Honest fact: I made a promise to my oldest cousin that I'd never let anyone hurt her when I first met her (literally the day she was born), but she's protected me more than I've ever been able to protect her, but what other two-year-old would stare down the man yelling at one of her favorite people and yell back at him? (That was seven years ago) What other child would give a depressed fourteen year old a reason to live, and to this day encourages that person? She became my light at only a few months old, and still is. She fell out of a tree a few years ago (seven years old), had an excited dog wrap a cable around her neck (she was 2 or younger at the time), and broke her elbow on 8-12-16. When my biological father threatened to drown me in a bucket of water, he yelled at me in front of her again. She was silent. She has rarely seen him like I have. I vow to make sure that never happens again.
I will ALWAYS protect my little Livy.
A parent's greatest fear… How does Ratchet handle it? How does Mari handle it?
"Normal Talk"
"Bee's Talk"
"Bee's Talk Holoform"
"Other Side Over the Phone (Comms)"
'Thoughts'
~Bond communication~
~Telepathic communication~
Kidnapped!
June 10, Ratchet's pov
"Dada!"
I climb out of my berth and shift into my holoform before getting her up. "Morning, Sweetspark."
"Baba?"
"Let's get you changed first."
"O-k." She blinks up at me. "'Inky?"
I nod and hand her the "M" pacifier. She's just learned how to say "Binky". "That's my girl." I change her before dressing her in a light pink short sleeved onesie, green khaki short overalls with a light pink belt, and pink sandals, then slip on her tiara. Once I'm done, I hand her a bottle of milk, then return to my normal form and carry her into the main room, where I set her in the play space before turning on the TV. She pulls herself up and toddles over to her toys, carrying her bottle in one hand. I smile before turning back to the monitor. We almost never have enough energon, and with three sparklings, we need it now more than ever before.
11:00 am
I shift into holoform and get Mariposa up from her nap and change her into one of the swim diapers Agent Fowler brought, then help her into a red watermelon swimsuit with green ruffled trim at the top and legs. I can't help but smile when she starts to giggle. I know she's gone swimming before, but I didn't get the chance to ask how she'd liked it. I dress her in a red tank top with ruffled shoulders, jean shorts with cuffs and a red bow, and red sandals, then tie on a red watermelon sun hat with a green brim. Once she's ready, I set her in her play space before turning to pack her bag.
Once in the main room, I transform into my vehicle form and return to my holoform before climbing in the back to buckle Mariposa in, then climb up to the human's ground bridge controls.
"Where are you going?"
I turn to Bumblebee from where I'm setting up the coordinates on the ground bridge. "I'm taking Mariposa to the beach." I smile slightly. "Want to come?"
"How—"
"I've had to bathe Mari, Bumblebee."
"Right… Sorry."
"Don't be." I sigh softly. "Now, if you want to come, we need to leave before she gets cranky." I turn toward my vehicle mode before turning back. "And use your holoform. You're riding with me."
"Fine."
Lake Maxinkuckee
I climb in the back and get Mariposa out before grabbing her bag. We head down the hill to the gate, and I pay the fee before carrying her through. I lay a large quilt on the ground—one I had specially requested for this purpose—then set Mariposa, her bag, and a beach bag on the quilt. "You should be fine to go into the water as you are, Bailey, but I need to get Mari ready."
"How? I thought—"
I wave the sunscreen bottle. "She could get burned by the sun." I pull out three different bottles—one in stick form, stated to be the best choice for faces, one in cream form for her body, and one in spray form, stated to be used for the scalp. I'm not letting my little one get burned. Once I take off her outfit, revealing her swimsuit, I rub the sunscreen in, then set her on the edge of the quilt with her bucket and shovel. I glance up to check on Bumblebee, then turn back to Mariposa to make sure she's not eating the sand. I scoff before brushing her hand off. "Yucky." I shake my head. Who knew I'd start talking like a sparkling when I took her in?
"Dada! Like!"
"No. We don't eat sand." I sigh when her bottom lip trembles. "Mari…"
"Ea'!"
I'm tempted to comm June and ask her about babies eating sand. She did mention I should pick my battles, but this seems to be the right thing to fight her on. She's probably at work, and I don't want to bother her. I sigh heavily before inflating her light pink sea-star print inflatable life vest and pink "water wings" with blue seahorses. "Let's go play in the water. Maybe it'll keep your mind off eating dirt."
half an hour later
I take off her water wings before slipping off her vest, and lay them aside before pulling out her food. After feeding her, I hand her a fruit pouch, then turn to the water. "Bailey!"
"Dad?"
I hand him a yellow steel water bottle. "Stay out for a few minutes. You need to refuel."
"But—"
"Refuel, then you can go back out." I take the empty pouch from Mariposa and hand her an energon bottle. "I'll put Mari down for her afternoon nap, since things have calmed down here, then I'll come out there with you for a bit."
"Inky?"
I sigh softly before clipping her princess clip on, then hand her a plain red pacifier. "Here you go."
"You will?"
"Of course." I motion to a dark blue and yelow sling. "It's a baby sling. Maya got it for me when she gave Arcee the one she's using outside the base. This one is made for the water, so I can take her out with me." I sigh before glaring at it. I really don't want to do this, but it'll keep her safe. I strap it on before turning to Bumblebee. "Come on."
half an hour later
I settle back on the quilt before taking off the sling and removing her princess clip. Mariposa's still asleep, which gives me time to read—something I rarely get to do because of my duties to the team, and my daughter. From time to time, I glance toward where Mariposa is sleeping, covered with a thin pink receiving blanket, and up to where Bumblebee is playing on the shore.
I glance up when I hear a sound, to find a helicopter flying overhead. It's almost…peaceful, here. No signs of our war, and no danger. I turn back to my book—no Cybertronian tech outside the base—before leaning back against a tree.
It's ten minutes before I glance to my daughter again. When I do, she's. Not. THERE. "Mari? Marianne?"
Bumblebee runs over to me. "Dad? What—"
"Mari must have crawled off. She was just sleeping, and now—"
Bumblebee points to where I had laid her clothes and shoes. "She crawled off, with her clothes?"
"What?" I turn to where he's pointing. "Primus…"
"Stay calm, Dad. We'll find her." He sighs. "You need to call the police. I'll get Optimus and Agent Fowler."
"How—"
"I'm just as worried as you are, Dad, but Mari's counting on one of us to stay focused. You're about to fritz out like Red. Calm down."
I take a deep breath. "Right. Calm."
Mariposa's pov
I look around before whimpering. I'm in a car seat, in someone's car, but it's not Dada. I'm back in my clothes, but I still have my wet suit and diaper on, and someone woke me from my nap. I want my Dada!
"You awake, Shey?"
"Ma'i." I'm not Shey, I'm Mariposa, or Marianne to humans!
"No, your name is Sheyenne Rayne."
I whimper. "Dada."
"Right. I'm your Dad."
"No. DADA!" I start to cry. I just want my Dada! Why won't this scary man let me have my Dada!
I feel a hard pinch on my arm, and scream. "Shut up, Brat, or I'll give you worse than that."
lake maxinkuckee, Ratchet's pov
"Do you have a recent picture of her?"
I sigh, and pull the wallet I'm forced to use in holoform out of the beach bag. I keep my favorite pictures of her—the few I print off—in there. "Here."
"We'll call you when we have any news."
"Thanks…"
Mariposa's pov
My old Dada carries me into the house and drops me onto the couch. I cry. My diaper's still wet, and my swimsuit, too. "I'm home! I got the brat."
My old Mama walks in. "Where'd you find her?"
"He was at the beach with her. Must have been on vacation."
She picks me up and hugs me before holding me at arms-length. "She's wet! God, what were you thinking?" She carries me down the hall before turning into a room off to one side. Once she closes the door, she sets me on the floor, then pulls out some dry clothes before moving me to a changing table. After changing my diaper, she dresses me in a gray leopard print long sleeved dress, white tights, and white T-Strap shoes. She's being nice, and taking care of me.
"Baba?"
"Not right now."
I whimper. "Inky?"
She sighs before slipping a red Elmo pacifier into my mouth. Elmo scares me. "At least it'll keep you quiet."
She then puts me into a playpen with a pop-up toy, and my old Daddy watching me while smoking. I smack a button in the center, and Big Bird pops out. I jump. He's not as scary, but if he's there, Elmo will be. I flip a switch and start to cry when Elmo pops up. The Elmo binky falls out and hits the floor in the playpen.
"Shut up!" The shout from the man on the couch only makes me cry harder. "I said SHUT UP!" He storms over to me and yanks me out of the playpen, then yanks up my sleeve, before pushing the smoky end of the thing in his hand on my arm, causing me to scream. He grins before pushing it onto another spot, this time on my other arm. I scream even louder as tears roll down my cheeks. "DADA!"
"I AM YOUR DAD!" He pinches my right arm really hard.
"DADA!"
"SHUT UP! I AM YOUR DAD!" He slaps me on my chest twice, then my tummy.
"NO!" I scream as loud as I can. "DADA!"
He shoves the burning thing against each of my legs, tights and all. "I SAID SHUT UP, BRAT!" He slaps me across my legs, right over my ouchie burns.
I scream loudly.
He picks me up, and takes me to the room my old Mama took me into, where he changes me into a pink long sleeved onesie with a cat graphic, tan leopard print pants, white socks, and pink and white heart velcro shoes, to hide the burns, and throws the tights in a trash can. He stil wants to make her think he loves me, I guess…
Jasper, ratchet's pov
I walk through the ground bridge from a wooded area with Bumblebee by my side, and the two bags we had taken.
"Ratchet, where is Mariposa?"
It's all I can do to keep myself together as I turn to my closest friend, and leader. "Someone took her, while we were at the beach. The police are on the case, and they have a number to sync them to our comms."
"Is there anything we can do?"
I shake my head. "I'll be all right. I just have to believe we'll find her." I step over to the computer and get back to work, searching for energon. If I can't be out looking for Mariposa, then I need to keep busy.
Mariposa's pov
My old Mama sets me into a high chair, not commenting on the new outfit I'm wearing.
I make a face at the meal she sets on the tray. It looks yucky, and tastes that way too. She's trying to feed me tiny cooked carrots, and a hot dog. It's Friday. Dada gives me mac an' cheese with peas and carrots for supper tonight. After a few minutes of refusing the food, my old Mama takes me out of the high chair and carries me into my room—at least, I think it was my room.
She changes me into a long sleeved sleeper with one white half with a pink sleeve, and one pink half with a white sleeve and a sheep appliqué, completely ignoring my wet and uncomfortable diaper, as well as the burns on my legs and arms.
Once she tucks me into my crib, I start to squirm. "Go to sleep."
"Baba?"
"You didn't eat."
I whimper softly as she leaves. Once she's gone, and my door's shut, I sit up in my crib and lay a hand over my chest. 'Park feel funny.' I grab my binky and stick it in my mouth. It may be Elmo, but I'd rather have it than no binky. I turn to find an Elmo doll in the corner, and throw it out before laying down. I hate Elmo.
June 11, morning, third pov
A cry cuts through the silence. The dark haired man groans as he turns over. "You get it."
She huffs before getting out of bed, and walks into Mariposa's bedroom in the trailer. It's barely been changed since the girl was last living here: the walls are blue, with an Elmo print border, and red trim, with red-painted furnishings and an Elmo face on the closet doors, as well as a red-framed picture of Elmo, Grover, and Ernie, and the crib still has its blue Elmo print sheets. Even the Elmo doll on the floor is the same.
Mariposa's pov
I look up at the cranky blonde as she walks in. "Baba?"
"No."
I sigh and stick my binky in my mouth before reaching up to her. "Up."
She sighs and picks me up before laying me on the changing table and finally changing my diaper, then dressing me in a white long sleeved onesie with a bear print, pink pants with a bear head on the butt, a light pink T-shirt with a bear graphic, white socks, and pink and white heart velcro shoes. "Now, let's see if you'll eat this time." She carries me into the kitchen and sets me into the high chair before sprinkling some cheerios on the tray. These, I recognise, because I get them while Dada gets my food ready, and I start eating. After a few minutes, she fills a Big Bird baba with milk and sets it in front of me.
that night, 6:30 pm et
I look up from the tower I'm building on the floor when I hear a knock on the door. The person comes in before stepping over to me. "Gammy!" I reach up for her.
She picks me up before starting for the door. "I'll bring her back tomorrow!"
"Okay. Thanks, Mom."
Grammy sets me on the floor in the bathroom and starts getting the water ready for me, then turns to undress me. I love bath time, but she doesn't have any toys like Dada does.
She sets my tennis shoes aside and throws my socks in the hamper before reaching down to my pants. They soon join my socks in the hamper. I can see brown and red marks on my legs, but Grammy doesn't seem worried. She then unsnaps my onesie. "'Member how we do skina-rabbit?"
I nod, and hold my arms up, allowing her to pull my onesie off. There's more brown marks on my tummy, chest, and arms, and red ones on my arms, too.
I watch as she takes my diaper off, then sets me into the water, causing me to squeal before giggling. I love bath time, no matter where I am.
She pours a small cup of water on my head, causing me to sputter and wipe my face off. I look up to find her smiling. She doesn't look angry, like my old Dada, just…amused. She sticks her tongue out, causing me to giggle. She's silly! I stick mine back out at her, then splash, getting her wet.
She then leans me back to wash my hair, before sitting me up so she can finish, before wrapping me up in a towel. She lays me on the bed, and powders me, before putting my diaper on, then putting me in a white sleeper with light pink collar and cuffs and a Disney princess® print, and tucks me into a playpen with a fleece blanky.
June 12
Grammy gets me up and sets me into a high chair before sitting in front of me with a bowl of something. After the first bite, I smile. Oatmeal. While not exactly what Dada usually feeds me before we go to church—and yes, I go to church with Dada—but it's still something he feeds me. After I eat, she hands me a baba with milk.
Once I'm done, she dresses me in a light blue short sleeved dress with a peter pan collar and a smocked bodice, a white long sleeved shrug with a silver heart, white tights with lace on the butt, and white T-strap shoes with silver hearts.
They carry me out, and set me into a pink car seat, where they buckle me in and give me a pink binky before taking off for church.
Jasper, nevada, Ratchet's pov
I step into the church in holoform, Bumblebee by my side. I need to keep things as normal as I can, for my sake, and for Bumblebee's. He seems to be doing all right, but it's hard for me to know for sure. His berth room is on the other side of Arcee's, and he doesn't come to me during the night.
"Dad?"
I sigh and lower my voice. "You need to be careful about using that here. We can't blow our cover."
"I know. Are you okay?"
I sigh heavily. "As "okay" as I can be, Bailey." I wait until we're in our usual seats before continuing. "I just hope no one stops to ask where she is. I don't think I could answer them without crying."
He sighs. "I know what you mean, but we'll get through this." He lays a hand on my arm. "We'll find her, Dad. We'll get her back."
BBC, knox, indiana
I giggle as I'm carried into the church, then down to the basement, before finally being handed off to a worker. "Hi!"
The woman takes me, and I get the first chance to look around. There's three metal cribs—two normal size and one cradle, and another woman is opening a new toy, while the old one sits beside a gate. She sets me down, and I walk over to the old toy. It's not broke, just old, and looks like my favorite toy at Dada's church. I pick up one of the animals, and start playing Noah's Ark.
"Sheyenne, that's old."
"No. P'ay."
"She's fine. It wasn't broken."
The other woman huffs. "Fine."
"Shey. Grammy's here." The woman hands me to her before turning to grab the toy I was playing with. "She seemed really interested in this, and we just got a new one, so…"
Papaw takes the toy with a smile. "Thanks."
third pov
The woman opens her mouth, then shuts it again with a sigh.
"Why didn't you tell them about the bruises?"
She turns to her assistant with a sigh. "I don't think they'd believe me if I did… She trusts Shey's father far too much."
Jasper, Nevada, Ratchet's pov
I sigh before leaning on the computer, then check to make sure Bumblebee's settled in, then turn back to monitor the patrolling teams. It doesn't usually require all my attention, which only means that I have nothing to distract me from the fact that my daughter's missing. Every hour, the chances of finding her alive decrease substantially, and she's only been gone since Friday. Almost 48 hours… We may never find her alive…
"Ratchet?"
"I'm fine." Too quick. That was too fast. "I'm sorry, Optimus, I—" I sigh heavily.
"It is fine, Old Friend." He lays a hand on my shoulder. "I am aware of the torture the couple is inflicting on your spark. Arcee is searching for her now."
I sigh heavily. "She hasn't yet reported back. I can't know if she is even in the vicinity! The chances of finding her decrease every hour we don't find her…"
"I am aware of that, Ratchet." He sighs. "However, I promise you, we will find her."
"Even if she's alive…the chances that she'll be the same as she was before…"
"She will recover."
I sigh heavily and open my mouth to respond when the computer beeps. I turn to it and smile slightly. "Her bracelet…"
"Ratchet?"
I ignore him and activate the main comm link. "Arcee, I'm sending you the coordinates now."
"The interference lifted?"
"Yes. Quickly, Arcee. Report back to me when you find something."
"I will." She sighs heavily. "I don't know how you're handling this. If it were Electro…"
"Your son is safe, Arcee. I promise, I'll make sure he stays that way."
mariposa's pov
When we walk in, Grammy changes me, and dresses me in a gray long sleeved tunic with a pink heart print, pink and white polka-dot leggings, white socks, and pink and white heart velcro shoes, then feeds me before carrying me back to my old Dada's house with the toy. My old Mama takes me and sets me in the playpen with the toy. I whine, and reach back up to her, but she won't take me, and my old Dada yells at me, so I sit back down to play before he decides to hurt me again.
