June Bug 5

Already well past her third month, and finding it difficult to hide this much longer, she knows she's going to have to spill the news to Jack sooner than she'd like. The Autobots she will face at another time, because they will care far less that a woman is pregnant. But Jack is going to want to know who she dated without his knowledge. Let a lone HIS Mother is pregnant after all those lectures she gave him about precautions…

An extra long shift at work certainly doesn't help her exhausted mood. She steps in the front door and drops to the couch, propping her feet up onto the coffee table. Jack comes in from the kitchen and hands her a glass of cold water. "Hey Mom, tough day?"

"Thank you, sweetie," she takes the glass with a large gulp. "You have no idea. How was yours?"

"Eh, same a usual. Chasing Cons, flipping burgers, doing homework. Oh! And a package arrived today, but I think there has been a mistake."

"Package?" That does cause her to sit up.
Jack drags the large box to where she doesn't have to get up to open it. The outside marks it as a child's car seat. Not just any one, though. This is the top of the line in safety ratings and holds an infant all the way up to youth. Whoever sent this did their research and has quite a bit of money. A child couldn't be any safer than in it's mother's own hands. This car seat is a long term investment in a child's safety and a parent's peace of mind.

June scoffs even though butterflies are fluttering. Well it could also be signs of the child's movements, too. "I seriously doubt this was sent to us on purpose."

Jack taps the label and shows it's addressed to her. That makes her heart skip a beat. Who knows about her secret because she has said nothing and seen the OB very, very secretly. So she looks up to Jack and gives him a shaky laugh, "Ha, well I seriously doubt there is really a car seat inside."

With Jack's help, they get the box opened and pull out a car seat. The fabric is purple with little silver stars all over it. Nestled in the seat is a soft grey plush bunny with ruby glass eyes. The inside of the ears, paw pads, and underside of the tail are violet purple. Around the neck is a black ribbon with a note attached to it.

'I will keep her safe,' it says in a typed script. But at the bottom is a little symbol. Like a glyph. It reminds her of some of the Cybertronian language she's seen before.
The message alone though lets her know who it came from. It does surprise her that he knows the baby's gender already. She just had the test done today and hasn't even gotten the results back!

Megatron has been keeping tabs on her and that makes her heart swoon. He still cares and apparently cares very much. Even more, he cares for his unborn child and won't abandon them like her ex-did even if he can't be here with them physically. Tears slip down her face and she has to choke back a sob.

"Mom, what's going on?" Jack kneels in front of her. "This isn't a mistake, is it?"

Clutching the bunny to her chest, she shakes her head lightly. "I was going to tell you this weekend, but I guess I need to tell you now. I'm …pregnant."

A flood of thoughts go through Jack as he slumps his butt to the floor beside the car seat. He's going to be a big brother? His mother found a lover?

"Who?"

Yeah that's the question she really didn't want to answer and has been racking her brain for months and months on how to answer. If Jack ever does find out the truth, she doesn't want it to look like she lied to him, just kept some of the facts to herself. "He's a soldier and back on deployment now."

"So I will never get to meet the man who knocked my mother up and abandoned her just like dad? Great."

June takes the card off the bunny's neck. "Jack, look at this."

Jack reads the card but shakes his head. "So he send you some little trinket to keep himself from looking like a total louse. Is he married or something?"

That is a hard one to answer. "To his troops and his Army, yes. I knew this when I first met him. But Jack, of all the trinkets he could have sent or even just a pile of money, what did he send?"

Jack shrugs, "Something every baby needs."

"Yes, but not a crib, not diapers, not a savings bond. Jack, he sent protection. He sent something that will cradle his baby as she moves through life." She points to the rating of the seat. "And not just as a baby, but far into her youth."

The young man who is old enough to father children himself ponders this over. It takes him a few minutes to finally answer let alone look at her. When he does, he first looks to where his mother is resting the bunny over her belly. He can see the bulge now. His little sister is in there, and probably never know her father, just like he never did. Then he looks up to the tears on her face. "He's a pretty deep guy?"

"Yeah, he is. Others may not see it. They just see a badass with a one track mind, but I could see more. He opened himself up to me and let me see why he's such a badass."

"Do you love him?" He reaches up to touch her hand over her belly.

"I didn't think it was possible, but yeah, I think I do. Unfortunately he had to go back to his people before I figured it out. I also didn't know I was pregnant until well after he was gone and I had no way to contact him."

"A one night stand, really Mom? This is real life not some chick flick. Guy what a hypocrite!"

That does hurt June, and for the first time in a long time she is angry with Jack. "Why do you think I haven't wanted to tell you for such a long time?!"

With that she storms to her feet and heads to her room. Maybe that wasn't fair to Jack, but right now she's just so tired and welled up with hormonal emotions that she just doesn't know what to say to her son. He's right. She had no business falling in love with Megatron.

After a hot shower, she slips into something comfortable and cuddles the little bunny as she falls asleep in the same bed she was cradled by Megatron and their daughter was conceived.

She awakens in the morning to find a note on her beside from her son. 'I'm sorry, Mom. I'll protect my sister, too. I hope to meet her father some day and see him the way you do.'

June sobs once again. "I love you too, Jack."

The months pass, but that glyph keeps driving June crazy. Finally she goes to Ratchet. Try as she might, she is more than irked with Optimus these days. Even with the change in his species, Megatron has provided for his child and the mother of his child where Optimus has not even MENTIONED he is mated! Has he abandoned Elita no better than Jack's father? Does he have children he abandoned in lieu of fighting his once best friend?

The rounding woman heads toward the medic. She has traced the glyph very carefully to another piece of paper because she doesn't want Ratchet to see the rest of the message, but she does want to know if what was sent came from Megatron or via messenger Soundwave.

"Hey Ratchet, I saw this and I thought it looked a bit Cybertronian. I wondered if you could tell me what it means."

Ratchet takes it and puts it on the overhead so it's blown up easier for him to see. "I haven't seen this in a very long time. The best way to explain it, is that it's a possessive. 'Mine'. But with this little mark here, it's like something that would be used between lovers or bondmates. Like 'my bondmate' or if it's a signed at the end of a note, 'your bondmate.' Where did you find this?"

The sound of Optimus entering the room has her snatching the paper which clears the screen before she can answer. "Oh look, gotta get to my shift. Catch you later, Doc-Bot."

Ratchet though is left scratching his chin as she jumps into her car and takes off. He knows something is up, just not sure what yet. He looks to Optimus who is watching her car leave.

What June doesn't know, is that Ratchet has saved a copy of the image and over the next few weeks very carefully examines it for signs of the handwriting. There's an extra piece to the glyph that he doesn't tell her though. She thought it was insignificant, but what it was is a mark for Megatron's name, and Ratchet knows it.

More months pass, and June delivers her daughter while Jack is away fighting digging for clues with Arcee. She's not upset too much, because she knows that nothing can be done. Life goes on.
Megatron finds out his daughter was born after a particularly vicious fight with Optimus. It pisses him off that he can't be there for the birth that everyone steers clear of the violent mech.

Jack does make it back to drive his mother and tiny little sister home. The poor teen is nerve wracked to all ends in fear of crashing, but his mother is all smiles reassuring him that she has complete confidence in him. That does help. He doesn't see the silver jet flying above with it's weapons constantly targeting any potential obstacles.

When June goes into her daughter's nursery later that night, she sees a new decoration in the room. Up in the corner, is a purple star giving a soft glow. The little glass black dot in the center lets her know that it's actually a camera. Being that color purple, it can only mean one thing: Megatron is keeping to his word in watching over them.

So she moves the rocking chair into a better position and begins nursing her hungry infant. "Um, you know, darling, you keep that up and you could be as big as some burly Decepticon some day."

Up in his private quarters, thanks to Soundwave, Megatron can see his daughter being fed by her mother. A nice warm rumble bubbles up from his chest as she teases about the little one's lineage.

He can't risk Optimus finding out about them, so he can't really use any Cybertronian tech, but Soundwave is good enough to hack into the human feed and to keep it shielded from anyone else from being able to hack in. Maybe it's only in this one room, but that is all he is really going to need right now. It kills him that he can't be there like a real parent should be, but it looks like June is not holding it against him, and what more can he ask for?

After the baby is done feeding, June lays her into her crib. "Sleep well, my little gift of love. Your daddy loves you and will keep watch through the night." And gives her a kiss to her forehead.

To the star, she blows another kiss, and then leaves the room.

Megatron kisses his claw tip, and presses it to the screen with a vow. "I will watch over you."

~o~

A few weeks after the delivery, June takes her daughter to the Autobot base. Ratchet is completely fascinated by the little darling. Bulkhead and Bee are also enamored that their friends were once so tiny. Arcee is ever the guardian and making sure no one trips and possibly land on them.

Optimus strides in softly with his big feet. Ratchet had shown him the glyph and so he had his suspicions as to Megatron sending some kind of a note to someone special that June just happened to run across.

"What did you decide to name her?" Optimus finally asks what everyone wants to know.

"I decided to name her after her father: Megan because he promised to never abandon us even if his duties took him far from us." Others might take that as a jab to Jack's father, but the way she looks directly into Optimus' blue optics, he knows it was directed at him. Just what the Pit did Megatron tell her?

Optimus' jaw clenches tight. Not only was that a jab, but an answer about the note. With the name, he knows exactly who Megan's father is, even if he has no idea HOW. What is more painful is the insinuation that he abandoned his own mate. Steam nearly comes out of his audios as he drops to his wheels and tears out of the base without another word.

Megatron has a child and someone he loves and will not abandon them. Unlike Optimus did to not just his friend, but his mate as well. So this is how Megatron sees him, and June supports that? It irks Optimus something fierce, but he will not argue with her, nor will he use June or her child as a pawn in this battle. Their battle is between them, no one else.

It's late by the time Optimus returns, but June, Jack and Megan have already returned home, and it's probably for the best.
The others have either gone to berth or out on night patrol, so Ratchet approaches his long time friend quietly. "Everything alright, Optimus? You took off out of here rather quickly. Thought you would have like to meet the infant Darby."
"I needed to clear my head."
"About?" Ratchet crosses his arms over his chest blocking his retreat to his own private quarters.

"Personal things, and leave it at that."

"No." Ratchet takes a step forward and right into Optimus' face. "Why don't you tell them about Elita? I know, Arcee knows, and of course Bumblebee. But why don't you let Smokescreen, Wheeljack or Bulkhead in?"

"Ratchet, you are my oldest friend, but leave it be." He steps around Ratchet and heads down the hall.
"It smarts, doesn't it that Megatron looks more loyal to one he loves than you?"

Optimus takes a deep sigh and then glares at the old mech. "Its one thing when my enemy shoves my personal failures in my face, it's another when my confidential friends do it, too."

Ratchet gulps hard. The last thing he meant to do was twist the knife of guilt. "No one's perfect, Optimus."

"But some people sure as Pit believe a Prime is. Even I did." He turns away and goes to his quarters.

~~00~~

More time passes. Unicron takes over Megatron's body, breaking June's heart and clutching Megan to her even tighter. If anything, she will tell her daughter more and more how he fought to the end the war for his people to set them free from confined roles.

Then comes the death of Optimus by capturing Unicron, and releasing his friend of long ago from a curse. In giving of his own life, Optimus has given Megatron the dearest gift of all: a fresh chance. Not only has Cybertron been revitalized and given a new hope, but so has Megatron.
Standing at the edge of the Well of All Sparks, Megatron sees a fireworks of something completely different. His reawakened spark is crushed. Starscream 's words pass right by him.

For a few days he is left stumbling as to where to go now with his life. A deposed Warlord. If he stays on Cybertron one of two things will happen: One, others will be waiting at his feet to rise up and try to take Her again. Or two, others will hunt him down until dead so he can't ever rise again or pay the price for all the loved ones they lost. Either way, it's not much of a life for him. If anyone, he should have been the one to give his life for Cybertron, not Optimus.

There is one life he wants. It's going to take a lot for him to ask for it, and it may not work, but it's his only chance.

He makes his way to Shockwave's lab after he knows Starscream has left. "Hello, Shockwave."

"My Liege," Shockwave gives a bow, but Megatron gives him a soft smile and waves his hand to shove that title aside. So Shockwave cocks his head, "What shall I call you then?"

Megatron is now at his side and lays a hand to his shoulder, "Friend?"

"Always," Shockwave's antenna lower. "How are you, Friend?"

Megatron lowers himself to a stool beside the scientist. "Contemplating. Did you ever find out how exactly I got turned into a human last time? I know you got me back, but did you figure out how the accident happened in the first place?"

Shockwave nods, "Yes, that is how I was able to reverse it. Why do you ask?"

Megatron traces a scar in the lab top table. "Can you do it again?"

Now it's Shockwave to lower his normally poised body into a relaxed sitting position. "June?"

Megatron nods lightly. "But more importantly, Megan. I made them a promise, Shockwave, how can I do that now? Couldn't I do it better there?"

Shockwave lays a hand over his friend's. "I have no guarantees it will work or how long you will live. It could be a matter of days, or a matter of years. Certainly not vorns."

Megatron nods and pats his friend's hand over his, "I know, friend, I know. I don't want vorns, I want a chance. Isn't that what Optimus did? Gave his life to give us all a second chance? Look he even saved mine and he easily could have just let me die. I guess part of Orion was always in that Prime."

Shockwave gives a smile with his antenna, "Yes, I guess he has."

"Do you want any help in preparing for this transformation?" He lifts his hand to wave it around the lab.

"I could always use a set of focused and determined hands." With a graceful tip of his helm. "It would be my pleasure to give you peace and happiness, Megatron."

Megatron swallows down a lump of emotions. "Thank you, Shockwave."

~~00~~
Nearly two years old now, Megan is in her front yard swing being pushed by her brother who has come home from college to get laundry done and check in with his family. Megan's squeals and pointing has Jack looking up to the man walking up the driveway.

Jack blinks hard. The man is in his late forties, probably almost fifty with silver grey hair in a military cut. What is really striking is his nearly six foot-four height and corded arms like Sylvester Stallone carrying a military duffle bag on a broad shoulder. His dark eyes are focused completely on Megan with a wide grin of delight. He looks like a man who is a little hesitant to come home after being on a very, very long military tour.

The man is almost within greeting range when June steps out the front door with a t-shirt in her hands. "Jack, I have no idea what this stain is, but I doubt I can- oh GOD!"

She runs right for the older man. He turns and still holding the duffle bag, clutches her to his chest in her leap. Her feet are well off the ground and they bury their faces into each other's necks. June is still holding the shirt and hic-up sobs into him, "You came back!"

"I'm home for good if you will have me?" He too chokes.

With a bit of adjustment, her legs are now wrapped around his waist, and he is chuckling. "Don't you dare ever scare me like that again!"

"Okay, shh, okay, I will do my best." He laughs but tears are coming down his face.

"Uh, Mom?" Jack sputters, "Um…"

Megan is already trying to get out of the swing and so Jack has to help her before she gets hurt. "Hugs, hugs! I want hugs too!"

Megatron sinks to his knees still holding June with one arm as Megan runs over to them. He scoops her up tight but in a distance enough that he can look into her beaming face. The little girl pats the older man's cheeks with both hands. "Hi!"

He kisses her forehead and smiles, "Hi there, Sparkling."

Now it's Jack that sinks down as the world sways. "Oh Mom… don't tell me… Megan,… sparkling… no.. say it isn't true?"

Megatron raises his head so he can look over his daughter's dark hair and face her brother. "Hello Jackson. I hope you don't mind a deposed Warlord is in love with your mother and is your sister's father."

"Oh…." Jack passes out.

June lets go of Megatron knowing that Megan is safe in his hands, as she sees to her first born. Thankfully he has landed on the grass and not on concrete path. She looks over to Megatron who is giving her that one eyebrow cock of his with an arrogant shrug of a single shoulder.

She shakes her head laughing at him. "Oh shut up and help me get him into the house."

Megan looks to her brother. "Ut-oh. Jack go wee-bonk?"

"Yes, Jack went bonk. Should we take him inside and make him feel better?" Megatron carries Megan over to her mother and brother.

"You going to kiss him and make him all better?"

"Well, it may take more than just me. I think he may need his sister's kisses, too."

"And Petro too?"

Megatron looks to June for understanding. "It's her bunny. Petro-bunny. She won't go to sleep without him."

That does make his cheeks turn a little pink. A tiny gift he gave his daughter before she was even born has become her security toy. "Yes, Petro, too," his throat is a little constricted at the love.

Megatron scoops up Jack, while June takes his duffle bag and they all go inside. "Why did you send a rabbit of all things?"

Megatron lays Jack down on the couch and soothes this brow with a large hand. He comes around to hear the answer which lets Jack know exactly how much the Decepticon fell for his mom.

"Because, June, although you were the carrot in the trap, Optimus was not the Petro-rabbit that got caught in that trap. I was the rabbit who got caught."
Jack is a bit woozy but he hears enough. "Mom, Megatron stays. He's not like Dad."

June's heart melts. Megatron strokes the man's brow again. "Are you alright?"

Jack nods softly, "I am now that I know my mom and sister will be safe when I'm not here."

"I tried to keep you as safe as I could… for your mother's sake. But now I will for your sake as well. Thank you, Jackson."
Jack nods, "Thank you, Megatron." Then he oofs as his sister pounces on him and plasters bunny kisses on his face. "Kiss her already, will you?"

Megatron cups June's cheek and gives her a warm but respectable kiss in front of their children that leaves no doubt they are in love.