Hi everyone! Hope you like the newest chapter! Sorry for the short delay but the next is on its merry way! Please review and tell me what you think! As a reminder, Alise and Ratchet's artwork that they are based off of are still on my profile if anyone would like to take a look! Thanks again for all the support everyone! I love you all!
As always, I own nothing!
~Mel
One month had passed since Alise was told she couldn't return home.
For three days after her conversation with Sal, she spent her time as an introvert, only staying in the garage with Bee. During that time, she was in a very depressed state in which she ate very little and talked even less. Her new friends had become worried about her, but she assured them that she would be okay and that all she needed was a little time to think. When she said this, they had reluctantly complied, and let her in the garage with the only person who she seemed to take any comfort in.
Bee couldn't stand to see her this way, so sad and broken, the light drained from her eyes. He did anything he could think of to try and make her smile, but when nothing worked, she told him that him just being there was enough. He didn't want to accept this as an answer, but he didn't have many other opinions. So he simply let her lay on him as she cried or slept, and he tried to be comforting by playing with her hair or tracing her back when she was feeling sad. She'd be lying if she said it didn't help.
After those three days of mourning, Alise knew it was time for her to stop. If she wasn't allowed to go back, then she'd have to start anew. And the more she thought about it, the idea wasn't entirely unappealing. Her new life included Bee, Sam, Mikaela, the Autobots, Epps, and Lennox, people who she had all grown to love and care for and who she knew would support her with anything she decided to do. So the morning of the fourth day after the call, she woke up and vowed that if she was to start again, she was going to do it right.
In the month she stayed at the Witwicky's house, she had grown exceptionally close with all of them, Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky feeling as if they had gained a daughter and Sam a sister. Mrs. Witwicky and Alise had already become as close as a real mother and daughter, multiple shopping trips and lunch dates following the first week she had been there. Mrs. Witwicky instantly fell in love with the girl's bright attitude and intelligence, and Alise loved the older woman's quirky yet endearing personality.
Mr. Witwicky had also started to see the girl as his own. When he learned of the reason for the girl's depressive state, he had all but blown a gasket, cursing the boy who had forbid her from going home and made her so upset. He also, in an attempt to make her feel more at home in his house, redecorated the guest room to make it her permanent living space. Alise was enormously touched by the gesture, moving what little belongs she had into it and thanking him profusely and teary eyed. She would have been fine with just staying outside with Bee, but he and Sam insisted that she should sleep inside the main house, both not wanting her to get sick from the cold or the fumes.
Along the lines of the new resident of their garage, you could tell the older Witwickys were becoming used to, even comfortable with their new living arrangements. The two had started to warm up to Bee after his being there for a week. They had even started asking for rides from Sam and Bee, and Alise was glad that they weren't so jittery around him anymore.
Sam and Alise had grown close also. The two had become like real siblings, talking, laughing, and even occasionally bickering like them. When Sam tried to return to having a normal life by going to school, Alise and Bee picked him up everyday.
"You know," he told them one day as he entered the Camaro, "people have been asking me who the hot girl in the car who picks me up everyday is." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of tiny crumbled up pieces of paper, placing them in Alise's hand with a smirk on his face. "I've been getting these ever since I told them you were a friend of the family."
Alise opened one of them up and started to laugh. It was a phone number. They all were.
When Bee saw what the little pieces of paper were, he revved his engine loudly and a growl came through the speakers. A rough voice entered filled the car.
"'You can tell them all to go-'"
"Tell them I'm taken," she said, cutting off Bee's quote, trying to contain her amusement. Sam, however, not having any problems with Bee knowing what he thought of the situation, started to laugh wildly.
Bee gave a rough sound, confirming Alise's statement, but they could tell he was still annoyed. Alise ran her fingers along the dashboard to try and calm him down. Even though he did, he was grumbling the whole way home about human pigheadedness and that if anyone would come near them even thinking about her, he'd hit them with the car, much to the amusement of both of the humans in the car. After that day, Bee would always lock the doors whenever they would pull up in front of the school.
Outside of the Witwickys, there was Mikaela, Lennox, Epps, and the rest of the Autobots.
Mikaela and she had become close friends and they had quickly become comfortable in each other's presence. After just two weeks of hanging out with each other, the two felt as though they had known each other for years. Their personalities contrasted heavily, Mikaela being determined and tough and Alise being benign and (for the most part) soft spoken, but nevertheless, they fit. Some days when Bee and Sam would go out for a drive somewhere, they would find the two either in the garage laughing together about some private joke they had shared moments before or watching movies in the Witwicky living room, sometimes even with Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky sitting on the couch next to them. The two enjoyed each other's presence and they knew they would remain friends for a very long time.
Alise had also grown close to the Lennox and Epps and the Autobots. The two soldiers had visited the house a few times to see how Alise and Bee were recovering and more often than not, there would Bee an Autobot accompanying them. Most of the time it was Ratchet, who Alise had learned had a fiery temper and a habit of throwing metal objects at those who would get on his nerves, both machine and human. He didn't care about the species of his assailant and sometimes he wouldn't even take into account the size of the object he was throwing.
One time in the Witwicky garage, Epps, who had grown close to all of the Autobots, jokingly commented about how Ratchet couldn't fit his "oversized backseat" in the garage with Bee, and the bot growled and threw a shovel in the direction of the soldier. Epps was two feet away from being hit in the head, and had to quickly duck to get out of the way.
Alise, who was sitting in her normal spot on Bee's shoulder, let out a horrified gasp. However, to her surprise, Epps started laughing.
"Is that all you got, Ratch?" he mocked at the bot, who now just turned to glare at him and then went back to his work. It was then explained to Alise that Ratchet had a habit of doing this when he was angry and that a shovel was one of the smaller things that the soldiers had had thrown at them.
Alise also liked when Ironhide came to visit. Whenever he came, he always told them it was because Optimus had wanted him to go and see how Bumblebee was adjusting, but in truth, it was because he just wanted to make sure the young bot was doing alright. He missed having the bot's happy personality around and when he could, he visited. He also wanted to get to know Alise better, being the object of Bee's affection and all. Of course, he would never admit any of this.
Whenever he came with Lennox and Epps, Alise was never unentertained. In the few weeks that the three had spent together, a sort of brothership had formed between them and they were already joking, laughing, cursing, and fighting side-by-side with each other as if they always had been. Watching the interactions between the three was quite amusing. They were like teenagers in their playful antics sometimes, and Alise always got a good laugh watching them joke and talk with each other.
With the help of the soldiers and Mr. Witwicky, Alise had been able to take care of some of her problems concerning Arizona. The military was able to call the company she had been working for to tell them that she would not be returning under their employment, saving her both time and having to explain why she hadn't shown up to work for a week. Things sound more authoritative and acceptable when you're getting a call from a high ranking military officer than a young college graduate. They were also able to transfer all her account savings from her town's bank into an account in a bank near the Witwicky's house. She was especially glad for this considering she was already staying in their home and didn't want to be mooching off of them with nothing to give back in return. So in return for their kindness, she bought most of the groceries and all her own supplies, and also paid for the some of the lunches she spent with Mrs. Witwicky.
Alise and Bee were also as close as ever. When Sam was at school during the week, the two often took rides around South Gate, sometimes talking, sometimes just listening to the radio as they drove. A lot of times they drove to Hollywood sit where they had watched the lights their first night in the city. They couldn't sit up on the billboard like they did that night in the dark, but the location under it was deserted most of the time, so they were still able to look down on the city and get a spectacular view. It didn't really matter where they were, anyway. As long as they were together, they were perfectly content with themselves.
The two weren't seen apart very often. Even though the two had kept their independence, they just preferred to be with each other more than not. There was a sense of comfort when the two were together and some nervousness when they weren't. Even though both of them knew the immediate danger was over for the time being, Mission City had imbedded it into their minds that when they were separated, anything could happen. They didn't exactly mind thinking this way, though. It just meant more time together.
That month was filled with formed bonds, allies, and friendships. Things were finally starting to come into place for the Autobots and their human comrades. They were here to stay, and so were the ones who fought with them.
The mouth had passed quickly for Alise. Too quickly.
In that one mouth, those simple fours weeks, she had met people who had become her greatest friends and closest family. She had been welcomed with open arms into this odd and exciting new world, and she fit perfectly into it. She loved feeling like she belonged there and was there to serve a purpose. And with Sam, Mikaela, her soldiers, the Autobots, and Bee, especially Bee, at her side, she knew nothing could get in the way of that purpose.
She was currently in the main Witwicky house grabbing something to eat for Sam, Mikaela, and herself to take out to the garage. Because they spent so much time out there these days, Mr. Witwicky had fished out an old TV set that was in some old boxes in the attic. The picture quality wasn't the best, but next to nothing, it would due. Bee had gotten into human football from watching it with Sam on the small screen and it was entertaining to the two female humans to watch the teenager and the large bot cheer on their favorite sports team. It was Sunday, which meant that they would be glued to the screen.
After retrieving some small sandwiches that Mrs. Witwicky had now always kept on hand (you never knew who was going to show up that day) and putting them on a plate, she walked back to the garage. Opening the door, she saw Bee and Sam sitting on the floor, staring intensely at the TV while Mikaela did her nails on a blanket. No one acknowledged her return. As she made a mental note to find some sort of seats to put in the garage, she walked over to Mikaela and held the plate in front of her. She looked up and saw the plate, smiling as she took one. She thanked Alise after taking her first bite.
Alise heard the rambling of the anchormen of the football game from the TV, but didn't pay much attention as to what they were saying because she couldn't even try and follow. Watching football wasn't exactly on her list of things she wanted to do. She did catch, however, that there was about one minute left in the game. She knew Sam and Bee always bet on different teams, so she wondered who was winning. By the jittery look on Sam's face, she assumed it was Bee.
She walked behind the TV screen and even though she was right in front of them, she appeared to be unseen. She chuckled at their hypnotized states, and it wasn't until she stood next to Sam and waved the plate of sandwiches in his face that they realized she was standing there. Sam quickly looked at the plate and took a sandwich, muttering an occupied 'thanks' and he took a nervous bite. She then looked over at Bee, who gave her a smile. She did the same and then walked over to sit next to Mikaela. When she did, Mikaela held out two bottles of nail polish in front of her.
"Both of these would go with your outfit," she told her. "Which do you like more?"
Alise looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a loose, white shirt with a red, flowing skirt. She was able to buy more clothes now that she had access to her bank account, but she missed some of her old clothes that were still at her home in Arizona. Or at least she thought they were. She didn't know what had become of her beloved childhood home or any of the stuff inside. She wouldn't be surprised if Sal had had it gutted or burned to the ground.
Alise picked the one that was almost the identical shade of red as her skirt. She pointed to the one in Mikaela hand and Mikaela shook the bottle and started to paint Alise's nails. Mikaela just starting to paint her second nail when there was shouting from behind them
"No!" Sam cried out jumping up in the air and running his hands through his hair. He stomped his foot like a little kid. "How do you always win? You always pick the right team!"
Aside of him, Bee was laughing hysterically. Obviously, he was the winner. When he was able to recover from his laughter, a scratchy woman's voice came from him. For a moment, he looked serious.
"'Give up gambling. It's wrong...'" He paused. Then an evil smile crossed his face. "'Especially if you lose!'" He started to laugh again, and another voice came from him. "'Pay up.'"
Alise and Mikaela joined in Bee's laughter as Sam reached into his pocket and pulled a twenty out of his pocket, grumbling under his breath. Then he spoke aloud.
"You're a freaking alien robot!" Sam yelled at him, handing the money over to him. The twenty disappeared into a vent in Bee's hand. "What do you need money for anyway?"
Bee smiled and then shrugged at him. He then turned his head towards Alise and smirked. "'I could (static) take my lady out to dinner.'"
Alise laughed. "Be warned," she told him fondly. "I'm not a cheap date, Bee."
He laughed. "'No problem, (static) bell. Only the best for you.'"
Laughing once more, she smiled up at him and he back at her.
Suddenly, his expression changed. A look of confusion took the place of the smile. He seemed to daze out for a moment and Alise quickly grew concerned.
"Bee?" she asked him. "Bee, what's wrong?"
Hearing her voice, he snapped out of his trance and look down at her. The confusion was still present on his face.
"Opt-timus want-ts to t-talk t-to us," he told her.
Alise realized he had gotten a message through his comm-link, which was how the Autobots could communicate with each other without speaking. It could also be used over long distances. She had only seen him use it a few times, and she was told earlier that it was how that the Autobots knew about her before they had landed on earth.
"All of us?" she questioned. Bee shook his head.
"No. Just-t us." As he said this, gestured between the two of them. Sam stood up.
"Why?" he asked. "What does he want?"
"I-I don't-t know," Bee responded. Alise saw that his expression wasn't changing and this worried her. What did they want to tell them? It couldn't be bad could it? Apparently Bee thought so. For both their sakes, she put on a smile.
"While then we better get going," she told him brightly. "They tell you where to meet?" Bee nodded. "Then let's get to it!"
Bee didn't move. Now Alise was really nervous. What was Bee expecting them to say? That he couldn't be Sam's guardian anymore? No. Sam would most likely be present then. That they needed to leave? Probably not. Lennox and Epps probably would have told them their selves in person. That they wouldn't be able to be together anymore?
This question made Alise freeze.
No.
She felt her blood run cold. They wouldn't do that to them, would they? They were so happy with each other! And why would they? They had done nothing wrong and nothing wrong was happening because of her and Bee. She decided that that wasn't the reason they were being summoned and that her mind was just running wild. However, the thought was still planted in her head, and it gave her a bit of a nervous feeling in her stomach.
Bee finally moved, reaching out and brushing a finger on her cheek, letting it rest there for a moment. So that is what he thinks, Alise realized. She grabbed the finger with her hand and gave him a reassuring smile. He gave her a small one back. Then he took back his hand and transformed into his Camaro form. As Alise walked over and stepped in, Bee spoke through the speakers, addressing the two other humans in the garage.
"The loc-cation isn-n't far away," he told them. "We sho-ould be bac-ck soon."
The two nodded and Alise gave them a wave as she sat down. The door closed behind her and the seat belt tightly wound across her. Sam opened the garage door for them and they drove off.
The drive took only about 15 minutes, but there was an uncomfortable silence the whole way there. Bee didn't speak up once and he didn't play any music either, something that was highly unusual, especially if Alise was in the car with him. She knew he must have really been worried.
The location they ended up at was a deserted highway about three miles away from any civilization. They had to pass a 'DO NOT CROSS' sign to get to this part of the road, so they knew that no one would be following them. They were also surrounded by barren brush. Optimus was already there in his Peterbilt form and Bee sped up to park in from of him. As he drove, however, the doors of the semi opened and out stepped Lennox and Epps. They both walked to stand in front of Optimus as he transformed behind them.
Bee stopped a few feet in front of them and let Alise out of his form. When she stepped out, she immediately walked over to the two soldiers, who were both smiling at her. This calmed some of her worries.
"Hey!" she said, and she embraced them as Bee transformed into his bipedal mode like Optimus behind her.
"Hey, long time no see," Lennox said with a smile.
"Yeah, we missed you girl!" Epps laughed. He then picked her up and spun her around once, as she gave a little squeal.
It was easy to say that Epps and Will had become like older brothers to her. She became the little sister to the two, and they had taken on a playful, yet protective edge with her. They joked and teased each other as normal siblings did, but they also stood between her and anything that had any chance of hurting her in any way, shape, or form. Not that anything would really stand a chance against with Bee guarding her or Ironhide for that matter. To the surprise of everyone who knew him, the rough and tough weapons specialist, who pretended, but was perfectly capable of being a big old killing machine, had also looked at the girl as something to be watched over, just as the soldiers did. Alise would have counted him among one of her protective big brothers, too.
One of the most humorous experiences she had with the sibling-like soldiers was when the two had found out that Alise and Bee were 'together.' When they realized this, they immediately went up to him and told him that if he ever broke her heart, the two would gut him for scrape metal. Bee was a little taken back at the two's guarding of Alise in such a way, but he assured them that if he ever did, he would hand them the tools.
When Epps put her down, she looked up at Optimus, who was now kneeling next to them.
"Hello, Optimus!" she greeted him brightly. He chuckled and nodded at her.
"Hello, Alise," he turned his head. "Bumblebee." Bee chirped at him in response.
"So what's going on guys?" Alise asked them curiously. At this point, all the thoughts of them asking Bee and her to stop seeing each other were out of her head. Now she just wanted to hear what they had to say.
Lennox was the first to speak, and he did so with a smile.
"You know that we've been trying to set up a branch of the military with the Autobots for a few weeks now. And well, we have good news. We've been approved. The Autobots and US soldiers will be working side by side officially from here on out."
A large smile made its way onto Alise's face.
"Wow! That's fantastic!" Alise said. "Are you still going to Diego Garcia?"
Epps nodded. "Yep! Middle of the ocean, here we come!" he said humorously, and Lennox laughed beside him. "We're shipping out next week. The division is called Networked Elements: Supporters and Transformers, but we mostly call it NEST. Basically our job is going to be tracking down and destroying remaining Decepticons that have made their way to earth around the world. We'll be getting to work the second we land on base on the island."
Alise gathered in everything he was saying and her smile stayed present on her face. It was people like them who made her feel safer at night, those who bravely risked their lives like her friends did. And they weren't just going to be fighting humans, but the Decepticons, life forms that would have no problem or trouble with simply stepping on them to end them. She had so much respect for her friends. Yet as they spoke to her, something confused her.
"So what do I have to do with this?" she asked them. The two smiled simultaneously.
"Being that this is an international affair," Lennox started, "we're going to need someone on base with us who can speak the languages of the places we'll be going. And guess who came to our minds when we realized we would need an interpreter."
Alise had frozen in her place. Were they really staying what she thought they were?
"Are you offering me a job?" she asked the three disbelievingly. She looked back at Bee who wasn't looking down at her like she expected. He was looking up at Optimus, wide eyed. They seemed to be communicating via comm-link. Before she could comment, however, Lennox spoke again.
"That we are."
Her head was spinning. Working with Lennox and Epps and the Autobots? That was a dream come true!
"But I only know four languages," she protested.
Epps and Lennox started to laugh at her.
"Wow, Lise, only four?" Epps said to her. "You're slacking. Shame on you!"
"You know what I mean," she responded through a laugh herself. "My skills would only take you so far. Some of Europe, Russia, maybe some places in South America..."
"So you don't want the job?" Lennox asked, confused.
"Of course not! I mean, I do, I do! It's just... do you guys really want me?"
Epps laughed. "Of course we do, Lise. You'd make a great addition to NEST. Without you, we wouldn't get very far. I mean, Lennox knows Spanish, but that's it. And I have the German skills of a five-year-old from an eighth grade class I never paid attention in." Alise laughed at his comment. "You wouldn't be the only interpreter on site, though. One of our soldiers Nathan Wash will be coming to the island with us. He'll be using his Arabic skills and he also knows Portuguese. Spanish, too. We also have some soldiers lined up for positions for some more Asian and African languages. Basically we're covering the world. You'd most likely handle most of our European operations. Of course, that's if you still want the position..."
"I'd love to work with you all," Alise said earnestly. She turned around towards Bee. "Bee? What do you think?"
Him and Optimus were still looking at each other when she said this. She wondered for a moment why Optimus had even come at all, not speaking more than two words to her. But as she watched Bee's facial expressions change through their conversation, she realized why he was there. They knew that she would be easy enough to convince. But he was there to convince Bee.
After a moment, Bee took his gaze away from Optimus and looked down at her, his expression softening a little. Then he turned to Epps and Lennox.
"Where wou-uld s-she be?" he asked them tensely. "I don-n't want-t her ou-ut in the field at-t all, especial-ly if I'm no-ot there."
Lennox nodded at him.
"Don't worry, Bumblebee. For the time being, she won't be going out in the field. She won't even be in a location of immediate danger. She'd be staying at the base while we all go into the battlefield."
Bee's whole body visually relaxed and he let out a sigh of relief. He looked down at Alise and smiled tiredly at her.
"So what do you think?" she asked him again, giving him a little smile. He returned it, but Alise could see a little hesitation in his face. He didn't answer right away.
"Wha-atever you wan-nt t-to do," he told her lovingly. "I'l be here wait-ting when you ge-et bac-ck."
Alise felt touched that he would make her such a promise. She felt her heart sing for her Bee, but she also caught his underlying message. She would be leaving him. This made her pause for a moment. Could she leave him behind? Could she take it? Could he take it? He'd still have Sam and Mikaela, but she knew it wouldn't be the same.
"Bee, I-"
"Belle. You want-t to go. Why should I st-top you?" He then gave her a genuinely happy smile. Alise didn't believe it for one second. She would talk more with him about it later, but now, they needed an answer. Bee himself turned to the soldiers then.
"You will k-keep her safe?" Bee asked them, but it sounded more like an answer than a question. A command even.
"Of course, Bee," Epps responded and Lennox nodded aside of him in agreement. He then looked up at Optimus.
Optimus didn't know the girl exceedingly well, but he admired both her skill and her compassion and bravery that helped her save the humans in Mission City. He knew she was a good and honest human. That, and because of her relationship with Bee, he meant it with his entire Spark when he responded.
"We will protect her to the fullest extent, Bumblebee," he said. "She is one of us."
Bee took his honest answer and nodded at him. Then he turned to his Alise once more. He looked at her, waiting for her to continue. She gave him a smile before turning to the three NEST operatives.
"Consider me hired."