My Little Boy

Story Three

Red Optics

"How long… have you known?"

Cliffjumper closed his eyes and breathed. It wasn't that hard to piece together. His father was a Decepticon. The evidence was obvious. With wide optics, his mother seemed to still be trying to take in what Cliffjumper already knew.

"Well…" the young Cybertronian began. "I kind of found this Deception insignia somewhere in the attic, and I always wondered why there was a dent on Uncle Breakdown… and this fits it perfectly. From there, and further digging, and a holophoto… "

A stinging silence filled the room as Arcee was frozen in thought. Cliffjumper didn't mean to cause what his mother was feeling. He thought she wouldn't react the way she was right this moment, but it seemed that there was more of a story to tell by the look on her face. The young mech handed his mother an energon cube, and she began to slowly sip its contents.

For so long, Cliffjumper felt out of place. He was the only Cybertronian youngling born on Earth, and the only friends he knew where Grace and Zane Darby, the children of his mother's friend, Uncle Jack… Growing up, he was supported and loved by his uncles and mother during the interactions with humans, even though there were some complications. Yet, despite the positive feelings that were around, Cliffjumper still felt… different. Like something was hiding from him, haunting him every day… yet as he tried to get closer to it, finding the answer it would always slip away.

And today he had it in his grasp, the answer to all the questions that lingered in his mind.

His father was a Decepticon.

It all fits.

For so many years, his mother kept it a secret from him. It seemed a lot was on her mind as she continued to look on in a lost, but harden gaze. Already, so many questions were forming in Cliffjumper's mind. How could his father be a Decepticon? How did they get together? Was he a Decepticon himself?

"When you were a sparkling..." Arcee began, finally speaking. "You asked why you didn't have a father, and I tried to tell you, but... you were so young back then. I didn't want to make it complicated..."

"You told me that my father was a good mech," said Cliffjumper. "Was any of it true, what you said to me that day?"

As his mother turned to look at him, light tears began to form in her optics. She really must have loved his father if she was feeling all this.

"Yes... Yes, of course he was a good mech, everything I told you was true..." she began to choke through more tears following. "He was... the best there was. He was a Decepticon, but it didn't make me love him less, and it doesn't make me love you less either. I hope you don't hate me for this..."

Cliffjumper breathed.

She kept this from him for so many years... His father was a Decepticon, the tales of evil in his bedtime stories when he was a child. He wouldn't be the 'hero', he would be the monster. But that's what they were, child's tales. The war was long over. There was finally peace. There were no Autobots, or Decepticons. There were only Cybertronians. There was no sense into getting angry with his mother, the one who supported him when he first saw the anti-Cybertronian human rioters when he was little. She was the one who raised him up, been there at his side when he needed him. He couldn't take that all away just for a mere truth that was let out. Even though it told him of the truth of the identity of his father. Uncle Breakdown was no exception either.

"I still love you, mom. You'll be my mother for eons more, and nothing's going to change that. There are no sides anymore, you told me yourself. I believe when you said he is a good mech, even though he's a Decepticon. No matter what you are, I'll still love both of you."

More tears began to flow out of Arcee, but they seemed happier as a smile came across her face.

"Everyday, I wish he could come back. Everyday, I want him to come through the Ground Bridge, so I could see him... I wish he knew about you, so he could see you himself... He gave me so much, and he gave me you. You remind me so much of him..."

Cliffjumper felt an embrace was wrapping him in and he could hear his mother sniffling. Cliffjumper's weight off his consciences wasn't the only burden that was lifted. Perhaps he also lifted off his mother's as well.

As soon as the hug parted, Cliffjumper began to speak. "Aside from Uncle Breakdown's lack of organization and tidiness, one thing was obvious."

"What was it?"

A smile drew on the young mech. "Autobots have blue optics. Decepticons have red. I picked that up around a year or two ago."

A chuckle left Arcee and she placed a kiss on her son's forehead.

"I love you... so much."

Cliffjumper's comm link came on, and he immediately answered it.

"Hey, Zane. ... Yeah, I'm all set, anyone else going? ... Asuna and Thrash In, awesome. Other than that, awesome. I'll be right there. See ya."

He closed off the comm link signal and turned to face Arcee.

"I gotta head out, everyone else is already at the arena. They're probably bashing the place up without me."

"... Thrash In's there?"

"She's not that bad, mom… Sure, she can be blunt and intimidating, but we were friends for a long time, mom. She's the only Cybertronian friend who's my age, and I can connect with her. … even though she's Airachnid's daughter."

The warmness from the last conversation was gone as Arcee glanced to the ground and bit her lip.

She then began to speak. "What was between me and your father was faction… What's between me and Airachnid's personal."

"Hm, 'forbidden' love, wonder where I got that from..." little Cliffjumper muttered sarcastically. "Don't forget... her father's Uncle Breakdown."

"How can I forget..." he heard her utter.

Before he transformed out of the hanger, he placed a kiss on his mother's cheek and gave her a warm embrace.

"I love you, mom..."

Note*~

I'm probably going to make Asuna Miko's daughter. ^^ Hope you like the new appearance, Thrash In, Breakdown and Airachnid's possible daughter. :D I'm probably going to hook her up with Cliffjumper. XD tehehehe...

Hope you like!

XOXO