Epilogue:

Ratchet watched his mate, purring gently as he slowly returned to work. She was knitting again, something that had recently gotten both of their attention. Due to the recent arrival, June had been given time off from work. With her extra time to keep her from losing her mind, she had taken to staying with the Autobots, including her mate.

Optimus was busy being baby-sitter as punishment for putting Ratchet in the position of being a sire in the first place.

Miko was watching June. She had given up trying to knit after she got her fingers tied up in her work.

The momentary (as always) peace in the base was broken by a round of hysterical sobbing and Optimus' franting hushing and the sound of his pedes hitting the ground as he paced with the infant.

Ratchet swatted Optimus before he snatched the little hybrid back. "Optimus, what is the matter with you?"

Optimus laughed softly as he watched. "I have no experience with children."

"That's your excuse?"

June made a soft sound as she watched her mate. "I'll take her," she said and she stood up. Ratchet laid the little infant in her arms and he watched as he let his cheek rest on the catwalk rails.

The hybrid was unusual. It had human skin, a nose unlike the Cybertronians, and black hair like June, but that is were all similarities seemed to end. It had optics, little digit-like fingers, and little pede-like feet. It even had teeny toes. The skin, however, seemed paper-thin, but under it appeared to be armor. When Ratchet drew its blood, it was purple, a perfect mix of blood and Energon. It was as big as a female human toddler, though it was a few days old.

June sat down with her daughter in her lap and she looked over at Optimus who had joined them. "How long will she live?"

"Well, humans live around eighty to ninety years old, and Cybertronians live for millions and millions of years, possibly even more. I would say that she would live about half of our expectancy."

June nodded and she looked back down at her baby. "And she won't be little long."

"No. She will be fully grown by the end of this month."

Ratchet reached over and he touched his daughter's head. "She will be a lovely hybrid," he whispered.

June found herself agreeing, smiling down at the little Cybertronian-human as she paddled her ped-feet and sucked on her thumb. "And you will always be there for her," she hissed.

Ratchet looked at her. "Of course." It still made him sad that he would outlive his mate, and he would miss June, but he thought he was lucky that he would have part of her for as long as he possibly could. He lookd at his daughter again.

Miko peeked over June's shoulder at the little one. "What did you decide to call her?"

June looked at her. "Jade."

Ratchet took his daughter from June and he let Miko interrogate his mate while he walked back to the computers. He had been taking CNA samples from her, and he had successfully made a sort of model of what she would like like at the end of the month. "This is you," he whispered, and the baby squealed in delight at the image.

He laid his daughter in the little crib on the catwalk so she oculd get some sleep, then he turned around to see the other Autobots purring at him. "What?" he demanded. "Just because I have a family now doesn't mean I can't still throw some wrenches around at some helms."

They fled the room and Ratchet grinned. Jade squealed and laughed at the sight of the Autobots running away and that encouraged Ratchet into a laugh.

"Don't teach our child to be violent," June scolded.

"She's growing up in an Autobot base. She'll be violent if I wrap her in bubblewrap!"