I only own my OC's, please don't take anything the wrong way in this chapter...


Glitz and Natural photo shoot

"Mari, Sweetspark… It's time to wake up…"

"'Pots?"

"Yep. We need to get you back to your Carrier soon. You've got your photo shoot in an hour."

"Pic'ure?"

"Yeah. You've got to get your pictures done for the pageant."

"Oh…" I smile up at the mechs and femme. "Okay. Up?" Groove picks me up and carries me back to my room.

"She took her nap."

"How'd you guys manage to do that?"

The femme smiles. "Aid read a story, and we let her cuddle with us."

Carrier takes me into the bathroom and uses a self-tanning lotion to disguise my pale skin as the healthy glow they want for pageant kids. Once that's done, she helps me into a black cap sleeved minidress with a gold heart print and a gold heart on the chest, black leggings with gold hearts on the knees, black socks with gold hearts on the ankles, and gold strappy flats. She braids my hair and ties off the ends before slipping in gold hair bows.

Once I'm ready, she takes me out and gets me settled into my booster seat before taking off for a photography company in the mall.

Once we're there, Carrier takes me to get my hair styled in natural curls with a single gold bow in the back. Once that's done, she takes me to the photography office, gets me changed into a gold sundress with a full skirt and brown belt with a gold rose and brown hem, a gold satin shrug, gold tights, and brown patent leather Mary Jane shoes. She takes me over to the photographer, and gets me set up for some natural photos.

He pulls down a pink background that looks like a building, with the label "Flower Shop". "All right, Mari, I need you to stand right there, and…perfect." He snaps several pictures. He pulls down another background, this one of a blue and white sponge-printed wall, and snaps several more pictures. "Now, Ariel, if you could help me…" Carrier nods, and helps the photographer lay out a grass-like cloth on the floor. "Now, Mari, if you could lay on it…on an angle, Sweetheart."

"On a what?"

Carrier picks me up and lays me on one corner of the grass cloth. "Like this, Sweetie."

He snaps several more pictures, then lays out a cloud background before having me lay the same way, and snapping several more pictures.

He puts up the cloud design and pulls down a background with a historical stairway background, snapping several pictures once again.

Carrier then takes me to get my hair re-done into a glitz style with a blue bow above the fake hairpiece, and takes me back to the photo studio, where I get some makeup on and get changed into the ice blue cap sleeved, off-the-shoulder glitz pageant dress with white details and rhinestones, white lacy socks, and white patent leather shoes, with a pearl choker.

The photographer pulls down a pink painted wall background, and gets me posed just right before stepping behind the camera. "Now, smile!" I grin, glad to finally be wearing the beautiful tutus I'd seen on TV back on Old Earth. "Now, put one arm on your hip…perfect." He snaps a couple more before changing the background to steps through a garden full of pink flowers. "Give me a cute pose, Sweetheart!" I turn to the side and smile at him over my shoulder. "Great! Great! Give me another!" I giggle and face him, putting my finger on my bottom lip as I tilt my head to the side. He snaps more pictures. "Let me change the background." He pulls down a backyard view with flowerbeds. "Now, show me another one." I pose cutely with my hands, crossed at the wrist, under my chin, and my head tilted shyly, cutely, with a shy smile. "Perfect." He snaps several pictures. "One more." I hold out the hem of my tutu slightly, and curtsy, with my face pointed slightly at the floor. "Beautiful, Darling." He changes the background to a plain maroon one, and moves forward with his camera. "I need to get your face shots now, okay?"

"Okay." I nod. "Yes, Sir." I tilt my head to the side and smile at him gently.

"Good… Good…" He steps back, and sets the camera back on its stand. "Ariel?" Carrier follows him, and he walks her through what she'll need for my portfolio, and she chooses a couple that she wants to frame. "It's $169.40 for the pageant portfolio, and $26.20 for the extra copies." Carrier swipes the government account card everyone has, and finishes the payment with a signature on the reciept. She takes me into the back room and helps me back into my black and gold cap sleeved, heart print minidress, black leggings with gold hearts on the knees, black socks with gold hearts on the ankles, and gold strappy flats. She re-braids my hair and ties off the ends before slipping in gold hair bows.


We head home. Once there, I climb out and we head back to show Sire the pictures we'd chosen. They'll be delivered to the fake house in a couple days, and then we'll send them to the pageant people for my portfolio.

I skip to my room so I can color, and watch the twinkling lights in my own room—something I wasn't really allowed to have before.


Carrier takes me into the bathroom and sets me in my tub. After a quick bath, she helps me into a clean nightgown before tucking me into my bed with my teddy bear and blankie.


Morning, 12-1, Normal POV

"Mari…"

"Wan' 'charge…" I roll over and look up at Ratchet. "Hi."

"We need to get to the store, Sweetspark. Remember?" He straightens up as I sit up. "We need to get you ready, and you need to eat something before we can leave."

I slide off the bed and look up at him. "What I wears?"

He sighs before stepping into my closet, quickly returning with one of my new outfits on a tiny white hanger. He helps me into the long sleeved red corduroy dress with green rickrack trim on the Peter Pan collar and cuffs, and Santa and presents embroidered on the waistband, with green rickrack trim, a pair of green tights, and red patent leather Mary Jane shoes, then leads me into the kitchen. "Now, what do you want to eat?"

I shrug. "We no gots 'gon?"

He sighs heavily before crouching to me. "We have energon, but you need to have human food too for now, okay?"

"We no haves lots, then."

"No, we don't." He straightens up. "So I need you to at least try to eat something for me."

"Otay…" I think for a minute. "Fwy 'tatoes?"

"Fried potatoes?" I nod. "Okay, that's a start… Anything else?"

"Um… We has stwawbewwy jam?"

He looks in the fridge before shaking his head. "Sorry, Sweetspark." He sighs. "How about something else? We have eggs… a couple sausage links left…"

"Otay!" I love sausage. "Scwambley egg pease…an makey sausage too?"

"All right." I watch as he pulls out the pans. "But you need to have some milk too, okay?"

"Otay." I smile up at him. "We goes 'lones?"

"Did you want Bumblebee to come?" I shake my head. "Then who were you talking about?"

"'Fensors?"

"Mari…"

"Pwease?"

"I might be able to get one of them off, but I can't get them all off—especially since Aid needs to watch the med-bay for me." He turns from the stove and crouches to me. "So I need you to be more specific, okay?"

"Um…" I think for a minute. Aid's got to work in the med-bay, Blue and Aunt Cee are on patrol, covering Carrier and Bumbee's usual route, Daddy's got monitor duty, Groove's filling Aunt Cee's roll of guarding Jack today—he's got school, then work—Carrier's spending the day with June—it's the latter's day off—and Bulkhead and Bumbee are with their charges. "Pots?"

"I'll have to see if he can, okay Sweetspark?" He slides a heart-shaped Princess plate in front of me, followed by a Cinderella mug of milk. "You need to eat."

"Otay…" I pick up my fork and start eating slowly, nervous because I don't like puking much, and I've done it a lot lately.

While I eat, Ratchet steps out. I'm tempted to hide some of the food he gave me, but I'm scared that he might catch me. I know he's just worried, since my spark chose him back on Old Earth, and he wants me to survive…but I don't want to puke again.

He steps back in shortly after with Hot Spot behind him. "Hey, Little Sister."

"Hi, Pots. You goes bye-bye with us?"

"Yep. I'm going to the store with the two of you."

"Yay!" I slide down to the floor and smile up at Ratchet. "Let's go!"

"You need to finish your breakfast, Mari…"

"I full."

Ratchet sighs as he looks between me and the plate. "All right, let's get going."

"Otay!" I run over to him, and ride on his shoulder into the main room. He sets me down so he can transform, and opens the back door so I can climb inside. We take off soon after I'm secured in the child seat underneath the cushion on his back seat.


I watch Ratchet pile meats, dairy, grains, fruits, and vegetables into the cart silently from my place in the basket. Once he has the usual things people get for groceries—including a few cereals I'd asked for—Trix and Alpha-Bits—and some toddler foods to help with nutrition—he looks down to me. "Now, we need to see what we could get you to eat…" He looks down at the two full carts—we are feeding several holoforms as well as three growing humans and a nurse, after all. "Spot, could you get another cart?"

"Of course."

"Pots!"

He stops and turns back to me. "What's wrong?"

"Goes wif!"

He glances at Ratchet before shrugging, and takes me out of the cart before setting me on his shoulders. "All right, let's go get that cart."

"Yay!" Spot grabs the new cart and, with me still on his shoulders—I'm clinging to his head—pushes it back to Ratchet.

"Now, what do you like to eat?"

"Um…nuts…muffins…noodlies…soup…popisicles…an' tandy."

"There's not a lot of nutrition in those…"

"I'm aware of that, Hot Spot." Ratchet sighs heavily. "Nuts are pretty healthy for snacks, and I can find things to put in with noodles that would make something healthy that she could eat." Ratchet smirks. "And it would be so easy to slip nutrients into muffins and home-made popsicles." He stops and gets some cans of nuts before moving on. He stops in the candy aisle and gets at least ten bags as he turns back to Spot and I. "They're not all for Mari, but I know the human children enjoy a treat now and then, and they shouldn't be forced to have healthy snacks because we have to do it right now for Mari.

"Jack's mother doesn't want him having much candy either."

"I know, but he—as well as Miko and Raf—are old enough to limit themselves, while Mari is too young to know better." We stop so he can move things around, then he piles cleaners into the rest of the cart. The candies and nuts get mixed in with other ingredients—Ratch had said they were for popsicles and candies—before falling down in their jumbled-up mess. "Now, we just need to get Mari's bath and medical stuff, and we're done."

"Toy an' tandy?"

"What do you say?"

"Pwease?"

Ratchet smiles. "I think we'll be able to get a small toy, and I might even let you have a candy, but you'll have to eat lunch for me first."

"Awh…"

"Now, now, Little One. You have to eat real food first." He steps into the toy aisle, and Hot Spot sets me on my feet. "Just one, and it has to be small…"

I reach up and snag a toy cell phone, with princesses on the front. "Dis one."

"Okay." He takes it and puts it into the cart before they lead me back to the candy aisle. "Now, pick your candy, then we have to check out." I look over the rack before handing him a white and red candy-cane candy bar. "Good. You can have it after you eat."

"Where we go eat?"

"We'll have to see, Sweetspark…"

"Otay…"


Ratchet and Hot Spot lead me into a small country diner by the hand. "Now, you have to eat, okay?" I nod, too busy looking around the room. It's country-themed, and cute. Ratchet leads us to a table and orders for the two of us before letting Hot Spot order. "Why I no get choose here?"

"I know what you liked to eat in the other dimension, Mari. You will like what I ordered for you." I nod, and he was right. when our food comes out a few minutes later, I've got roast beef with potatoes and gravy, and green beans, with a strawberry soda to drink. I don't manage to clean my plate this time, but I eat most of what was given to me, and Ratchet hands me the candy bar when we get back out to his vehicle mode. I smile down at it for a minute—it's my favorite, and I only get it during christmas time—before opening it and nibbling it one square at a time. It's gone by the time we reach the base.


Ratchet pulls into the kitchen with Spot so he can help put what we'd bought away, and I run across the hall to my berthroom so I can play.


Third POV, Kitchen

The two stare at the large ammount of grocery bags on the large metal table. "Think she'll be able to keep this stuff down?"

"If she can't… Spot… There's no other way I'll be able…to save her life…"

"Primus… You're sure?"

"I am positive, Hot Spot. If this doesn't work…then there's nothing I can do…" He sighs and settles into a chair before resting his arms on the table. "I'm not ready to lose her, Hot Spot…I'm not…" He buries his face into his arms in a sorry attempt to hide his tears—Hot Spot had already noticed.

"Ratchet…" Hot Spot sighs. "Is there anything I can help with?"

Ratchet shakes his head, sighs, then nods. "Tell Aid I need him to cover the med-bay for the rest of the day, and get the rest of this stuff put away."

"Ratchet?"

He stands, and starts for the door, using a cloth he'd grabbed moments before to dry his eyes. "I'm going to talk with Optimus. I can't wait anymore. I can't watch her like this anymore."

"Ratchet, wait." The medic stops. "What are you talking to him about?"

"My future bonded."

"Ratchet?"

He sighs, and turns to Hot Spot. "Mari's spark chose me. We're supposed to bond when she's of age." He huffs. "Mari got him to promise her that if there was a chance she wouldn't make it to adulthood, that he let her bond no matter her age—that was back—"

"In the other dimension."

"Right. We're at that point, Hot Spot, and…" He lets out another heavy-sounding sigh. "And I can't let this go much further. We're at that point now…and I won't make her wait for an age she may never…get to reach…" He sighs, and runs the cloth over his eyes again. "This isn't easy on me, Hot Spot. Please, just tell Aid to handle the med-bay so I can get this done and…and spend some time with her…while she's still…relatively healthy?"

"You're only relatively healthy."

Ratchet huffs. "And she knows that. I'm fighting my Deficiency for her. I want her to fight the malnutrition for me."