I only own Marianne! Everything else belongs to Hasbro!

Song belongs to The Band Perry!


~Bonds, Hot Spot~

~Bonds, Blades~

~Bonds, First Aid~

~Bonds, Groove~

~Bonds, Streetwise~

~Bonds, Marianne/Mariposa~

"Normal"

'Thoughts'

"Comms or phone, other side"

"Bumblebee, Tones"

"Bumblebee, Comms"

"Bumblebee, Radio"


Protectobot?

House, Normal POV

I look down before stepping into the house. I warm up one of my small Chicken Alfredo dinners before eating it, not wanting to seem ungrateful, even though I really just want to see the green medic back with us—even if I do hate the color.

I head into my room and change into a black batman pajama top and black pajama pants. After a few minutes, I sit in the corner, and hook my earbuds up to my smartphone before starting up my music app. Once I have the song I want, I start to sing along, softly; almost painfully.

I wanna wake where I was born and breathe the old air in

I need a haunt from a ghost that I knew way back then

Oh I hope they left the light on

I want someone who knows me just to say my name

To tell me though things are different now

Somehow I'm still the same

Oh I can almost hear them calling

I don't know if I'll be back again

Turns out they were right again

(get back to what you know, get back to what you do)

Gotta get back to me, Ooooo

If it's true, home is where the heart is

I guess now I'm homeless

(get back to what you know, get back to what you do)

Gotta get back to me without you

For two years I lived my life way out on a limb

I put my faith in you not knowing you were breaking me in

I hate feeling falling

I don't know if I'll be back again

Turns out they were right again

(get back to what you know, get back to what you do)

Gotta get back to me, Ooooo

If it's true, home is where the heart is

I guess now I'm homeless

(get back to what you know, get back to what you do)

Gotta get back to me without you

Oooooo

Oooooo

I added rain to your ocean

What did it do, it meant nothing to you

You made grief my chief emotion

Why'd you have to do what you thought you had to do?

Oooooo

Oooooo

Get back to what you know

I don't know if I'll be back again

Turns out they were right again

(get back to what you know, get back to what you do)

Gotta get back to me, Ooooo

If it's true, home is where the heart is

I guess now I'm homeless

(get back to what you know, get back to what you do)

Gotta get back to me without you

The slow death of the slow dance

Tailspin of a romance

Gotta get back and breathe the old air in


Medical Bay, Protectobots, Third POV

"What did you need, Spot?"

"Optimus is still off-world, and Bee doesn't know when he'll be back, so it's up to us."

Blades turns to him. "What's up to us?"

First Aid sighs. "Mari wants to join us."

"She's a human!"

"Techno-Organic, Blades, and a Prime." Streetwise sighs before turning to First Aid. "But she's vorns younger than us, and I know she's got a lot of trauma."

Aid sighs. "Most of which was caused by her human family."

"It's one thing to take the human in, Aid, but to include her in Defensor?"

"She asked me, Blades."

Aid nods. "She brought it up to me earlier, but she asked Spot."

Groove sighs from his place beside First Aid. "Who would we be to turn down a Prime?"

Blades scoffs. "She's never been trained!"

Streetwise huffs. "Where would she even connect?!"

Aid sighs. "We'd figure that out when she was ready. She hasn't even tried to transform yet."

"None of us were trained when we joined the Autobots, either." Hot Spot sighs. "You didn't see her, Blades. She was so…broken, but she made it a point to talk with Drift, even though she blames him for Lockdown. Even then…" He sighs. "She still managed to forgive him for everything. She cares just as much as Aid does."

Blades scoffs. "Which only gives another reason not to let her in."

Aid actually glares at him. "What do you mean?"

Blades crosses his arms. "She won't bring a new perspective."

Streetwise scoffs. "Blades, she's grown up as a human. That's more than enough of a new perspective, and she was an EMT." He turns to the medic. "Right, Aid?"

First Aid nods. "She's starting another class, to re-cert, in a few days. She's really excited about it." He sighs. "She's even harder to keep up with than Spot—and that's when she's dealing with a few minor medical issues."

"Joy."

Groove glances to Aid. "What else did you notice?"

Aid sighs. "My compassion, as Spot mentioned, and she's got PTSD, so she's as aware and alert as Street, and careful—really careful." He sighs. "And she's got Ratchet's temper, as you probably remember from this morning."

"Yeah…"

"I think we're ready to decide."


House, Normal POV

I've been playing the same song on a loop for the last fifteen minutes, sometimes singing, sometimes just listening, but still feeling small and alone in the universe.

Oooooo

Oooooo

Get back to what you know

I don't know if I'll be back again

Turns out they were right again

(get back to what you know, get back to what you do)

Gotta get back to me, Ooooo

If it's true, home is where the heart is

I guess now I'm homeless

(get back to what you know, get back to what you do)

Gotta get back to me without you

The slow death of the slow dance

Tailspin of a romance

Gotta get back and breathe the old air in

I look up, hearing the door close downstairs even with my music up as high as it goes. I stop it and pull out my earbuds before putting my phone on the charger.

"Mari?" I look over to the bot at the door. "Hey, Spot…" I glance back to my phone, and the few things I bought—still sitting in bags and boxes without my new furniture. "What did you need?"

"We need to talk with you…"

'Oh, no… They're gonna send me away…' I stand. "Right behind ya, Spot."


Living Room

I sit on the metal table while the others sit on the couch, with Hot Spot sitting on a nearby chair, the couch being full of other bots. I'm so sure they're gonna send me away that I'm close to tears already.

"You're probably wondering what's going on right now…" I nod slightly, keeping my eyes on the floor. "With Optimus off-world with the seed, we couldn't check with him before we made our final decision on your status with us." This time I glance up to the Protectobot leader. "With so few bots left on-line, we have decided to bring you into our gestalt bond."

I blink up at him. That wasn't what I was expecting at all. "You-you guys really want me around? Even after everything that happened today?"

Aid grins. "Of course we do."

I blink quickly, trying not to cry. It's not sad tears, though. For the first time in my life, I'm about to cry because I'm happy—because something good happened. "I-I don't know what to say…" Someone picks me up, and I cuddle into the hand, not caring who it is. "I-I guess all I can really say is… Thank you, for not giving up on me…" I look up to find warm red optics watching me. "Then again, I don't think you'd ever give up on anyone…" I run my sleeve over my eyes. "Even so, thank you."

"Don't mention it." He sets me on the floor. "Aid's going to teach you about combiners tomorrow. Right now…you need sleep."

I look at the floor before glancing up to Aid. "Um… can I—" Blades gives me a look that clearly says "duh!", causing me to shrug. "I'm tiny and squishy compared to you all. I wasn't sure."

Aid kneels to me. "Hey. I said I'd get you into the cuddle pile."

I can't help but smile as I follow them upstairs. I'm home. I watch them with awe—Groove and Streetwise, for some odd reason, just went in search of pillows—I think it's so I won't fall off, but I'm not too sure. I've grabbed my fleece blanket, of course. My stims don't go away just because I've got a new family, but I may not need them as much.

I look up when a hand slips into my line of vision. "Come on." I climb in, and Blades lifts me onto the berth. Once I'm on the berth, I climb onto the blue fire-bot. 'I wonder if this is how Winky used to feel, climbing all over me…' I shrug before settling by his chin. 'A gestalt… I'm gonna be a sister to Defensor' I glance over the others as they get settled, using Hot Spot's chin as protection until they stop moving. Aid's got his hands under his chin—something he'd explained to me when we were looking for furniture—and is curled into one side, almost underneath Spot. Blades is on his side, which I understand, because of my own sensitive back, and the sensitivity in doorwings and rotors, and curled against, and slightly on top, of Spot's other side. The two enforcers are lying across his legs. Following Aid's lead as well as I can with my bad foot, I inch down to where I'm curled between Spot and Aid before finally drifting off with my head beside his hands.