ATE: My fourth of July was awesome and I saw Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon last week on Wednesday! The movie itself was awesome and I'd highly recommend it. Again, it's taken me almost a month just to update. This chap, despite not having the events of an episode, took a long time to type out and just to get any work done on it. But I'm glad I finally managed to finishe it. I'd like to thank Diamond White for giving me the ideas that I used in this chap since she's been a great help. As for those who've reviewed the story so far, thanks go out to Diamond White, Mistress Megatron, Crystalmaiden62, Bumblebeecamaro38, the kid, and GoblinQueen18 for reviewing. Lucky for you guys, this chap was 20 microsoft word document pages long in 12 font, you you got yourselves a long chap to make up for the time I hadn't updated. I hope you all enjoy it!
Declaimer: I don't own Transformers, Transformers Armada, or the Madeline books. I only own my OC Valerie (AKA Skydancer) and a new OC that you'll all spot instantly (since I'm not going to give away the name of the new OC).
Chapter 8: Painful Past and Connection
I was excited when I woke up that morning knowing that I was no longer grounded (meaning I could go to the base). Even at school I constantly kept glancing at the clock any chance I got to see if it was any closer to school being over for the day.
'Please hurry up…' I thought after glancing at the clock for what seemed to be the hundredth time today. 'I want to see my friends. Jetfire…"
My face heated up when I suddenly thought of Jetfire. When he had been over yesterday I had started noticing a few things. He admitted that he worried about my wellbeing and that he actually cared about me. There were the few instances where he took the time to get to know me and I've even caught him staring at me a few times. He had been there when I've cried so far and even comforted me. He'd even brought me close to his spark whenever he held me. He even stuttered a few times. I…I was even comfortable being around him and I hadn't even known him that long! Was it possible that he felt something for me?
'Don't be ridiculous! He couldn't possibly like someone like me. Me! A klutz!'
But for some reason a part of me thought otherwise. Why have I been feeling like this recently? It was like that other part of me wanted to be with him. I was so confused!
My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the bell ringing. I never thought I could ever get out of my seat as fast as I did just now and gathered my things together before going out the door. I made my way to my locker to put everything away and to grab the bag I had my ballet stuff in. I was planning on seeing Red Alert once I got to the base so he could look at my arm and see if he'd allow me to practice my ballet a bit. Once I closed my locker I turned to find Alexis making her way to her locker and smiled.
"Hey, Alexis!" I called to her.
"Hey, Valerie!" She replied, coming over to where I was and opened her locker. "It's good to know that you're not grounded anymore."
"I know. I'm glad, too. I would've been miserable if it hadn't been for Jetfire coming over yesterday."
"Oh, so that's where he was yesterday! He wasn't around when Sideswipe arrived at the base."
"Sideswipe?" I asked.
"He's a new Autobot that just came here yesterday. You'll meet him when we get to the base." Alexis told me. She soon finished up with putting her stuff away before closing her locker and we made our way out of the school.
"That's good. I actually was starting to miss everyone." I turned to Alexis. "I haven't known them as long as you guys have, but is it strange that I got used to being around them so quickly?"
Alexis giggled.
"Not at all. Although it could be because we were around whenever you came with us."
"Maybe. I guess it's always been like that for me."
"So how are things with Jetfire?" Alexis suddenly asked.
"I-It's…it's not like that, Alexis." I felt my face heat up.
"You don't have to be afraid to tell me. I won't going to tell anyone."
I sighed.
"To be honest I'm not sure." I admitted. "All I know is that I'm comfortable being around him. Why?"
"I've just noticed you two spend a lot of time together. Even though he didn't show it I could tell he was a little disappointed when you didn't show up at the base."
"He was?" I was surprised by this news.
"Yeah. What kind of tipped me off was that he left the base after reading the letter you wrote to him saying that he had to go somewhere. From what I've gathered so far he really cares about you."
We soon walked out the doors of the school and I was greeted with the sight of a blue Nissan Skyline R32 Coupe parked out front next to the sidewalk.
"Hey, Sideswipe!" Alexis said after running up to the car.
"This is Sideswipe?" I asked once I was next to her.
"Yeah." She nodded. "Anyways, I'd like you to meet Valerie."
"So you're Valerie." The car (which turned out to be Sideswipe) said. "I heard a lot about you from Alexis and the others."
"R-really?" I felt my face heat up slightly.
"Yeah!"
Alexis giggled.
"Why don't you ride with Sideswipe and get to know each other." She suggested. "We're all going to the base anyways."
"How 'bout it, Valerie?" He asked.
"I-I guess it's okay."
"Great!" Sideswipe opened the passenger side door. "Hop on it."
I was a little hesitant to get inside Sideswipe. So far, the only transformers I had ridden inside where Jetfire, Blurr, and Red Alert. I would be okay riding with him, right?
"Go on!" Alexis gave me a light shove towards Sideswipe. "He's not going to bite you!"
I felt my face heat up slightly before getting inside Sideswipe's car form. I was about to shut the door but he beat me to it; the seatbelt snaked across my chest before buckling myself before he started making his way through town. It was quiet as Sideswipe continued driving and I started twiddling my thumbs awkwardly.
"So…" I started, staring at my lap feeling a little nervous. "…what did I miss yesterday?"
"Oh, nothing much. I actually arrived yesterday and was being trained under Hot Shot. My bro actually saved my life, too!" He told me.
"Your bro?"
"Yep, my bro Hot Shot."
"Wait! Hot Shot's your brother?" My eyes widened in surprise.
"Well, not relation-wise or the term 'blood-related' you humans use. I call him my bro because I consider him like family to me."
"There's nothing wrong with that." I gave a small smile. "I'm guessing you met Jetfire?"
"Jetfire? He wasn't at the base when I arrived, but I did meet him when he got back a few hours after Hot Shot saved my life. Said something about being with 'Skydancer'. You wouldn't happen to know who she is, do you?"
I felt my face heat up.
"That's…that's what Jetfire calls me." I said quietly. "He calls me Skydancer because I take ballet and I like gazing at the sky. It was a nickname he gave me."
"That's pretty interesting."
I got used to talking with Sideswipe that I didn't know how much time passed until I realized we reached the base. He opened the passenger side door and I grabbed my bag before getting out; once I got out he transformed into his true form.
I saw that Sideswipe had blue optics, his forearms and legs being a yellow color while the lower parts of both of them respectfully were blue. The majority of his torso was white with only the chest piece being blue where his Autobot symbol was displayed proudly in its red color. Just by looking at him I could tell that he had the same confidence as Hot Shot, if not a somewhat milder version of it.
I turned towards the entrance just in time to see Alexis and the others ride in on their Mini-Cons (with the exception of Fred and Billy who had to ride their bikes. Guess which one was tired?).
"Glad you were able to made it!" Sideswipe said jokingly.
"Hey! Some of us had to bike our way here!" Fred complained. No surprise, right?
"It's wasn't that bad." Carlos said.
"That'd be because you three have Mini-Cons." Billy stated.
It was at that time that I heard the sound of transformer footsteps coming from down the hallway and I turned around to see Hot Shot as well as Optimus and Smokescreen approaching us.
"Good to see you again, kids." Optimus said.
"Same here!" Rad replied.
I looked among the Autobots currently with us and I realized Jetfire wasn't here. Usually he would've been here to greet me, but he wasn't.
"Where's Jetfire?" I asked, looking up at Optimus.
"He's recharging in his quarters at the moment." Optimus answered as he gazed down at me.
"Recharging?"
"It's what you humans would refer to as 'sleeping'. You can go see him if you want."
"I-I…I was actually thinking of waiting for him to wake up while I checked in with Red Alert about my arm." I stuttered, my face heating up.
"Really?" Hot Shot suddenly asked. "I dare you to go see him if he isn't awake by the time you're done with Red Alert."
"W-what?" My face got even more warmer than it should've. "I-I can't… T-that's…"
"I would have to agree with Hot Shot." Optimus said, taking us all by surprised that he'd even say that in the first place. This was something none of us had expected him to do. "I dare you to do so if he isn't up by that time."
"I…um…"
"That's an order, Valerie."
Great. Not only did they put me up to this, but Optimus practically ordered me to go to Jetfire's quarters. I sighed before making my way down the hallway towards the med bay. I can't believe they were making me do this! I could just wait for him to wake up, but I couldn't now because of a silly dare. I soon found myself coming closer to the doors of the med bay and jumped slightly when they opened automatically (I was still trying to get used to it) before walking inside. I spotted Red Alert typing at a giant computer monitor.
"Red Alert?" I called out.
That seemed to get his attention since he turned to look at where I was.
"Valerie. I was expecting you to come." He said.
Red Alert came over and crouched down as he lower his hand so I could climb on. As soon as I was on he stood up and moved over to a berth where he deposited me on.
"I was wondering if I'd be able to practice my ballet a bit if my arm looks okay." I told him.
"So you finally admit to what's in your bag." Red Alert smirked slightly as he unwrapped the bandages from around my left arm.
"Yeah…" I hung my head. "I didn't know what you all would think if I said anything."
"That's nothing to be ashamed about. As long as it's something you enjoy doing then the opinion of others won't really matter." Once the bandages were unwrapped to show where I had the liquid stitches. Red Alert started scanning the cut (I admit it looked a bit better than when I last saw it) to see how it was doing. "The cut on your arm seems to be doing fine and can remain unwrapped. I believe you'll be able to practice your ballet, but keep in mind that you'll have to be careful with your arm."
"That's good." I smiled in relief.
"Looks like Jetfire hasn't showed up." Red Alert suddenly said.
"What? You mean you were in on this, too?"
"Yes. Optimus informed me of your dare while you were making your way down here. He wanted me to make sure that you went through with it."
'Great…' I thought.
"Where are his quarters?" I asked.
"It's down the hallway to your right when you exit the med bay. It will be the fifth door when you continue going straight." Red Alert picked me up and placed me on the floor. "Remember to be careful with your arm."
"I will."
I headed out of the med bay and went down the hallway to my right. It was when I got to a point where the hallway went off to the left in one direction while the other one continued straight; I continued going straight, counting down the huge doors until I came to the fifth one that Red Alert told me was Jetfire's quarters.
It slid open as I approached the door and it took all my willpower to resist the urge to jump like earlier. I cautiously walked inside, my right hand tightening around the straps of the bag I was carrying in nervousness. I only walked about a few yards away from the door when I heard it hiss shut and I was left standing in a somewhat dimly lit room that was big enough for a transformer to stay in comfortable (although that was kind of the point). From where I was I could make out Jetfire's form sleeping (recharging as Optimus had told me earlier) on a berth. I approached the berth, all the while looking for some way to get on top, but I wasn't able to find one. Suddenly Jetfire started moving and I froze in place, only to sigh in relief when I saw that he had only shifted around in his recharge so that he was laying on his stomach while his left arm was hanging over the edge of the berth. I looked at it and realized that I would be able to get on top by climbing up his arm. I glanced down at my left arm, wondering if climbing would do anything to it.
'I just hope I don't hurt myself.' I thought.
I placed my bag on the ground before coming over to Jetfire's arm and looked up at it. Despite it not being a good idea to do so, it was the only way for me to get to the top. I placed my on his hand and gripped tightly to it before I started climbing. My left arm throbbed faintly, but I knew I had to continue. After some time (I was currently near where his elbow was) I made the mistake of looking down and I gulped when I saw how far up I was from the ground. I shook my head slightly, trying to get rid of the fear I felt. I couldn't be scared; I had to continue. I was almost there.
Eventually I managed to make it to the top of the berth and slowly made my way over until I stood in front of Jetfire's face. I could tell he was asleep since his optics were deactivated, but what caught my attention was that his gold face mask wasn't covering his mouth (I had to squint to see and only then I could barely make out the outline of it). Moving closer I hesitatingly placed my hand on what I assumed was his cheek and was surprised at how warm the smooth surface felt. I let my hand light brush over his face, trying to feel the features of it like a blind person would, until I felt it curved and my face heated up slightly when I realized they were his lips. Jetfire seemed to sigh contently in his sleep and I felt the warm air lightly blow on me, causing me to shiver slightly as goosebumps formed on my arms.
Suddenly Jetfire's optics lit up to the gold color I was used to, widening in surprise when he spotted me before shooting up in an upright position quickly before I heard the sound of metal clinking together. The lights in the room suddenly turned on and I brought my arms up to cover my eyes from the bright light (since my eyes had been used to the room being dark).
"Valerie?" Jetfire asked, sounding surprised to see me. "What are you doing here?"
I managed to get my eyes to adjust to the light before moving my arms away. I looked up at Jetfire and felt somewhat disappointed when I realized that his gold face mask was now covering his mouth. So that would explain the clinking metal sound I heard before the lights came on.
"I-I'm sorry…" I said quietly, looking away. "I didn't mean to."
"I can obviously see that, but back to my original question. What are you doing here?"
"I noticed you weren't around when we got here and Optimus told me you were still 'recharging'. At least I think that was the term he used." I looked back up at Jetfire in time to see him nodded. Rather it was to confirm I used the right term or him just telling me to continue, I wasn't quite sure. "Both he and Hot Shot dared me to come here…well, Optimus actually ordered me to do it, too. So…uh…here I am."
"So Hot Shot and Optimus dared you, huh? Looks like I'm gonna have to figure out a way to get back at them." Jetfire laughed, but it seemed like he forced himself to.
"What's wrong, Jetfire?" I asked, feeling concerned.
I saw Jetfire tense slightly before his shoulders shagged a bit and he looked away from me. I was suddenly reminded of how he was yesterday when I mentioned his family, that nostalgic mood that I saw him in. Was this because I mentioned it in the first place? I went over to where his hand rested on his berth and placed mine on top of it. This caused him to look at his hand before he looked at me.
"It's okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I reassured him.
"No." He told me, looking away from me again. "I probably should've told you yesterday when you asked." I pulled my hand away when he started moving his until it was in front of me with the palm face up. Realizing what he wanted me to do I climbed onto his hand and he started lifting me up until I was held close to his chest. Jetfire released a sad sigh before he spoke up again. "Today is the anniversary of when my mother was offlined, 'killed' or any other word similar to that, as you would say. It's been 70,000 years since then. You realize how many years that would be by human standards, right?"
"7 years." I suddenly felt sad as I realized just how hard and painful this probably was for him to tell me about this. Sure 7 years might not be much, but it's not easy to forget the death of someone you loved or were closed to.
"Right. 7 years."
"What was her name?" I asked, curious to know about his mother.
"Her name was Astera. She was the one who would always sing the Cybertronian Lullaby to me. She didn't like to fight, but my father fought for the Autobots during the war, this war. I don't remember his name since he died when I was 5 by human standards, and since then she did whatever she could to raise me. She used to call me 'her little Jetfire'. I…couldn't have asked for a better mother…"
I looked up at his face. Jetfire sounded like he wanted to cry, but I didn't see any tears or whatever was the equivalent of crying for transformers. Was he holding them back? I opened my mouth, wanting to ask how Astera died, but he beat me to it.
"I had enlisted to fight with the Autobots against the Decepticons despite how much she didn't want me to, but she knew I had to. And it wasn't until 20,000 years later that I finally got to see her for the first time when I was on leave. She was so happy to see me after so long. She was murdered by a few Decepticons that had invaded our home…and ever since then I've been fighting in this war against the enemy."
I felt my eyes water up and before I knew it a few tears fell from my eyes. Jetfire had always seemed like a happy-go-luck guy whenever I saw him that I never even thought he could've had something so…so horrible happen in his life. At that moment I felt like I was seeing a side to Jetfire that he rarely showed or hid from everyone else he knew. I wasn't sure if I should've felt proud or sad, but I felt something. I felt like I had to do something, anything to help him.
"Jetfire?" I asked, causing him to look at me. "Could you lift me up to your shoulder?"
Jetfire complied with my request and brought me up to his shoulder. As soon as he unwrapped his fingers from around my body I suddenly found myself spreading my arms across the side of his neck in an attempt to hug him. This must've surprise him as much as it did for me since he probably hadn't expected me to hug him.
"S-Skydancer?" He stuttered slightly.
"I'm sorry, Jetfire." I said quietly, trying to comfort him. "I didn't realize how painful this probably was for you to talk about. I'm…I'm here for you."
Jetfire wrapped a hand around me before bringing me back to his chest where he held me close to him in his way of hugging me back. I felt like he needed to have someone to be there for him.
'But am I the right person that he needs?' I thought. I suddenly felt sad. 'What if I'm not the right one?"
"Thank you, Skydancer." Jetfire suddenly said, his voice quiet. "Thank you for being here for me."
"You're welcome." I felt my face heat up slightly. "But why did you tell me this? It wasn't to help my self-esteem, was it?"
"Not entirely. I told you because you're my sp-" Jetfire stopped himself before speaking again. "You're my friend. I trust you enough to tell you and know you wouldn't let anyone else know about it."
"I'm the only one who knows about this?" I asked, shocked.
"Besides Optimus and Red Alert, you're the only other person who knows what happened in detail. Everyone else just knows that she died, but not how." He seemed to cheer up a bit. "But what I want to know is how did you managed to get up to my berth?"
"I…um…I climbed up your arm when it was hanging off the edge."
I felt nervous when I saw the look on Jetfire's face (at least what I could see of it) and he suddenly brought me up to his optic level, turning me to face the direction left of him in order to examine my arm.
"You're arm isn't wrapped up. You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"
"My arm was only sore for a bit while I was climbing, but I didn't use it that much. Plus it's fine now." I told him. "I asked Red Alert and he said I was allowed to practice my ballet."
"Really?" Jetfire asked, seeming excited as he turned to face him. "So that means I get to watch you practice then?"
I giggled, my face heating up slightly.
"Yeah. You get to watch me practice. I actually brought my stuff with me. I left it down there." I pointed to where my bag was on the floor. "Could you put me down?"
"Sure thing!"
Jetfire lowered me to the floor and I went over to my bag. I pulled my ballet slippers out, but then I realized something. I couldn't practice in what I was wearing at the moment. I had the outfit I wore whenever I went to practice, but there was also the fact that Jetfire was around and I felt my face heat up.
"Um…Jetfire?"
"What is it?"
"It's…I can't exactly dance in what I'm wearing and…" I trailed off.
Jetfire seemed to realize what I was saying.
"Don't worry!" He said, standing up from his berth and turn around so his back faced me and to allow me some privacy. "I won't look!"
"Thank you."
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Even if he couldn't see Jetfire could hear the sound of Valerie going through her bag before the sound of clothes shifting reached his audio receptors, indicating that she was changing. He thought back on earlier when he had found her standing in front of him when he woke up. It had started when he had felt her hand on his cheek before it had lightly brushed his face as it made its way to his lips. Even now he could still remember the feeling on her hand on his lips and he had to admit he liked it. But the fact that she had been so close and right in front of him had been so exhilarating that it had taken all his willpower not to grab her and-!
He stopped himself. Jetfire knew if he had done that he probably would've scared her off and jeopardized the friendship what was steadily building its way towards that point (at least he hope it was). And it didn't help that he almost told her that she was his sparkmate. He had noticed yesterday when they had been working on that puzzle that she was showing one of the signs that she was unconsciously responding to him (and the faint connection between them that she wasn't even aware of) by telling him that she was comfortable being around him.
And then there was the fact that she had been so close to seeing his face that he had always kept hidden behind the gold face mask. Fortunately the lights had been off so she couldn't really see anything. He had always kept it hidden ever since his mother died and the only time he ever took if off was whenever he went to sleep in his quarters; the only people that had actually seen him without it had Optimus whenever they had been behind closed doors to discuss certain matters concerning the war. He wasn't ready to show her his face yet, but he swore he would someday when they were finally able to be together.
"Hey, Jetfire?" Valerie's voice called, breaking his chain of thought.
"Yeah?" He replied.
"You know how you told me that sparklings are babies?"
"What about them?"
"Were you…you know, a cute sparkling?"
Jetfire felt his lips pull upward into a smile behind his face mask. He was happy to know that she was curious and wanted to know more about him.
"Of course I was! As you humans would say, I was as cute as a button! I have a picture of when I was a sparkling if you want to see it."
"I'd loved to." He heard her say.
"Okay, I'll show you when you're done changing."
From his subspace he pulled out the picture he had of him as a sparkling being held by his mother. He still missed her. He was glad that he was able to tell Valerie about her, but he hoped that by telling her it would help her to accept him when the time came to confess his feelings to her.
'Mom, I have a feeling that wherever you are, you're probably watching and either laughing, smiling, or doing both at me and how I'm dealing with all this.' He thought. 'You never said anything about this being hard!'
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I soon managed to finish tying my ballet slippers (after having changed into my dance outfit) and stood up from where I was sitting. My practice outfit consisted of a light blue leotard that covered my shoulders, with white tights, and a light blue chiffon wrap ballet skirt. Despite his back being turned to me I could make out that he was gazing down at something he held in his hand.
"Okay, you can turn around now." I told him.
Jetfire turned around to face me and I saw his optics widen in surprise when he saw my appearance and my face heated up slightly.
"Wow! Y-you look great!" He said, causing my face to get warmer.
"T-thanks." I noticed what he was holding in his hand and realized that it must've been the picture he was telling me about. "Is that the picture?"
"Sure is."
Jetfire crouched down and placed it on the floor since it was too big for me to hold (it about the size of two doors side by side) before sitting on the floor with his back leaning against the side of his berth. I looked at the picture and saw that it was of a female transformer holding a sparkling. I instantly recognize the sparkling as being Jetfire and I could help but smile at how cute he was. It was like looking at a chibi version of him, but at the same time it wasn't a chibi version.
'He really was as cute as a button.' I thought.
My gaze landed on the female transformer (if I remember correctly I had heard a few of the Autobots used the term 'femme') and I realized that she must've been Jetfire's mother, Astera. She had violet colored optics that gazed lovingly into the camera that had been taking the picture at the time, along with a beautiful smile gracing her lips. Her overall coloration was a light green with some areas on her arms and helm being a light pink and yellow. This was the first time I've seen a femme and I had to admit that she was beautiful for a transformer. It was hard to believe that she was dead.
"Is this…Astera?" I asked.
"Yeah. That's my mother." He replied. He sounded melancholy.
"She's beautiful. I wish I could've met her."
"I could say the same thing. Only problem is that this was 70,000 years before you were born." He chuckled. "But I have a feeling she would've liked you."
I looked at Jetfire and saw that his gaze was focused on his mother.
"You really were a cute sparkling." I told him, feeling my face heat up slightly.
Jetfire laughed.
"Told you! Now this means you can't go around telling the others you saw my sparkling pictures, okay?"
"I promise." I smiled. I was glad I got to see this side of Jetfire.
"Good." He took the picture back before putting it away…somewhere. "Ready when you are!"
"Okay." I felt my face heat up again.
I took a deep breathe in order to calm myself down. I stood on the tips of my toes and before I knew it I found my dancing, my legs seeming to have a mind of their own as they guided me. Before I would've been too nervous to dance in front of Jetfire, but after having spent some time with him I've become more comfortable being around him. The feeling was almost similar to being around Ms. Sanders, but stronger. After some time I was done dancing and I realized, to my surprise, that I didn't mess up or fall. I could hear Jetfire clapping and I looked up at him.
"You did great!" He exclaimed once he finished clapping. "Very nice performance!"
"Thanks." I smiled, my face heating up as I looked downwards. Even if I was comfortable around him, I still wasn't exactly used to all these praises I was getting from him. "I'm going to change back into my regular outfit, if that's okay?"
"Oh! Sure thing!"
Jetfire turned around to that he wasn't looking. As quickly as I was able to I changed out of my practice outfit and into my regular clothes. It was just as I was putting my shoes on that the alarm started going off.
"Is it okay for me to turn around now?" Jetfire asked and I could hear the urgency in his voice.
"Yes." I replied just as I got my other shoe on.
Jetfire turned around and I was suddenly surprised when he scooped me up in his hands before leaving his quarters and running down the hallway towards the command center. As soon as he ran into the room everyone was staring. Like staring that involved awkward silence. Really awkward silence.
"Looks like you managed to get Jetfire out of his room." Optimus said, breaking the silence.
"Actually the alarm sort of did that." I said.
"Hello? I'm standing right here!" Jetfire stated.
Everyone started laughing a bit and even I giggled a bit.
"Anyways, back to the issue at hand." Optimus said. "It seems that a Mini-Con has been detected."
"Ah yeah! We finally have ourselves another mission we can go on!" Fred cheered.
"I'm sorry, but you won't be able to come this time."
"What?"
"But Optimus!" Rad protested.
"As much as I know you want to help I can't let you come this time. You have to understand."
"Okay."
"Red Alert, I want you to stay at the base. Everyone else come with me."
The rest of the Autobots started filing out of the room and I turned to look at Jetfire.
"Please be careful out there, okay?" I asked him.
"I'll try, Skydancer." Jetfire replied.
Jetfire placed me on the floor before he left the room as well. I turned to gaze and the screen, watching as the Autobots that were going out to retrieve the Mini-Con warped out of the base to their destination. I thought back to how well I did when I was practicing my ballet in front of Jetfire, only to feel the blood drain for my face as my eyes widened when I suddenly remembered something!
"My performance is this Friday." I said out loud.
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Jetfire flew through the air in the direction of where the Mini-Con signal was coming from, overjoyed that he was finally able to come on this mission. He hadn't been on one since they had obtained the Requiem Blaster and he was glad to finally feel the freedom of flying through the sky. But just as they were getting close to the signal they were suddenly being fired on by the Decepticons. He barely avoided being shot at from behind by Thrust and Cyclonus and quickly transformed in midair before firing his blaster at them. Jetfire smirked behind his face mask as he watched the two Decepticons plummeted towards the ground.
"That was too easy!" Jetfire said excitedly over his victory.
But his victory didn't last long since he felt a blast hit him in his left wing. If it had been any other part (like his arm or leg) of him that had been hit it wouldn't have been so bad. But since the wings of all flyer type Transformers were more sensitive than any other place the pain was more intense than usual. Jetfire managed to catch himself and turned around just in time to be blasted in his other wing and lower chest by Starscream, making him the one falling towards the ground. It was then that Jetfire suddenly remembered his mother, Astera.
He could still remember what happened after he had taken care of the Decepticons that had invaded his home vividly. He remembered holding her delicate frame close to him during her last moments alive. She had gazed at him, her violet colored optics leaking tears as they looked into his gold ones. She gave him a sad smile before placing a hand on the side of his face that was unmasked.
"My little Jetfire…" She had said, her voice sounding weak. "You've grown up into a handsome mech…just like your father. You may not think so right now…but I know you'll find your sparkmate. Maybe not in this millennia or the next…but you will someday. And I hope…that you'll be happy with her…"
"Mom! Don't leave me!" He had begged, feeling his own tears falling from his optics.
"I'll always love you, my little Jetfire…"
Jetfire's body impacted the ground, his body way more than just sore. He found himself staring up at the blue sky and it was then that he suddenly thought of Valerie. Originally it was after his mother had died that he thought he had nothing left to lose by fighting in the war. But now that he had finally found his sparkmate he had a new reason to fight. As he continued gazing up at the sky he thought he could see her above him, gazing at him with her blue eyes, smiling at him.
"Skydancer…" Jetfire said quietly.
He lifted his hand as he tried to reach out to touch her, but he was unable to reach her. He realized she wasn't really there when Smokescreen came into his view before helping the shuttle mech up and supporting him.
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"So you're worried since you have a performance this Friday and your parents won't be able to come, right?" Alexis asked, making sure that she had understood what I told her.
Both Alexis and I were standing outside the command center so that we could talk in private. I had just explained to her about the performance that was coming up.
"Yes. I can't believe I forgot until now, and it's only 3 days away." I told her.
"Well, we could always come and watch, maybe even give you some support."
"That's true."
I gasped, my eyes wide as I…felt something. It was a strange feeling, almost like the one Miss Clavel got when 'something wasn't right' in the Madeline books, but it was different. Suddenly the thought of Jetfire invaded my mind and before I knew it I found myself running in the direction of the launching dock.
"Valerie, wait!" I heard Alexis call out as she ran after me.
I was surprise to find myself ignoring her. Normally I would've listened to her, but the strange feeling I had wouldn't let me and it seemed to take top priority over everything else in my life. It scared me knowing that the feeling was causing me to do this and at the moment I felt like I was on autopilot. I ran through the door leading to the launching dock just as the Autobots that had gone on the mission had warped back into the base and my eyes widened in shock when I caught sight of Jetfire's battered form as he was leaning on Smokescreen as the orange Autobot helped him walk. I watched as the shuttle mech lifted his head up before his gold optics made eye contact with me and I wanted to run up to him, but something was stopping me from doing so and keeping me from moving. Even after I spotted Red Alert running past me to help Smokescreen carry Jetfire out of the room (and to the med bay, I presumed) I still didn't move. Only one thing went through my mind at that moment.
'He's hurt…!' I thought.
I don't know how long I stood there, but I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder, causing me to come back to my senses and turn to see Alexis standing next to me. That was when I realized that that the others had left and that we were the only two left.
"Are you okay, Valerie?" She asked.
"I don't know." I told her quietly. "I'm so confused and I don't know what to feel."
"What do you mean?"
"I feel relieved that he's okay, but at the same time I'm overly worried and upset. It's really confusing me, Alexis."
Alexis gazed at me, showing concern as I could tell that she was thinking of something before she smiled.
"Maybe we should get you something to drink, then we can see Jetfire." She suggested.
"No!" I shook my head. I was surprised that I was being like this. "I have to see him now. Something's telling me to go to him. I don't expect you to understand, heck I don't even understand it myself."
"What do you mean?"
"Remember when we were talking outside the command center and I ran off?" Alexis nodded before I continued. "Before I ran off I got this strange feeling that something was wrong and for some reason I suddenly thought of Jetfire. It's hard to explain."
"It's okay, Valerie. You can go see him if you have to."
I smiled before hugging Alexis.
"Thank you."
I stopped hugging her before I left the launching dock to make my way to the med bay. As I got closer I started to feel a little nervous and started dreading the worse. What if Red Alert was still busy repairing Jetfire and I wasn't able to see him? What if Jetfire didn't want to see me? What if he…what if he was offlined?
'Don't think like that!' I told myself. 'Jetfire can't be offline. He's stronger than that.'
I thought back to the strange feeling that I had experience. Why did I have that feeling and what did it mean? It was like I knew something happened to Jetfire before I even saw him in the state that he was in when the Autobots got back from the mission. Was it some form of ESP or something?
'What's going on with me lately?'
I soon found myself coming up to the door leading into the med bay and it opened as I approached. From where I was I could see Jetfire laying on a berth as Red Alert looked like he was typing something into the console (what was with me and finding him at that console today?) that I assumed was probably a medical log or something. He must've finished whatever he was typing since he stopped tapping at the keys.
"You do realize that you're allowed to come in, Valerie." He suddenly said, making me jump. How did he even know I came in?
'Oh, right. The door.' I thought, mentally hitting myself for being stupid.
"Sorry. I really wasn't sure if you were still working on Jetfire or not." I told him.
"I've already finished repairing him so it's fine." Red Alert came over to where I was before holding out a hand for me to climb on. He carried me over to where Jetfire was before allowing me to climb of and onto the berth near his head. "I'm going off to the rec room in case you need anything. So until then you two will be the only ones here."
"Thank you, Red Alert."
Red Alert nodded before he left the med bay, the door sliding close behind him. I turned to look at Jetfire's face, noticing that his optics were deactivated. I was surprised by how peaceful he looked while he was recharging, despite having gotten beat up. I quietly went closer to his face so that I was standing right next to the right side of it and placing a hand on his gold face mask where I thought his cheek was. I felt my eyes water up with tears.
"Jetfire…" I said quietly, feeling the tears forming in my eyes start to fall. "I just hope you feel better soon. I know you said you'd try not to get hurt, but…" I stopped myself, thinking of something else to say while lowering my gaze. "I keep worrying about you whenever you go out."
"Then don't."
My eyes widened when I heard Jetfire speak and looked up to see his optics online.
"Jetfire!" I suddenly found myself spreading my arms across the side of his head in an attempt to hug him.
"Primus! I knew you were worried, but I didn't think you'd worry this much!" Jetfire chuckled. "Maybe I should get hurt more often if you're going to react like this."
"No! It's bad enough I'm this worried as it is." I shook my head. "It doesn't help that today's been a little weird for me."
I suddenly felt one of Jetfire's hands wrap around me before moving me over so that I was held in near the front of his face, my hair handing in front of my face from the way I was being held.
"You do realize that I'm Vice Commander, remember?" I nodded. "So that means I can order you around just like Optimus. And my first order is that you don't worry about me at the moment." He said, trying to reassure me. "As for my next order you can stop crying now since you don't need to. I'm completely fine and it's nothing a little rest and energon can't fix."
Jetfire then pulled me away from his face and bringing me over to where the Autobot symbol was on his chest, unwrapping his fingers from around my body so that I was able to lay down on his before hand covered it like a blanket (considering I was on top of the area over his spark and that his hand was also warm as well).
"So tell me what you meant by 'today's been a little weird for you', Skydancer?" He asked.
"Well, it's kind of weird…" I started.
"We've already established that part."
"It was earlier that I had this weird feeling, like I knew something was wrong or something bad happened, and for some reason I immediately thought of you. It was like everything else didn't matter and the only thing that was important was getting to the launching dock. It was when I saw you in the state that you were in when you guys got back that I realized that feeling I had was right."
"When did this feeling start?"
I felt confused and started to wonder why Jetfire was suddenly curious about the weird feeling I had.
"The one I told you about was the first time I had it. I don't know what going on with me. Is this normal?"
I looked at Jetfire and I thought I saw something in his optics before it was gone. I was probably imagining it.
"Probably some 'gut instinct', as you humans would say. Nothing to worry about, which you shouldn't be doing right now!"
"I'm so glad you're okay, Jetfire." I smiled before placing the side of my face down on top of his chest, my eyelids feeling a little heavy.
"Tired?" Jetfire asked.
"No, just…" I yawned. "…yawning."
"Looks to you are." I had a feeling that he was smirking behind his face mask. "There's nothing wrong with taking a nap, so why not get some shut eye, Skydancer?"
"Fine…"
I yawned again before shutting my eyes. It was as I was drifting to sleep that I noticed how warm and comfortable Jetfire was.
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Jetfire gazed at Valerie as he watched her fall asleep, causing him to smile from behind his face mask. He realized that she had shown another sign that she was responding to him and had cleverly gave her the excuse that it was 'gut instinct'. He stared up at the ceiling before deactivating his optics as one thought crossed his processor.
'It's starting.'
ATE: There you have it! As you've all probably guessed the new OC is, in fact, Astera (Jetfire's mom). The name itself was an idea I've had and I thought it would be a nice name to use for a femme. With the fact that I've introduced Jetfire's mom into the story, I'm actually now considering the idea of writing a side story that tells of the events of Astera and Jetfire's life up until her death. What do you all think?
Oh! Recently I had uploaded a picture I drew of Valerie on deviantart (I drew it back in school) that I had posted last month after finally managing to scan it into the computer. Here's the link (take out the spaces, of course):
http :/ aerith-the-evenstar . deviantart . com /#/ d3j 2e 87
Thanks for reading this chap! Please leave a review; and if you have any ideas you'd like me to use in a future chap of this story feel free to tell me and I'll give you credit for any ideas provided. ;D