writing the family arc!

The twins will return next chapter! :)

Also, with this chapter I mark then end of my summer as I return to work next week. As many of you know I teach, which means that I dont have a lot of time to write. That said, I promised myself that I would make more time for it this year because it makes me happy, brings me peace, and because it is a way for me to practice self care. I can't promise a chapter every month, but I am going to try. As for my other two stories, Dimensional, and Love Quadrupled, they will eventually get their chapters posted. My muse has been strongly between HoBo and And All that Jazz this summer, hence all the updates.

But I'm rambling. :) Please let me know what you think of this chapter, and the story overall! I love hearing from all of you, and sometimes seeing those reviews after a long day at work makes my day! As always thank you guys for everything! I'll see you in the next chapter!

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CLYL! (Com. Link You Later!)