Hey all. I was gone for a while, at a wedding, visiting a friend, doing other stuff, and had like, no time to write. Or I was in writer's block mode. I've been tired a lot too. Ugh. Anyway, I'm here, I'm queer, get used to it! I mean…here's the new chapter. Prowl is doomed.

-Juana

Chapter Seven: The Crush, Part One

We've all noticed it. Sari's behavior has suddenly changed for the better, and we all couldn't be happier. She doesn't argue with me over her homework, she doesn't defy bedtime, or beg for candy. She eats her dinner, she watches the television she's allowed to watch without putting up a fight for ten extra minutes, and she even gets ready for school on her own.

Needless to say, of course I am shocked. I always knew Sari was an independent, intelligent organic, but her new attitude is too much at once, and I decided one night I would ask her about it. Not that it's a negative change—far from it—but I want to know what brought this on.

Sari and I make her dinner and clean up afterwards. She asks me if I'll read a chapter of her school book to her, and I agree. She hugs my leg and runs off to perform her nightly bedtime ritual of brushing and flossing her teeth, washing her face, undressing and redressing in clothing meant solely for sleeping, and other little things I am not allowed to know about because I am a 'boy'. Whatever that is supposed to mean, but I respect Sari and her wishes.

I wait for her outside her room, like I have done every night since our last argument over her use of a swear word. I like to be there now out of paranoia and my protective nature. Sari likes that I wait because apparently my presence wards off 'boogie monsters'. I really must learn these things and their meanings. Humans have so many fears, and yet I have never seen proof of these so-called monsters.

"Prowl?" she calls, "You can come in now!" I open the door, enter, and close the door quietly behind me. Sari giggles and hugs her stuffed rabbit as I sit down, then hands me her teacher's latest assignment, a book of poems about nature. No wonder she wanted me to read it to her. I take the book carefully, seeing as I could very easily shred it if I wanted to (I have very sharp fingers). Sari gets comfortable before giving me her 'you can start' look.

I begin with a poem about dragonflies, then go on to one about marching ants. I look down at Sari to make sure she's paying attention, and find that she is—she's staring at me and hiding half her face behind her rabbit.

"Sari? Are you all right?" She nods and says,

"Keep reading!" I smile and nod, then continue to read, going though three more poems before I notice that's she's doing it again. I close the book, place it beside my foot and look at Sari.

"Why do you keep staring at me like that, Sari? Is something wrong? Do you need to talk?" Sari shakes her head and answers,

"No. I just like it when you read to me. Ten more poems, okay?" I answer,

"Sari, I'm thrilled you want me to read to you, but it's time for you to go to bed. Come on, under your blanket." Sari groans and tries to convince me to read more; she starts to beg as though I'm telling her to get away from the television. It's…odd.

Ten minutes later, though, I succeed in getting her under her blanket. I had to lift her up and place her there myself, but that is beside the point. Sari doesn't shoot me an angry glare, but instead looks up at me with big eyes. I look back, open my mouth to ask her what she's staring at, but she beats me:

"Prowl, can I have a kiss goodnight?" I swear, one day I'm going to have a spark-attack with all these shocks she keeps giving me.

"A what? For what reason?" Sari answers with a huge grin,

"It'll help me sleep."

Oh. Well, if it's to get her to sleep, very well. I stare stupidly at her for a moment, then ask,

"…How do I do this?" Instantly, Sari jumps up from her place in her bed (much to my dismay and frustration) and exclaims,

"Like this! Come down here so I can show you!" I obey her command, lean my face down towards her, and flinch as her little hands grab my face. She presses her lips to my cheek and then giggles.

"That's how! Now you try." I shake my head and think, 'this is a very odd custom', then pick her up in my hand, where I lift her up to my face and repeat the action, except I kiss her forehead. Sari giggles again and kisses my cheek again, and because I don't know anything about it, I kiss her forehead again. After the third time, however, I place her back down and say,

"Good night, Sari. Hopefully that will help you sleep. Remember, you have school in the morning."

"Okay! 'Night, Prowl. I love you."

"Good night, Sari."

"G'night!"

"Good night."

Silence. I barely pass through the door when Sari calls again,

"Good night!" I turn around to give her a look, then smile as she dives under her blanket to hide. I was barely able to hold in my chuckle as I turned the lights out, but as I left, I swear I heard Sari call out another 'I love you' before I closed her door.

The next morning was just as perfect as the past several mornings. I went in to wake Sari up, discovering earlier that poking her arm for a minute or two did the trick, cooked her breakfast for her while she was getting dressed, putting her backpack together, brushing her teeth and finally hitting the road for school. After I dropped her off, I decided to go see Captain Fanzone. Something was bothering me, and I needed answers as soon as possible. I decided to call him first.

"Y'ello?" He sounds a bit tired, considering it is quite early for me to be calling him. I decide not to ask to come over for a visit.

"Hello, Captain."

"Oh, fer crying—Prowl, do you know what time it is? Do you freakin' robots ever sleep or power-down or whatever it is you do?"

"Recharge? Yes, of course we do. Please, I know I'm calling at a most odd time, but I had a question. About Sari." I can hear him place something glass-like on his table, then the screech of a wooden chair upon tile. He grumbles something incoherent. Finally, he says,

"All right, Prowl, what's up?" I answer quickly,

"Sari has been acting odd lately. She no longer throws fits, nor does she put up a fight with me over bedtime or television like she used to."

"It means she's growin' up, Prowl."

"She asked me to kiss her last night."

"Oh really." It is not a question, and there is a hint of amusement in his tone, but I can't understand why.

"What does it mean, Captain? Why did she want me to do that?" Now I can hear Fanzone laiughing.

"I think Sari has a crush on you, Prowl. It means she likes you. A lot."

"Oh. Well, that's good. I like her too."

"No, I mean…uh, how should I explain this…HONEY!" He suddenly bellows for someone I don't know, and a few moments later I hear a female human's voice call back,

"YES?"

"HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE GIRL'S CRUSH TO A GIANT ROBOT?"

"WHY DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?"

"BECAUSE THAT'S HIS QUESTION." I hear the female ask for the phone, there are some fumbling sounds, and then,

"Hi, who is this?" I answer politely,

"This is Prowl. I'm one of the Autobots. I'm the…dark one." I recall having to describe myself this way for Avani's parents, so I figured it would work here too.

"Oh, yes, the motorcycle. Yes, well, what seems to be the problem?" The female sounds extremely helpful, and a quick search on 'two humans living together' tells me that this is Captain Fanzone's 'wife', or bondmate. I can trust her.

"Last night, Sari was acting odd. She was listening to me, doing as she was told, and even asked me to give her a kiss goodnight. I don't understand this sudden change in her behavior—a few days ago she hated me."

"Ah, yes. It IS a crush. How old is Sari, Prowl?"

"Uh…eight human years, six months, fourteen days and eleven minutes old."

Silence for a moment, then laughter. Why must the humans laugh every time we use our vocalizers?

"Very cute, Prowl. Can all the Autobots do calculations like that?"

"Well, yes. Can't humans? I know you haven't got computers in your CPUs.—I apologize, I mean brains , but can't you—"

"Only some people, not everyone. And even that was too advanced for us to figure out on our own. Back to Sari," her tone is dismissive, "Prowl, a crush is when a girl, or a boy, finds someone…not attractive in a sexual sense, but in a protective, loving, caring sense. If you've been taking good care of her, Sari probably sees you as someone she'll always have to protect her. As a result, you have become the most important person in her life, and she mistakes her feelings for you as love."

"So she isn't in love, but she is…?"

"Sari probably sees you as her hero; that's what it sounds like. Children do it often—crushes are just very strong feelings. They usually tend to lead to something more serious in the older children, like teenagers. I think right now she's just going through a phase. Continue to spend time with her, and continue to show her you're in charge. Don't let her crush on you make you feel like you have to be less strict—you'll lose her and she'll lose her respect for you."

I process the information and try to reach a final, logical answer from it. As Bulkhead would say, this Earth stuff is hard. So Sari is experiencing feelings of love, but it's not really love. I think I may just ask her myself. I voice this to Mrs. Captain Fanzone, and she answers,

"Not right away, Prowl. Give her some time. If you bring it up now, she'll just get angry and most likely be embarrassed. Give it a few days, maybe a week or two, and if she starts to get too clingy, bring up in calmly and away from anyone else. She's little, and little minds are fragile. Imagine handling this situation like carrying glass—one slip and it's destroyed."

"I think I understand," I state, still very unsure and worried and not at all prepared to terminate the connection, but I can tell from Mrs. Captain Fanzone's tone that the conversation is nearing its end.

"Did any of that help, Prowl?" The question is asked so sweetly, and her voice is so full of concern that I want her to think she helped me greatly, so I answer,

'Yes, thank you. I think I understand what's going on."

"Well, good. Please, call me if you need anymore help, all right? I'm a nurse at a pediatrician's office…that means I'm a nurse for children…and I'm willing to help with anything that may seem odd."

"Thank you, Mrs. Captain Fanzone. I—" I'm interrupted suddenly by the loudest laughter I have ever heard. It goes on for a quarter of a breem, but I can't see what she found that was so funny. I can hear Captain Fanzone in the background asking what had happened, his wife's muffled explanation, and then his laughter joins in with hers. It was all very confusing. Had I said something wrong or made an unintentional joke?

Once again there is some fumbling with the phone, and Captain Fanzone is back on the line with me. He is still laughing, and I have to wait another minute or two for him to cough away the last of it. Finally, as the last few laughs leave him, he gasps into the receiver.

"H-hey, Prowl. I—HAHAHA! Hehehe…hoooo boy…you're a riot, I'll give ya that."

"I'm sorry, Captain, but I'm afraid I don't understand what you and your wife find so funny."

"'Mrs. Captain Fanzone'—Prowl, all you have to say is Mrs. Fanzone. Or Ellen. That's her name. My first name is Bill. But Mrs. Captain Fanzone—I don't know if you understand why it's so funny, but it is. Anyway, listen, ya ever need help with the Sumdac kid, you just let us know. You've been takin' good care of her so far. I've seen you take her to school, pick her up, let her play on the playground, everything. You're doin' a good job. Everything me wife told you, listen to her. Ellen knows what she's talkin' about."

"Yes, Captain. I will. She seemed very knowledgeable." Fanzone chuckled again and answered,

"Oh yeah. She knows everything." Somewhere in the background I could hear Mrs. Cap—Mrs. Fanzone slapping his arm and laughing, "I do not!"

Fanzone laughed again, then said,

"Prowl, I have to get ready for the day. But I'm sure we'll run into each other at some point today or this week. Stay calm, and listen to my wife. Bye."

"Bye," I answer awkwardly, and the connection is terminated.

So now all I have to do is wait to pick up Sari. The day suddenly stretched before me like an ocean of anxiousness.

I can see Prowl calling Fanzone's wife Mrs. Captain Fanzone. I might write her in for another story, sicne she could made into a really awesome older woman character, full of knowledge and such. I like characters like that. Read and review please!