Jade sat up and rubbed her eyes. She looked over at the calendar, it was Tuesday the 11th of October, 2011, and tomorrow the science fair was on. Jade stood from her bed and walked into the shower. Once she had finished, she turned the tap off and wrapped one towel around her waist and another one around her shoulders. She walked out into her bedroom to smell something burning.

She quickly ran downstairs to find the kitchen stove up in flames with Cliffjumper and Arcee trying to stop it. She quickly grabbed a FIRE EXTINGUISHER and blasted it on the flames. As soon as the crisis was adverted, she whipped around facing the duo.

"What on Earth were you to doing?" She demanded.

"My fault," Cliffjumper gave her a sheepish grin. "We were trying to make you some food so you didn't have to worry about making something for the day."

That made Jade feel quite touched. How sweet of them, she then spotted how Arcee was looking away from her, blushing.

"Arcee?" Jade asked. She then could feel the cold air on her stomach; she looked down to find that her top towel had fallen off. She sent a silent thank you for whoever was in the heavens as her hair covered her chest.

She quickly re-grabbed the fallen towel and covered her front. Blushing like mad, while Arcee went another shade of red and Cliffjumper acted like everything was normal.

Jade then turned and ran back upstairs.

Cliffjumper frowned. "Did I say something?" He asked, completely clueless.

Arcee hit him over the head. "Glitch head!" He snapped, whacking him over the head.

Cliffjumper had no idea what he'd done but he played a long. "I love you too, Arcee."

"Miss Darby," The teacher, Miss Rain, snapped her fingers in front of the teenage girl.

"Huh?" Jade snapped out her daydream to see the teacher looking at her, a little bit of worry on her face.

"You zoned out, the class has left for home already." Jade looked around the room, true to her words, the rest of the students had left, expect for Vince who got into trouble at the start of class.

"Oh," Jade felt Optimus watching through her eyes. He must have sensed something bugging her.

"If you're worried about the family tree assessment, I can pick out a famous family for you to do instead."

Ah yes, Family Tree day, it was a time when all the students would write a small piece of a family members life.

Jade looked to see Vince smirking at her. She felt her anger grow she then answered. "I meet my father on the weekend." She blurted.

The teacher's eyes went wide as well as Vince's. "Really?"

"Yep. I might not get much, but I'll have a report on something about him." She had no idea on what she was doing, but she wasn't going to let Vince win this round.

His dad was the school's chairman and his mother owned a major recording company in the city. So he normal got the price for best family stories.

But not this year.

"Well," Miss Rain smiled, happy to see Jade was finally able to partake in some school family events. "I can't wait to read it." She then shooed Jade out of the room.

Only when Jade stood in the school hallway with the lockers did she mentally freak out. She couldn't write a report on her dad, Optimus. She could see a mental image of herself. "Hey, guys. My dad's a giant alien robot." Yeah right. She grumbled, picking up some things from her locker and walking outside.

She then felt a shove from behind. She fell face first on the ground.

"Tell me, Jade. Who is your dad?" Vince was the one behind her. She felt her own rage spike in her along with Optimus'. "Some old drunk?"He sneered. "I bet his only here out of pity."

"He isn't a drunk." She growled standing back up. "His a soldier,"

Vince knew he hit a nerve. "I guess fighting for his life is better than looking after you then."

Jade was now really pissed off. However before she could shove his head up his aft, something grabbed Jade and scooped her up into their arms.

"Hey beautiful," She found herself in Arcee's arms. Cliffjumper was standing beside him.

"Arcee," She flushed pink at the way he was carrying her.

"Come on love," Cliffjumper put in, kissing her on the cheek. He was playing with a piece of her hair. "Your father's waiting for you back at his place."

Now Jade felt Optimus' confusion, it soon however turned into a small bit of overprotective, he didn't seem too mad but he didn't like the twins kissing her either.

Arcee carried her off to his real body, while Vince just stood there wide-eyed, with his jaw dropped, thinking: Jade Darby was in a triad relationship?

Once they were on the highway, Optimus left her eyes and went on to something else. Jade was glaring at the bike she was on. "Why did you have to butt in? I wanted to punch him."

"It doesn't mean you should," Arcee scolded. "He maybe an aft hole, but you shouldn't fight him, save your energy for when you need, not for when you want it."

Jade didn't reply, once they turned up at base, they found Ratchet in vehicle mode nearby her station, while her holoform was up on the balcony near her computer, she was placing, some things that looked like brainwave monitors onto Raf's, Diamond's and Miko's foreheads.

"Hey Ratchet, did the little ones upset you or something?" Cliffjumper joked.

Ratchet's holoform looked over at them; Ratchet's holoform was a tan woman with electric blue eyes and white hair with orange highlights. She wore a white nurse's outfit with two orange stripes down the side. "No, they haven't… yet."

"Dude, you didn't need to add the last bit." Miko told her, glaring at the holoform.

Ratchet ignored her comment. "I'm currently studying their spark rates, it should help tell if they are related or not."

Jade knew the term Spark was for Heart, but she didn't understand how it could help with telling who your family members were. "How can a spark rate help you tell who you're related to?"

Ratchet grumbled, like she had this conversation before. Her holoform fizzed out and she transformed back to normal. "Every Transformer and Guardian has a spark; the spark rate is a way to tell who is related to whom, every family of transformers has the same spark rate, or beat, whatever way you'd like to say it. The only time ones spark beat would change if one were to become sparkmates with someone. The new couple would then have their own spark rate, their children would then share that spark beat. That beat is what lets you share your sight, hearing and smell with Optimus. You understand now?"

"I think so," Jade nodded.

Ratchet nodded a turned back to the trio. "Those things are wireless, so go do something; we won't have any results till the end of the day."

The three of them did not need to be told twice, they darted off, over to the other side of the room.

"That was quick," Jade noted.

"Ratchet has that effect on people." Cliffjumper grinned, while Ratchet narrowed her eyes that him. If looks could kill, Cliff' would be screaming in pain.

Arcee, who had Jade on his shoulder, placed her down on the balcony. She ran off, and over to Diamond.

"Got you some homework," She smiled handing and pile of some of her old SCHOOL BOOKS over to him. Diamond was in about grade 8 when the Decepticons nabbed him, so he had a lot of catching up to do.

"Thanks," Diamond smiled, he had a fresh set of clothes on and a new set of glass with a black rim around them. His top was a long sleeved furred shirt, his jeans were white leather, and on his hands were black leather gloves while BLACK COMBAT BOOTS were on his feet.

"Aren't you hot in that?" Jade asked, it was Jasper, after all.

Diamond looked up from the homework and smiled. "I have this small invisible field of cold air around me, so I can't feel a lot of heat unless it's really bad."

"How bad?"

"Volcano bad."

"Cool,"

"You gonna help me with this?" Diamond asked looking at the timetables.

"Sure,"

Time seemed to fly by after that, Miko and Raf were working on their projects for tomorrow, when suddenly Raf's volcano exploded. Jade had to be honest, she had no idea how it happened. One thing was for sure, Rafael was not using the normal baking soda and vinegar.

"Decepticons!" Jade heard Ratchet yell, "We're under attack." Jade watched as Ratchet and Optimus ran over to them.

Once the smoke cleared Raf explained how it was just his volcano, or was, as it turned into a pile of brown goo.

"What is going on here?" Ratchet asked; her optics wide.

"School projects," Jade told them, while showing Diamond how to measure the area of a circle.

Miko then grabbed Ratchet's attention by accidently spilling some paint on the ground. "Oopys!"

"You can't do this in here!" Ratchet spluttered. "You're making a mess,"

Raf then frowned, he put on his puppy dog face. "But the science fair is a big part of our grade."

Ratchet was not, phased by his look. "I don't care I have already let one person get away with trashing my workspace once before, it shall not happen again."

Jade wanted to ask, who trashed it, but she felt a small bit of guilty from Optimus. She looked over at him to see him looking at Raf. Ratchet wasn't bothered by Raf's puppy eyes, but it seemed Optimus was.

"But the Autobot's are their caretaker," Optimus put in to help Raf. "Would it hurt to learn more of Earth by helping our young guardians with their school work?" Optimus then saw Jade, looking at him.

Jade couldn't help it, she smirked. "Raf's puppy dog face got you, Dad?" She sniggered.

Ratchet frowned at this; she then looked closer at Raf. "What is your wing colour, Rafael?" She questioned.

"White with black tips, why?" Raf asked.

"Ah, a guardian of persuasion and languages, no wonder, Optimus was happy to join Raf's side on this matter."

"Wasn't he talking to you, though?" Arcee asked Ratchet. He and Cliffjumper had been leaning on the railings watching Jade help Diamond.

"Thankfully, I'm immune to that power. Some transformers are born like that." Ratchet shrugged her left shoulder. "The persuasion waves must have gone over to the nearest person."

Raf's ears turned red. "Sorry, Optimus, I knew I could change people's minds, but I didn't know it was by force. Sorry." He looked down at the ground ashamed with himself.

Jade then felt more guilt, she groaned. "Don't do that, Raf, your making him feel guiltier."

It was then an alarm went off. Ratchet walked back over to the computer. "Exposed energon, and it's on the move."

"Decepticons," Cliffjumper frowned, and then smirked. "Perfect, I'm inching to kick someone's aft."

Optimus looked over at him and his twin. "Don't you have to help Jade with her project?"

"I finished mine on the weekend, Dad." Jade told him.

Optimus seemed to pause at this. Jade could feel a small bit of pride from him, but it quickly stopped. "Very well, Jade, Diamond, Arcee and Cliffjumper, I shall need BACKUP." Optimus stood in front of the area to the ground-bridge.

"I can come?" Diamond asked, excited. He burst his wings from his back, and flew down to the ground next to Optimus.

Miko frowned. "Aww… why do you get to go?"

"Because I finished my work," Jade replied, as the ground-bridge opened up. "You should try it sometime."

"Quit sounding like my mother!" Miko yelled as Jade and the other drove/flew through the ground-bridge's portal.

They exited the ground-bridge. Diamond looked around to see that they were in a small canyon in a desert. "I've never been to a desert canyon, before." He muttered. Diamond admired the walls of the canyon for a few seconds before looking back at the others.

"This doesn't look like an energon mine." Cliffjumper turned around in a circle, his cannons raised.

Arcee had the same pose, but he didn't turn in a circle. "It isn't."

Jade then grabbed their attention. "Guys," She pointed over to three Decepticons.

Diamond narrowed his eyes, he knew two of them, but the largest one wasn't familiar to him. He felt anger rise in him. He knew that his adopted parents were killed by one of the Decepticons.

"Hey, watch the ice, Diamond." Jade complained.

"Huh?" Diamond turned his attention back to Jade. He had made the ground under him and Jade turn to ice. "Sorry," His face turned a little grim.

Optimus chose then to make them get back in the game. "Jade, Diamond, Take to the skies; keep an eye out of anymore Decepticons."

"Right," Jade nodded, she bought her wings out and took to the skies, Diamond soon followed. They watched from above as Optimus tried to reason with the Decepticons. In the end, the largest Decepticon hit Starscream, sending him flying backwards.

"Well I'm glad someone hit him." Diamond smirked. He then lost his smirk as the larger 'Con charged at Optimus. "Not good." He and Jade watched as Arcee and Cliffjumper rushed in to help. However the 'Con soon had them at gun point. It was then that, Jade and Diamond started to sky-dive back down to the ground. They came up hovering a few inches off the ground. They flew right at the 'Cons feet. Diamond lifted his hand and froze the guy's feet and KNEE JOINTS. Jade had tried to wack him with her shield, but it only went right through him.

"What the-" She gasped.

"Maybe he's like, Ratchet." Diamond offered. They landed near the others, who were back on their feet.

"Skyquake doesn't have a vehicle mode." Cliffjumper put out. He had to say something, the silence was killing him.

Optimus then seemed to form a plan in his head. "Jade, go with Arcee, Cliffjumper, take Diamond. We're going to need to back up a bit."

Optimus, Arcee and Cliffjumper transformed and Diamond and Jade hopped in and on the Autobot of choice. They all zoomed off into the tangled maze of the canyon, while Skyquake pulled his feet out of the ground.

"Hey, Ratchet!" Raf called. "Do you want to give us a hand?" He had the paints out and he and Bumblebee were painting the volcano now. Bumblebee was using his holoform; he had it at the age of a 12 year old, mostly like for Raf to feel he has someone his age to talk to.

The holoform had blonde hair with black highlights

Ratchet looked over from her computer. She sighed in annoyances. "Very well," She transformed and used her holoform to help paint the volcano.

Miko watched the small event before turning back to her own project. "So you were a member of a group called the wreakers?"

Bulkhead nodded, "Yeah, I left to team up with Optimus, however, my friends told me that I'd always have a place among them."

Miko smiled. She used Cliffjumper's line from earlier on in the day. "You have that effect on people."

Jade watched as Skyquake took off into the air. The plan had gone well, they had Skyquake cornered and everything, until Fowler showed up. Skyquake had scanned her air jet, and now, Cliffjumper was beating up the 'Con from his back and Skyquake was doing a too fast drive to Earth. Jade felt her panic rise in her like crazy.

It was then that Fowler came to the rescue; she had her jet going at the same angle and speed as Skyquake.

Cliff jumped onto the jet's top, and fowler pulled up straight. Jade felt her heart calm down again, Primus that had scared her.

Cliffjumper landed back on the ground and walked over to the others. "What did I miss?" He winked at Jade and Arcee.

But the atmosphere soon turned serious, once all eyes landed on Skyquake's dead body.

Optimus' battle mask retracted. "If Skyquake chose to stray from his Master's path, we might not be burying him today."

Jade dipped her head, to face her feet. It was then she saw a side of her father she didn't know of, he cared for all those who died and will die during this war, even his greatest enemies.

Ratchet heard the computer let off a ding noise. She turned her attention away from the finished SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT and up to the screen. "By the Allspark," She whispered, the spark rate data had finished, but it wasn't just that, Rafael had the same spark rate pattern as Optimus and Jade.

Raf was the missing second born.