A/N: Been considering this chapter ever since bringing in the spirit's of Jeff's parents a bit. :)

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CHAPTER 53
Guardian Angel

It was a few days later that Jeff was left alone on base as a mission was instated for the first time. It had been rather quick, as there had been a rather big emergency overseas that required even Ratchet to take off in case they needed a field medic. To say the least, Jeff couldn't help but feel worried about his friends and guardians as the night drew on with no one to really talk to with the exception of the less-than-talkative drones that roamed the halls silently. He'd spent most of his evening napping, or playing a video game on the Wii U that he had brought back courtesy of Bluestreak.

His first reaction at the sound of footsteps in the base was to panic, but he quickly relaxed as he poked his head out to see an Autobot shield. He looked the mech that he'd never seen over for a couple of moments, curiosity coming over him. "Hey, are you Jeff?" The Autobot spoke in a friendly tone, as Jeff slowly nodded "Don't worry, I'm really an Autobot, one of Prowl's friends from a few states over." He then added "He asked me to ground bridge over and check on you." He added.

Jeff could feel himself intensify a bit, despite the smiling face of the mech and his overall friendliness. It did however, seem logical that the Autobots would send someone over to watch him if it was decided a situation required the presence of them all for a long period of time. "They're not getting home until the morning then?" The mech shook his head "Figured as much, if they all had to be there, it had to be pretty dang serious." He added.

"Indeed." The mech replied "I forgot to introduce myself." The mech crouched a bit, looking down at the human with his soft smile never yielding "My name's Malice." He noted, holding out a finger so that they could shake on it before he stood "Listen don't think of me as a babysitter, though that's kinda my job at the moment." Jeff frowned a little at that "I'm just here to make sure that you're taken care of while they can't attend to you." He noted.

Jeff frowned harder at that, the way Malice described it, he sounded like some sort of house pet. Though the teen was smart enough to know that he wasn't, he still couldn't help but feel that something was off. "Yeah, you know what, I think I'm gonna call my dad." Jeff stated with a cross look "Just to make sure he's okay, and all." He explained.

He'd barely turned around when he could hear the barrel of a gun whir. Malice frowned, ripping off the fake Autobot insignia from his chestplate. The boy was smart, he'd give him that, but none the less, he didn't like smart humans. "Now, now. I don't want you, fleshling." Malice commented softly "I'm here for their latest battle plans. Plans which you are not going to ruin my acquisition of." He noted.

Jeff wasn't sure whether or not to believe the Decepticon, his body tensing a bit. A light jab to his back told him to walk, though Jeff took a long moment to find his footing. Prowl had talked him through this situation following his last two abductions, in anticipation of this moment. "You know, some of the drones are bound to catch on." Jeff attempted quietly "You're better off not getting me involved at all." He explained.

Malice tilted his head a bit in thought, thinking over the boy. His mission was not to take him or harm him in any way, word had gotten out about what Prowl had done to the last one and no one wanted to overstep such a boundary. Yet letting the boy go early meant that he would go and call the Autobots, something he would not allow to happen. "Perhaps, but I have a hostage for now." He noted, grabbing hold of Jeff's waist, and lifting him up "I'll make you a deal, keep quiet until I leave and I'll leave you in one piece." He noted.

Jeff found that it didn't take long for Malice to reach Optimus's office, where he deposited Jeff on a table top. Jeff got a good look at the intruder now, between his massive size and his piercing crimson eyes, Jeff could feel intimidation beyond words. Carefully, he reached for his back pocket and phone, only for the mech to notice. "You make a single call to any of them and I will take away your ability to produce offspring." Jeff's eyes widened "I figured that would frighten you." He noted.

The mech seemed to loom closer, smirking, and watching him very closely. The sound of metal footsteps, however, grabbed both of their attentions. Jeff turned his head, his eyes squinting as he searched for the source. "Who's here with you?" Malice questioned, his fangs bared in anger, Jeff shook his head, with a shrug "Do not lie to me fleshling, who is here with you?" He questioned.

That was the moment that the human first caught sight of the silver mech with the visor. Jeff squinted a bit, confused, he had never seen the Autobot before, but he could tell he was one. The mech seemed to bring up a finger, and shush him silently before disappearing into thin air. The next thing either of them knew, a large filing cabinet had been thrown violently into the side of Malice's head. Jeff's eyes widened as he turned his head. "What the...?" Malice seemed to question from the floor "WHO IS IN HERE WITH YOU!?"

"N-No one." Jeff searched for the silver mech "We're alone, I swear."

For a moment, Jeff felt a great deal of fear before he felt a presence looming over him. It was comforting, as if someone was reaching out and saying not to be afraid. "It's okay." An airy voice seemed to whisper in his ear "Get down, run. A'm here protecting ya."

Though Jeff didn't know the voice, he followed it. Leaping down from the table, he quickly bolted for the office door, grabbing his phone as he went. He could hear Malice chasing after him, but found himself of surprisingly strong strength that night. A moment passed, and Jeff stole a look back, he could see the silver mech again, waving him forward. Who was this mech? He could only guess, but something told him he had never met him for a reason. "JEFF!" He heard a voice shout "DUCK!"

Jeff did as he did as a blast shot over his head. Though Jeff only had a few minutes to register it, he quickly found the form of Prowl crouching to him, barely staring over towards Malice, who was now on the ground with a hole in his head. "Primus, Jeff. Why didn't you call?" Prowl questioned "How long did he have you for?" He questioned.

Though startled, Jeff stared up at him, then back at the place the silver mech had been in. He blinked at the empty space, wondering quietly who it had been, and what he had been doing there. "A couple of minutes." Jeff breathed "But the silver mech... That silver mech that helped me, where is he? You didn't shoot him, did you?" He questioned, though Prowl seemed to stare blankly at him "Don't look at me like I'm crazy!" He noted "There was a silver mech, big visor over his optics, he knocked him down so I could escape." He added.

The look of awe and recognition in Prowl's optics seemed to only further confuse Jeff. "Silver with a visor?" Prowl questioned "Jeff, that sounds like an old friend of mine, Jazz. My closest friend at that." He then added "But he died many years ago, before I even came to Earth." He blinked a bit "Are you certain your description is accurate?" He questioned.

Jeff stared at him. Dead? It was a rather odd thought to think of an Autobot as a ghost, but the chill up his spine answered it for him. He had just seen a ghost, or rather, been saved by one. "Jeffrey?" Jeff stared up as Optimus made his way over "He didn't manage to make a stab at you with this, did he?" He questioned, tossing a blade to the floor, Jeff shook his head "Thank Primus, that was doused in dark energon." He then shook his head "By the way he was holding it..." He paused a moment.

Jeff blinked a bit, remembering quietly how he had noticed Malice reach for something a moment before he'd been hit. Had Jazz really been there? A ghost that presided over the Autobot base and protected him until the others returned to handle the threat? Jeff could feel confusion as he rubbed his forehead a bit. "I think I hurt my ankle when I went down." Jeff muttered "You should make sure he didn't get what he was looking for." He added.

"Get Ratchet to check it out." Prowl replied "I'll come check on you in a moment."

Carefully pulling himself to his feet, Jeff turned his head to catch a glimpse of the silver mech one last time. For a moment, Jazz stood there, but then placed a finger to his nose again, and mouthed a gentle 'shhhh' before he disappeared. "Jeffrey?" Ratchet's voice grabbed his attention, as he turned his head "Prowl said your ankle was hurt and you were possibly having hallucinations." He noted "We need to get to the med bay." He added.

"I... I..."

Jeff looked back towards where Jazz had been again, rubbing the back of his head. Slowly, he looked up at Ratchet and nodded his head, needing a check-up on his sanity without a doubt after the night he'd just had.

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A/N: I know this chapter was sort of filler. LOL But I always liked the idea of Jazz acting as a sort-of guardian angel over the remaining Autobots and over Jeff. Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter, filler or not! Reviews make my day!