I have a poll on my profile page asking a question I really want to have answered. I'm trying to get as many answers as I can, and very few people visit my profile. I've gotten literally one answer in a week, and that's sad. Please answer, and be honest about it.


I only own my OC's!


Sunday

12-4, Morning

Sire steps over to the bed to wake me up, only to find me staring up at him. "Hi."

He smiles down at me. "Good morning. How long have you been awake, Little One?"

"Nots long."

"Well, it is time to get you ready for church, so you need to get up."

"Otay." I slide off my bed and head into the kitchen, where Ratchet's sitting with Carrier and Bumblebee—Carrier's in her bot form, but Bumblebee's in holoform—half an energon cube sitting in front of him. "Morning, Ratch!"

"Good morning, Little One." He motions for me to join him, and I run over with a giggle before scrambling into his lap. He'd spent most of yesterday playing with me. Sire steps over and slips a plate each in front of Bee and I—filled with hashbrowns, eggs, and sausage with toast off to the side—Bee's is buttered, while mine has strawberry jam on top. "Now, you have to eat, okay?" I look up to him grumpily. "For me?"

I huff. "Otay…" I pick up my pink-handled fork and start to eat slowly.

"There you go."

"Now…" Sire sits across from Ratch, rather than using his usual chair at the head of the table. "What were you trying to say yesterday?"

Ratchet sighs. "Sorry I was in such a hurry yesterday. I wanted to spend some time with Mari…"

"And I was too busy at the time."

"Yeah…" He looks down at me, causing me to stop eating and look up at him. "Eat." I huff and turn back to my plate as he sighs heavier, and slips something over my ears. Now all I can hear is music—Christmas music.


Ratchet's POV

I look up to Optimus after putting the noise canceling headphones over Mari's young ears. "Optimus…I'm sure you remember when we were in the other dimension, and you made that promise to Mari? The one about—"

"Bonding before she's of age because she was scared she wouldn't live to adulthood. I remember."

"Well… I think we're there…" I sigh down at the tiny femmeling on my lap. "Optimus… We're at a point where there's nothing I can do—it's all in her hands—and I…I won't let her go without at least having that. If you remember, it was—"

"The most important thing to her—that she got her "wedding". I remember…" Optimus sighs heavily. "We'll see what we can do, but don't be surprised if we can't do anything. Humankind is shockingly against things like that…"

"They'll let a dying father walk his daughter down the aisle, but they won't let an ailing child have a wedding when they don't know if they'll make it to adulthood? That's crazy."

Elita steps over. "I've heard of crazier things than this."

"I'm sure you have." Optimus shakes his head. "But I would still have to take this up with Agent Fowler…"

"Why, Optimus!? She's our princess, it's our decision!"

"And if we need human money?"

I sigh heavily. He's got a point. "We tell him it's to help her spark."

"Help her spark? Is she that—"

"Lower cardiac output is a symptom of malnourishment, Optimus. She could—" I trail off there, and try to keep myself together. While she can't hear me, she'd know right away if I start to cry, since she's on my lap. "Her spark could fade out because of this, Orion. She is very sick." I sigh heavily. "Worse than I am at the moment."

"Aren't you still in remission?"

I'd been dreading our meeting this morning—Optimus had been busy yesterday, so I simply asked to meet with him and for this very reason. My Cybertronium Deficiency has been back for around six weeks now, and I've been doing my best to keep my best friend from watching me as if I'm going to die on him at any moment. "No."

"Ratchet… Why—"

I shake my head. "This isn't about me. This is about Mariposa. I still have my meds, and I'm supplementing as well, so I will be around for a long time yet. Mariposa, on the other hand…"

"Ratchet…" Optimus sighs heavily. "You—"

"We could all be killed tomorrow, Optimus. I'm perfectly fine. Up 'til now only the Protectobots knew about my condition, and that because they were helping Aid and I out before they were called to help in the tsunami relief."

"That long?"

"Yes."

Optimus finally decides to be professional again. "You think a sparkbond with you would help her out?"

"Yes, though she is so weak at the moment that I don't know…it could do more harm than good in her present condition."

"Primus…" Elita turns to me. "It's that bad?"

"It's that bad, if not worse, Elita."

"Would we be able to help?" We glance to the doorway to find Hot Spot and his brothers and sister watching us.

I sigh heavily. He looks so desperate to help, and I hate to have to tell him this. "Hot Spot, an actual bond may be too much for her, and a gestalt bond could wind up just as dangerous."

"The best we could do for now is contact, and hope one starts to form, Hot Spot."

Elita turns to them with a smile. "How long have you wanted a bond with her?"

"Since we met her while she was learning to be an EMT."

I turn to them. "And you waited this long why?"

Hot Spot shrugs. "We were all right with the unofficial connection. We've been thinking about it for the last several weeks, though, and…" Hot Spot sighs sadly. "And now we may have waited too long…"

"Spot…" First Aid sighs before leading him out.

Blades slips past us and gets five half-cubes before leaving. We're on half-rations now in an attempt to keep our rapidly dwindling supply as long as possible. "Sorry." He slips back out.

I glance up at the clock before turning back to Optimus. "You need to get ready to leave."

"Want to come with us, or—"

"I'm fine, Optimus. I need to get my meds…"

"That will take you five minutes at most." Optimus smiles. "Besides, Mariposa may want you to come."

"Fine. We'll ask her."


Normal POV

I look up when someone pops the headphones off my head, and drop my fork in surprise. "Huh?" I look up. "Hi."

"Mariposa?"

I turn to Sire. "Yeah?"

"Would you like Ratchet to come to church with us today?"

I look up to him. "Would you?"

He smiles down at me. "All right, but you'll need to get dressed first." We both turn to my still half-full plate. "But you need to eat, Little One."

"Full."

Every adult in the room sighs heavily. "All right." Carrier takes my hand and leads me into my room.

Carrier helps me into a silver sleeveless dress with a black zebra print and a silver sash, a black long sleeved sequin shrug, black tights, and black patent leather Mary Jane shoes. she curls my hair with a curling iron before clipping in a silver and black zebra print hair bow. As a last step, she puts a silver and black zebra striped pacifier with a silver loop, which is on a black ribbon, around my neck. "There."

I open the fourth door on my advent calendar and pull out a handful of energon gummy worms before sticking one in my mouth. Once they're gone, Carrier helps me brush my teeth, then we head out to Sire's vehicle mode.


Church

We step into the church together. Sire, Carrier, and Bumblebee are all wearing the same thing as they did last week, while Ratchet's wearing a black suit with a white shirt and a red tie. This week, he's leading me inside. Once we're inside, I let his hand go and run on ahead. "I'll shows you where my class is!"

"I'm right behind you, Little One."

I turn back to him and stomp my foot. "Come on, Ratchie! You's running 'hinds!"

"Rick, Little One." He finally catches up to me. "And I'm running behind because I don't feel good."

"Ratchie…" I look up at him curiously. Yesterday he'd had to leave because he "didn't feel good" and was back in a few minutes only to head into my own bathroom. "You's sicks too…"

He sighs, and picks me up. "You're too smart, Mari. Yes, I'm sick too, but I'll be all right."

"It's back?" Sparkling or not, he'd told me on Old Earth that he'd had a Cybertronium Deficiency, and I hadn't forgotten, even through all we've endured.

"It is, but I have meds and supplements, so I'll be all right."

"But…"

"We're trying to get metals to supplement you, but it hasn't been going well." He sets me down outside my classroom. "I need to get back to your parents. I'll see you later, Sweetie."

"Otay." I wait until he's gone before I look at my shiny shoes. "He's no' otay…"

"Who isn't, Sweetheart?"

"Daddy's friend. He comed with us today. He's sick…"

"Oh." She leads me over to the table before starting to hand out her armload of color pages. "We're going to start working on our Christmas program today, so we'll be meeting with the older kids after Sunday school."


Junior Church

I slip into a seat and watch the teacher in front as she walks us through the planned program. "First, we need a child who can sing a solo to open for the cantata on the 18th. This child will also be the lead for our angel choir that night, and will have two special solos at the start and end of our Christmas pageant." Daniella and I both raise our hands. "Daniella. Sing for me?"

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Several of the kids cringe, as half her notes were way sharp. The teacher, Jenny, turns to me with a sigh. "Marianne? Can you sing something for me?" I nod, and stand with a gentle smile.

Bring a torch, Jeanette, Isabella
Bring a torch, come swiftly and run
Christ is born, tell the folk of the village
Jesus is sleeping in His cradle
Ah, ah
Beautiful is the mother
Ah, ah
Beautiful is her Son

"Wow…" The kids around me are speechless, and Jenny smiles over at me. "I never knew a child could sing like that." She hands me some papers. "This is our schedule for cantata practice, and this is for your Mommy and Daddy. It tells them what your part is for the pageant."

"Thank you."

"And this is a song we were thinking of doing during the end of the nativity, and before the final song—so while they're posing as Mary and Joseph, you would sing this. There's a CD with it, so be careful you don't break it."

"Yes, Ma'am."

I watch silently as she assigns other parts, my pacifier in my mouth. One of the girls-the one with the twin-leans over with a scowl. "You know, you can't have that when your singing, right? No one would understand you."

"I knows. I not has it on stage, Silly."

"Humph." She turns, and sticks her nose in the air, causing her twin to do the same.

I run to Ratchet when he comes to pick me up. "Hey, Little One. How was class?"

"Good." I show him my papers. "I got lead."

"Lead?" He sets me down in front of Carrier, Sire, and Bumblebee. "She got lead, whatever that means."

"In Christmas pageant. I got lead singer. I getta sing with the big peoples Sunday mornin', then I getta sing before, durin', and after the pageant, and I gotta special song to sings during their "posing"."

"Impressive." Carrier crouches to me. "You're going to do very well, aren't you?"

"Huh-huh!"

She takes my hand and starts to lead me out to Sire's vehicle mode, only to stop at the glass doors and sigh. "Orion, you'll have to do crowd control again."

"Give me Mari." They turn to Ratchet's holoform.

"You've been actively sick since yesterday. You don't need to—"

"I'm not doing crowd control, Orion. I'm going to carry her so she doesn't get trampled. You're doing crowd control."

"All right." I watch as Sire weaves our way through those crowded around his vehicle mode before opening the door so Ratchet and I can get in. We're quickly followed by Bumblebee, Carrier, and finally Sire. "Everyone settled?"

"Yep."

"How are you feeling?"

"I thought we weren't going to do this."

Sire chuckles softly. "I'll take that as "better"."

"You'd better." He shifts me on his lap before sighing. "Part of this is the meds…"

"I know. I'm not mad at you, Ratchet. I know you can't help it, and the team expects this from you anyway."

"Good." He sighs, and looks down before turning to Carrier. "I'd never—"

"We know you'd never hurt Mari, Ratchet. We trust you."

I cuddle into his chest. "Loves Watch."

"Who in their right mind could get mad at this little one anyway?"