CHAPTER 60
Unconditional Promises

Jeff was going back into foster care and he knew it. He'd pushed Prowl too far, he'd been stupid and he'd seen a side of Prowl that he shouldn't have had to see. He'd had a home, family, and life in his grasp and he just threw it all away. It wouldn't have been the first time either, it would have been the third, but none of them had gotten quite this close to adopting him either. He glanced over at his bags, which he'd packed that morning under the belief that he'd be going tonight, probably before he got to say goodbye to anyone. He'd blown what was probably the last chance at a happy, semi-normal life he'd ever have.

A light knock on the door, and it sliding open got his attention. Prowl entered as quietly and calmly as possible. His optics first went to his bags, then to Jeff, who stared at him from on his bed, his arms wrapped around his legs. "Jeff?" Prowl stated as calmly as he could "May we talk?" Jeff didn't answer his question, so Prowl took it as a silent "yes" and entered "Why are your bags packed?" He questioned.

Jeff was still silent for several moments, trying his best to stay strong. He refused to let the mech see him cry, not again, he had plenty of times, but he wouldn't now. "You're gonna send me back aren't you? I screwed up." Jeff shook his head "I didn't want to spend all day packing up my stuff, so I just stuffed my old crap into the suitcase and..." He paused "When does my social worker get here?" He asked.

Prowl's optics fell, so Optimus's beliefs had been right, he genuinely thought this would happen. He genuinely believed that after everything they had gone through, after promising his dying mother, after giving him everything he'd just abandon him. "Your social worker isn't coming." Prowl replied honestly "Jeff, I think we need to have a serious talk." He noted.

"You're not giving up on me?" Jeff questioned, seemingly stunned.

Prowl nearly flared at the fact that it was obvious that Jeff had had people do it before. How could anyone do such a thing? He had made a commitment to take Jeff into his family and he would stick to it. To think that anyone else had just said "whatever, don't want him" and dropped him off at the first sign of trouble. "I would never send you away from here, son." Prowl stated seriously "I love you beyond what I may express in words, and that would never change from stupid stunts such as what you pulled." He replied sternly.

Jeff looked up at Prowl as though he had told him all of this in a foreign language. Though he supposed he did in some ways, as he had quickly learned that Jeff had almost forgotten what love felt like before his life there. "But... I screwed up. I broke curfew, I did dumb shit." Jeff shook his head "I-You-You guys always dump me after that." He shook his head "No one thinks I'm worth the trouble." He looked up "I don't understand." He muttered.

Prowl slowly seated himself in front of Jeff's bed, looking at him quietly. Prowl shook his head slowly, looking at him with a serious look plastered on his features. "Son, you screwed up, this is true. But every child your age does. ALL OF THEM." Jeff looked down slowly "I'm not looking for perfection, Jeff. But your "tests" as I believe those were? You never needed them." He told him gently "I lose my temper, Jeff, but you're my son. Or do you forget the tether I share with you? The bond?" He questioned.

"No, I just..." Jeff paused "I was scared... I didn't want to get my heart broken again."

Prowl gently reached forward, and rubbed his knee gently with a fingertip. As Jeff stared at him with those baby blue eyes, swollen from obvious crying, all anger he felt seemed to dissipate. "You won't. I love you, your new family loves you..." He was very calm in saying this "You're here to stay son, so you can unpack those bags and consider yourself grounded for a week." Jeff smiled, it was a fair punishment "Because I'm not happy with your actions..." He then added "But that means punishment, not abandonment." He then added firmly "Always."

"I'm sorry, dad."

Prowl nodded, he could tell he was, and that he meant it as well. "Just never do that to me again, especially not what you did last night." Prowl sighed gently "Remember Jeff, I will always love you, no matter what path you take or mistakes you make." He then leaned in and did something he'd never done before, he belittled his strength and kissed him gently on the head with his metal lips, his real form "And that, my youngling, is a promise." He stated firmly.

Jeff nodded his head a bit, taking in what had just happened still silently. Prowl had never done such an action in his real form, too paranoid to, yet, he had done it. And to say the least, Jeff couldn't help but smile a bit as Prowl made his way towards the door. "Dad?" Prowl turned his head slowly to look at Jeff "I'm glad those other families who did give up on me did, you know." The mech blinked a bit "Because you're the best thing that's ever happened to me." He admitted quietly "I just want you to know that." He added.

Prowl couldn't help but smile at that, his spark skipping a beat a bit. Jeff had always said he loved him, but he had never been so open about how exactly he felt. It was like for once, he understood Jeff's logic in his testing. He wanted to know that Prowl loved him as much as he did, and he was not disappointed. "And you are the best thing that has come into mine." He admitted calmly "I'll be back tonight. No TV, no computer... But I may let you watch a movie with me tonight." He told him firmly.

"Yes sir."

Prowl exited under the notion that they now had a much different understanding of their relationship than before. Quietly he exited his apartment and made his way towards his office. As he seated himself down, he thought it over. Everything he had said and Jeff had said in return, as well as vice-versa. It was odd, but if you had asked him a year ago if he wanted a former juvenile delinquent off the streets for the son, he would have laughed it off. He'd have seen it as a death sentence.

Yet now, he stared at the picture he had seated on his desk. He looked at the grinning boy who stared back at him, his eyes filled with a life he had never seen before. Yes, he could have sent Jeff back, no one would have looked at him wrong for it due to his standing, except perhaps Ratchet. But he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this was what he was meant to do, and he had not met Jeff by pure coincidence, but rather, by fate. Smiling, running his fingers along the picture once, he returned to his work.

He could be mad at Jeff for the next stunts he pulled. But for now, he was simply glad their relationship was in-tact, and that he still had his son.

...

A/N: Yep, another short chapter that I felt deserved to be stand-alone. It just didn't seem right putting something after this scene. Reviews make my day!